In one of my blogs, I alluded to conquering a weight issue. And do you know what? I did it! "Please tell me your secret," was what a sweet friend wrote as a comment on a picture of me on Facebook when I finally had the courage to face the "before" and the "after" photos.
Do you want to know my secret? I will tell you. Are you sitting down?
Wait for it ... I put in some hard work.
That's the secret. I set a goal for myself and I committed to it. I gave myself a little room to mess up or even celebrate, and that has made all the difference. I realized that I didn't get the way that I was overnight, and it could not be undone over night. My body and my mind have been through a lot over the last 10 years and my goal became to be happy in my own skin.
Over the last 10 years, I have given birth three times, all via c-section. I have willingly been through four (now a fifth) deployment and then there is the moving across this great nation and back. I was carrying around some extra weight, but my husband loves me no matter what, and quite frankly, I was just trying to get through life. I really had a moment of clarity or an "a ha" moment back in October of 2011.
As a part of the local spouses' club, volunteers were sought to walk in a fashion show at the local mall. Any chance I have to shed light on military spouses, I take. Plus, it was a new opportunity, and I was looking forward to putting all of those seasons of "America's Next Top Model" to some good use. I had to fill out a form about myself and send it back to the event coordinator.
Hair color –check.
Eye color - check.
Skin tone - check.
Height, weight and size - Ugh!
When we went to have our initial fitting and rehearsal, I discovered that I was modeling for a plus-sized store! I am plus-sized! My heart just sank down into my feet, which were clad in some super cute boots.
Let me stop here and tell you, sweet friends, that there is nothing wrong with being plus-sized. My goal in my life (and with this writing) is health, not perfection. This deployment, I am learning how to have a healthy mind, body and spirit, and I am learning how good it feels to set a goal and not only achieve it, but surpass it. I am learning to push myself beyond my normal limits and commit to me!
With that said, I will tell you what I have done to change my life and begin to feel good in my own skin.
My life, at that time, was a little more than nuts. We were driving 45 minutes (each way) to attend four therapies per week and four sessions of mixed martial arts per week. There are only seven days in a week, so needless to say, we had a lot going on. I spent most of my free time in the car, but that was okay with me.
I realized that I didn't have time for the gym, so the only other thing I could control was my food intake. We drove through every drive-thru that we could find regularly. For me, it was always a hamburger, fries and diet coke –super-size it. It was a venti frapuccino and a cake donut, sometimes twice a day. And, yes, you read that correctly. I began this food journey by doing a cleanse. A sweet friend was kind enough to show me how to do one safely. I lost 10 pounds just getting rid of all the "mess" that I was storing in my body.
I realized that just doing that was not enough. I had to relearn how to eat properly, and I had to squash those cravings for things that I don't need! I really started paying attention to what I ate, and another thing that I quit doing was feeling like I had to clean mine or my kids' plates. It is actually very freeing when you give yourself the permission to not finish everything on your plate.
The next step was to take all of the crazy stuff out of my diet. I let go of my Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper, and for anyone who knows me, you know that was huge. I gave up most of my meal choices for various salads with grilled chicken or fish, and I chose oily dressings instead of creamy ones. I increased my protein intake dramatically, and that helped to squash any sugar cravings. I lowered my carbs, but I didn't cut them out completely. I still enjoyed pizza on Friday nights with the family, but I decreased the number of slices by at least half. In and of themselves, these changes are not difficult to make, but they can be hard to maintain.
Sweet friends, just realize this, food does not have feelings. It can't make you happy, and it can't give you a pat on the back. If you look at food as purely fuel to get your body from point A to point B, it will change your perspective. One more thing to consider is that the first two weeks is going to, well, just suck! But if you can tough it out through the first two weeks you will see that your tastes will change and how much your stomach can hold will change. Do you want to know a secret? I can't stomach more than two French fries any more. After two, I begin to get sick to my stomach. I love that.
As far as exercise goes, I really did not have the time to go to the gym, but I realized that there were other things I could do. I park farther away from the store and walk, and for goodness sakes, play with your kids! After a couple of hours of throwing kids around or light saber fights in the driveway, I am spent! Have a contest with your child, and the "loser" has to plank for one minute! You let your child win, just like I do, and you get a core workout in the process. Now I am really excited about running and I am enjoying the fruits of my hard work. I don't have to tell you how rewarding it can be to set a goal and achieve it! I am also looking forward to Zumba classes and other organized workouts in the fall when my youngest begins school.
So there you have it. The big secret is to decide what you want to do and commit to it. As a mother of younger children, it was difficult to justify investing that time in myself, but now, I covet my gym time. I look forward to it, and do you know what? You really are worth the commitment! It is amazing to finally feel comfortable in my own skin!
Strength and Courage ... sby
