If you are just starting to follow my journey, you may be wondering why I am going about my nutrition and exercise so meticulously. I really don't want to be, but the truth is that I have been on quite a journey over the past 2 years, and I am finally starting to find progress again...and I just don't want to lose that. Here's a little background.....
In 2012 was going through a very stressful time in my life, and in my marriage. My husband, Jeff, had jumped into his own business venture, and he was busy ALL THE TIME. It put a real strain on our marriage and our family. I started focusing on my health and fitness. For 2 years, I worked hard to get fit. In May of 2014 I was in the best shape of my adult life. I lost 60+ pounds. I slimmed and toned my body. For the first time since I was in high school, I felt confident in who I was, and was not self conscious about my weight and my appearance. I was also coaching others on their journey. Fast forward to the fall of 2014....I started gaining weight, despite the fact that I was still eating right and exercising. It didn't seem to matter what I did, I could not lose the weight again. My efforts seemed to pause the weight gain, but would not reverse it. I was also VERY tired, and never seemed to have enough energy. I became more frustrated and self conscious. In spring of 2015, I finally made my way to the doctor. I was certain I was having thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism runs in my family, and I thought for sure it was finally hitting me. After a handful of blood tests, it turns out I have Epstein-Barr Virus...and my numbers were HIGH. I decided to slow down and try not to stress my body anymore that necessary. I did for awhile, but when you are into regular exercise, it can be REALLY HARD to stop. I was continuing to exercise, and still not seeing progress...nothing on the scale, no inches lost, no change in progress pics. This created more stress. I was doing the things I needed to do for my EBV, and trying to keep my numbers down. The energy was increasing, but I was jumping full speed into intense workouts, and spending all of that energy as quickly as I could create it. The fall of 2015 was tough. I kept exercising, and not seeing much progress. I was still holding steady. However, whenever I took a break, I gained weight...weight that I could not lose back. Finally by January of 2016, I found myself 30 pounds heavier...even though I was trying to eat right, and I was exercising regularly. Jeff and I started into the Master's Hammer and Chisel program (which I love). We completed the full 2 months of the program. I did not expect to lose weight with the program because it is about building muscle and toning the body. However, I did not lose many inches wither. My arms and shoulders looked amazing, but my midsection just was not changing at all. I was ready to jump into the 22 Minute Hard Corps program, in March. Unfortunately, we had a spell of really warm weather, and my allergies (asthma) hit me hard. I had to stop working out. It was a total wake up call for me. I started to research and focus on my nutrition. I have been learning a lot about organic food, and GMO's and how they affect the body. I stopped stepping on the scale, and instead trying to focus on my health and how I was feeling. My energy was low again, and I was having some issues with my Mirena birth control. After I had it removed, my hormones were WAY out of whack. I spent all of March and April, NOT exercising, and just focusing on my nutrition in order to reset my hormones. I was feeling a little better, but I couldn't seem to shake the fatigue. I called up my doctor again and made another appointment. THIS TIME, I insisted on the full panel of thyroid tests. Well, those all came out perfectly normal. I can officially rule out my thyroid. It turns out my vitamin D was low, and my EVB was flaring up a bit. A week before my doctor's appointment, I made the decision to purchase the Ultimate Reset program (it was on sale). I had done the reset before and had excellent results. However, it was a tough program, and I was intimidated about doing it again. However, the timing was perfect. I KNEW it was a sign that I needed this program RIGHT NOW, to help reset my body. So I took the leap. You can scroll back my last few posts to see my reset journey. What is important from that program is that I FEEL BETTER. My energy is up, and I feel like I can move back into working out again. Also, for the first time in 2 years, the scale is working in my favor. Slowly but surely, I am seeing progress.
I have learned a lot through my journey. My biggest lesson is that you have to REALLY learn to listen to your body. Working harder and being more strict with your eating is NOT ALWAYS THE WAY TO SEE PROGRESS. Sometimes, doing those things can make things worse!! If you are working hard and not seeing results, then try taking a step back. Allow your body to HEAL. Don't end up in my situation where I was working so hard to see progress that I was over stressing my body, and hindering my ability to have results.
If you are struggling, and need some help, please reach out to me. I have BEEN THERE! I know how frustrating and stressful it is, and how that stress can really work against your progress. If you can trust the process, I can help you reverse it. It won't happen over night, but it WILL happen.
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