I was preparing breakfast at the counter. My six-year-old son came up behind me wanting to put his arms around me for a good morning hug, but I pushed his little arms away as I always did and instead bent down for a quick kiss on the cheek. See, I didn’t want him to feel the fat rolls around my midsection. I didn’t want him to think of me as being “squishy” so I tried to avoid as much contact as possible with him as well as my daughter. My eight-year-old daughter had long since given up trying to hug me around my waist. She already knew I would push her away. It broke my heart, but I couldn’t bear being touched. My husband also knew his boundaries.
The beach is one of my favorite places. I would love to go at sunset when it was cooling off so I wouldn’t look so ridiculous in my jeans and t-shirt in 100+ degree weather as there was no way I would be seen in shorts, much less a swimsuit. I would cringe when a family would cross our paths and the mom was playing in the water with her children. Oh, how I longed for those moments. Oh, how I wanted to be the mom that didn’t worry about making people uncomfortable because I was so fat.
My son loves baseball and I love watching him play. Last year I would avoid going to the practices because all of the other moms on his team were thin and I didn’t want him to be embarrassed of me. I would also try to avoid the other moms at my daughter’s dance studio because I figured my daughter wouldn’t want anyone to know who her mom was. I would refuse to meet my husband’s co-workers because I wanted to spare my husband the embarrassment of being married to me. Now, keep in mind, these were all my distorted feelings and my family did not feel this way at all. In fact, my husband would become very angry with me when I would behave this way. He would tell me over and over again how much he and the children love me, but I just couldn’t see how. I didn’t think it was possible to love me when I was so disgusting and I certainly didn’t love myself.
Then, in October of 2008, my father had a mini-stroke. I have a family history of strokes and even though he made a full recovery, this was a major wake-up call. I decided I didn’t want to die young and knew I was going down the wrong path. My father isn’t even overweight and this happened to him. I knew that I needed to change my lifestyle. I knew I had to start eating healthier, exercising and taking care of myself. I had to do it for my family… the thought of losing my dad was unbearable and I didn’t want to put my children through that prematurely because I was not willing to care for myself. I pulled out the Six Week Body Makeover program that I had purchased the year before but never opened and decided I was going to follow the plan exactly for two weeks and see what happened.
I was very skeptical and thought there was no way I would be able to lose weight eating carbohydrates, but I promised myself I was going to do everything exactly as they said. I am an incredibly busy person (besides being a wife and mother, I homeschool my two children, teach six preschoolers in my home, and take my children to their extra curricular activities everyday of the week) so I didn’t think I would be able to make time to cook and exercise. Due to the busy schedule, we would usually eat dinners out. On the weekends, we would often eat all three meals at a restaurant. In spite of these challenges, I told myself I was going to figure it out, that I knew it could be done. I needed to change my thinking… I needed to start thinking the way thin people think.
I knew I had been taking the lazy way out and look at where it had gotten me… I wouldn’t even let my children hug me. And what kind of an example was I being to them? I wouldn’t allow my children to eat the way I did, but I knew deep down that I needed to “practice what I preached” and if I didn’t, my children would most likely end up the same as me.
I logged onto the website and started reading through the forums. I found a thread that looked like a good support and they were just getting ready to start a six-week challenge. I thought that seemed perfect and decided I would start the program on the first day of their challenge which was Monday, October 20, 2008. I skimmed through the recipe forum and picked out some recipes to try. I went grocery shopping over the weekend and prepared some of the meals for the week. When I took my daughter to her dance class, I told the instructor that I would be leaving during her class so I could go for a walk. When I got home from my daughter’s dance class, I began to prepare dinner and while the food was simmering, I did my required toning. There, food and exercise done for day one. It wasn’t too bad and I actually enjoyed my walk even though I felt a little anxious about leaving my daughter at the dance studio.
Someone in the thread I had joined mentioned that NBU was starting and they were going to sign up. I wasn’t sure what NBU was and asked about it. They told me about New Body University and what a great accountability program it was. I looked into it and decided to join. It was to start the following week. Let me tell you, I met some true angels in there and found a great support. I think joining the thread and NBU right away was the best thing I could have done. The accountability and support set me on the right track from the beginning. I never felt alone. If I had a question, someone knew the answer. If I was discouraged, someone was there to offer encouragement.
My first full week on the program, I lost nine pounds. I couldn’t believe it. I kept getting on and off the scale and even had my husband weigh to make sure it wasn’t broken! That was enough for me… I decided this was going to be my new lifestyle. I was eating healthy “real” food, learning how to cook, exercising, and toning… this was not a diet, it was a new way of life… a healthy way of life. This was something that I could (and will) do forever.
I reached my first goal of losing 50 pounds in less than four months. I was doing so well, and had so much support and encouragement from the people I met in the support threads that I decided to decrease my original goal to the weight I was right after high school.
Just over six months have passed since I began my new lifestyle and I have become so lean and toned that my clothes from high school are now too big and I used to be a cheerleader! At my last doctor’s visit, he kept telling me how “lean” I was… that was so great to hear! He asked me how I lost all the weight and couldn’t believe that I didn’t have to use gastric bypass, the lap band, or pills to do it so quickly! I have lost all of the cellulite on my body, my skin has cleared up without all of the toxins in my body, we aren’t wasting money on eating out, and people that I haven’t seen since I began the program don’t even recognize me… seriously, they walk right past me and I have to tell them who I am!
I no longer feel embarrassed to meet my husband’s coworkers. I can’t wait to put my size 2 pair of shorts on over my bikini and go to the beach. I smile and shake hands with the other parents at my children’s activities. I used to feel like the “fat mom” of the group, now my husband says I’m the hottest mom! And the moms from my son’s baseball team last year that used to intimidate me so much now ask me for fitness advice and have even asked if they can start working out with me! Everyone is always shocked to hear that I have not stepped foot in a gym and am only using the toning bands to gain the amazing muscle definition I now have. People that I have just met tell me that I seem so confident and sure of myself. I never thought this could really happen… I never thought I could be so successful in this area of my life.
Was it tough? Yes, at first… anytime you are going to make a lifestyle change it is going to be hard, but ask me if it is worth the effort and I will say 100% yes!!! I can’t even remember what it feels like to have a tummy ache… I haven’t had one since I started the plan. My skin is so much clearer and I have so much energy. I used to crave sweets and processed foods, now I crave exercise and get cranky if I don’t get it in!
Is the plan tough now? No way! It took me a couple of weeks to really get in a good flow with the program but now it’s second nature. I basically follow the same plan that I started with… I prepare most of my meals (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack) for the week in bulk so I always have something ready and available for my meals during the day. I cook a fresh, on-plan dinner nightly for my entire family that we all enjoy (hubby has even lost a few pounds just from eating my healthier dinners!). I get my cardio in during my children’s practices which is walking or what I call “slogging” (slow jogging) now. I’ll even sometimes slog while my children ride their bikes to practices that are within five miles of our home (the children tire out before I do now!). And I tone while dinner is cooking or while my children are getting ready for bed.
There is no way you can fail if you follow this plan as written… all the hard work is done for you, you just have to decide that you are worth it. I’ve heard people say “what I would give to be thin” well, I ask you to think about that. Most of the time we think we have to give up eating, not so with this plan… you just change the way you eat, but you still get to eat and you get to eat well, six times a day! As far as the foods you give up (also known as ICK)… I can tell you that no food tastes as good as being fit feels! (I read that in one of the threads and it really stuck with me.)
Going back to the original problem, I started gradually gaining weight when I met my husband in high school. By the time I was 20, my clothes no longer fit and I wasn’t able to shop at the trendy stores anymore as they didn’t have the larger sizes. I spent my entire 20s pushing 200 pounds even hitting 212 at one point. I am now shopping in those trendy stores again and usually buy clothes from the juniors department (size 3). I went from looking for the biggest sizes in the stores to now looking for the smallest sizes! If I can make this change after turning to food for comfort and entertainment for over 1/3 of my life, anyone can!
I was 199 pounds when I started the program on October 20, 2008 and was a size 18. Now, just over six months later, I am a size 0 or 2 in ladies and a size 3 in juniors. I am down to 120 pounds and have lost more than 80 inches! That’s over six feet! Since I am only 5’4” that is a pretty drastic change! I reached my ultimate goal of 120 pounds on May 3, 2009.
When I hit my first goal of losing 50 pounds I was in NBU. One of our challenges was to think of the weight we had lost in tangible items… bag of potatoes, sack of flour, etc. I realized that my son weighed 50 pounds and I had basically been carrying him around! That was a real eye-opener! Now, I can say I used to be carrying two 40 lb bags of dog food! That is just crazy! No wonder I didn’t have any energy!
My children have both had birthdays since I started the program six months ago and are now seven and nine-years-old. They are both so proud of me. One night at dinner, my son (seven) asked if he could say grace. He is a very thankful boy and went on thanking God for the food, being able to climb the tree with his sister, the time he got to spend with his dad that day, the beautiful flowers that were starting to grow… then he added, “Oh, and thanks, God, for the program that is helping mommy get skinny.” That was one of the best feelings. I realized at that point that I am the mom I want to be. I am the mom that plays with her children. I am the mom that hugs her children. I am the wife that desires her husband’s touch. I no longer feel limited and feel I am able to be the woman that God wants me to be. I went from refusing to wear shorts (even when the temperatures were 115) to wanting to go to a water park with my family… in a swimsuit!!! My family tells me how much more fun I am now and my confidence is through the roof!
This program has not only given me the tools I needed to lose weight, it has given me the opportunity to live the life that I have always wanted!