My Weight Loss Journey

I am a 42 year old (Gosh, that physically hurts to say/type out loud) follower of Christ. When I met my husband (three kids ago), we were both in pretty good shape.  I was active, worked out and we both played volleyball several times a week. I continued to work out and stay active until we got engaged.  Then, happiness set in.  You know how it is, right?  You fall head over heels in love and all you want to do is spend time together.  I found this amazing wonderful guy and he could cook y’all.  For our first date, he made Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.  People, it was the best thing I ever put in my mouth.  GRACIOUS!  Then there was the homemade Chicken ‘N Dumplings his Nannie taught him to make. The weight was coming quicker than a freight train.  By the time I went for my final wedding dress fitting, I had gained five pounds and they had to let my dress out.  UGH! 

Three months after the wedding, I got pregnant.  We were overjoyed when our son was born via c-section (my second, by the way).  We were so….fat and happy.  Two years later,we had another little boy blessing (3rd c-section) and two years later another blessing, a girl this time (4th c-section).  This time, my doctor tied my tubes.  He was afraid my uterus would literally explode or fall out of my body all together. So, there I was, a stay at home mom with four little ones.  I was overweight and exhausted.  I felt bad about myself and had zero self-confidence.  So, I took my birthday $ and went straight to a doctor that I knew would write me a prescription for weight loss meds.  He did.  I joined a gym, took my speed and lost weight, but it didn’t last long.  You see, the gym I belonged to, decided they would no longer provide childcare.  I didn’t have a babysitter that I could hire just so I could go to the gym. So, I gained it all back. 

Fast forward six years and Hubby and I were back where we started.  Fat and happy.  Let me clarify, happy together, but not happy with ourselves.  In fact, I was miserable.  I got a part-time job when my youngest started school.  I thought it would help me keep busy so I wouldn’t gain weight……it didn’t (probably the huge bag of Kit Kats I kept in my desk drawer – did I mention I’m a chocoholic?).  By last Christmas, I weighed as much as I did when I brought my youngest home from the hospital.  OH MY GRACIOUS! 

 For a few months, my sister-in-law had been talking about how she wanted to try Shakeology.  I kind of blew it off.  You see, I had tried MANY “diet protein meal replacement shakes” before. FAILURE!  They didn’t taste good.  I was always starving.  And did it really do any good to put a Reese’s Cup in my shake to make it taste good, as directed by the “recipes” that came with the shakes?  Um, NO!  I lost ZERO weight and I was starving, tired and miserable to be around.  Being hungry makes me really cranky!

So, my sister-in-law had been on the shakes and doing Insanity for 30 days.  All she talked about was these shakes and her workout….all the time.  She wasn’t pushy about it but she raved about how good they were.  So, when she posted her before and after pic on Facebook, this is what went through my head, “Well, GREAT!  I’m used to being the fat sister-in-law, but now she’s not only skinnier, she’s stronger too!  This sucks! Looks at her bicep!  I hate being the Haus of the family”.  So, when Hubby asked if I’d seen her pics I said, “Yes, I’m thinking of ordering”.  The rest, as they say, is history. 

 We’ve been on Shakeology for three months.  I never thought I could love a shake so much.  It has a full days serving of veggies and fruits (not sure if I mentioned my extreme hatred for veggies).  It’s all natural and contains no chemicals (my son has autism so that is a big deal for me).  It contains natural anti-inflammatories (did I mention my bad knees) and the best part…….it TOTALLY curbs my cravings for junk food.  I haven’t had one piece of chocolate since I started Shakeology.  I haven’t even WANTED chocolate or pastries. That in itself is amazing. 

 We both did the Insanity workout.  We LOVE ShaunT and we’ve had amazing results.  We are so glad not to have to worry about getting a sitter and going to the gym. We can do it in the living room.  We are now doing Shaun T’s new workout, Focus T25, which is 25 minutes a day, which is great since I am working now.  We are very excited about it. 

We currently have a Challenge Group going on our Facebook page.  It is a group of people who are there to encourage each other, share recipes, be accountable for workouts, etc.  We have had tremendous results with people in Challenge Groups. 

 

I still have a long way to go, but this is my progress so far.  I am down 16 pounds and 16 inches so far in just 2 and a half months.

If you are interested in losing weight, getting healthy and getting fit, feel free to contact me.  My fitness page is:  www.facebook.com/TNTFit4Life and my website is:  www.beachbodycoach.com/TanyaMichelle