My Weight Loss Journy

Being overweight is not only hard on the body physically but often times have emotional and psychological ramifications also. For me, this was especially true. When I was younger, before the military, I was a model – I was so stinking tiny. I worked out continuously to maintain muscle tone and my figure. I ate whatever I wanted because I never put on weight. On a “bad day” and soaking wet in a pair a jeans I weighed maybe 110. This is what I considered ‘Normal’ and even worse ‘Beautiful’.

 Before you get all worried no I didn’t have an eating disorder except that I liked to eat and I no longer feel that I have to be this small to be Beautiful. But it has been a very very long journey to overcome that particular mentality and understand that there is a difference between Skinny and Healthy.

In my previous blog “My USANA Story” I talk about how weight gain began to pose such a significant issue to me. All the way through my pregnancy I never topped 125lbs and walked out of the hospital after giving birth weighing about 115lbs. Not too bad all things considering. But my body never went back to “normal”. I was in massive and constant pain and a previous hip injury was making itself known all over again. I couldn’t run, I could barely walk, I sure wasn’t lifting at the gym – heck, most of the time I didn’t even have the ENERGY to do anything not to mention the ABILITY.

 The weight began to pile on. Within about 6 to 7 months I had reached 145lbs – which by Army standards was borderline overweight but since I couldn’t even take a PT Test I was still “flagged” for being overweight and a PT Failure. If you know anything about the military, you will know that being “Flagged” means your life just got 100 times harder.

I remember the first pill I tried was Xenedrine – after all hadn’t all those people on TV lost 40lbs in just 4 weeks? You know what else I remember? I remember the massive chest pain because of the Caffeine in the pills and the really loose bowels…. Not terribly conducive to being a productive soldier or mother. That didn’t last long. Then another of my friends told me about a weight-loss clinic off post that prescribed Phentermine to soldiers to help with weight issues. Phentermine is still in the family of amphetamines and if you “popped hot” on a drug test you could kiss your military career good bye! Ok, well this medication wasn’t prescribed by military doctors, but I found in the regulations that as long as you had a current prescription you wouldn’t be penalized for it. Bring on round two of chest pain. Amphetamines work by speeding up the metabolism process through an elevated heart rate. This was not going to work. I was also looking for a “magic pill” that would let me get skinny quick. Nutrisystem works, it does, but here is my caveat to it. First, it is not family friendly. I was having to make a special meal for my daughter because I was eating pre-packaged foods and then since she only wanted what I was eating, I still didn’t get to eat much. Second, these pre-packaged meals are convenient yes, but they do not teach you to make health food choices on your own. When I would go out to a restaurant with my friends I would feel really guilty for “cheating on my diet” and would end up over eating anyway because I didn’t know the importance of good food choices.

 After a while, I gave up. I wanted to lose weight so bad, but nothing was working and I was 100% convinced that it was because I was sick. So the pounds continued to pile on. With them came cardiovascular problems and extreme tachycardia, acid reflux and irritable bowels, constant headaches, more muscle aches, popping and cracking in my joints, and Depression! I was a model! I was supposed to be super thin! Fat was in no way sexy! And the more weight I put on, the more I hated my body and the less I did to try and make myself look or feel pretty. It was aweful. And because “diets” had not worked for me in the past I didn’t believe that they would work for me at all.

The USANA Reset Program and Nutrimeal meal replacement shakes have made a believer out of this woman that with proper nutrition and a balanced diet I really could lose the weight! Two notes though. First – this is NOT a “get skinny quick” plan and Second – it’s a lifestyle NOT a diet.

 

The USANA Reset Program is a specially packaged kit that includes individual servings of the Nutrimeal Shakes in Strawberry, Vanilla, and Dutch Chocolate, daily snacks that are full of protein and nutrients, and 5 days of the USANA HealthPak Nutritional Supplements. This program is designed to be easy and helps your body start to detox and start functioning the way that it was designed to do. Personally, during my 5 day transformation I lost 6 lbs and it was so easy to stick with! This chocoholic got to have her chocolate every day too and still lost weight.

The USANA Nutrimeal provides a full line of Low-Glycemic and fabulously tasty meal replacement shakes that are as filling and energizing as an actual cooked meal would be. Because they are certified low-glycemic it is 100% safe for everyone to use and the lack of sugar and insulin spikes means that the body will utilize energy efficiently and cravings for things like sugars and fast carbs start to diminish. For me, regardless of my schedule, I have a Nutrimeal shake for breakfast. It is an easy, on-the-go meal that fits perfectly into my crazy morning routines. My favorite is the Dutch Chocolate Nutrimeal blended with some banana and 1 Tbsp. of Peanut Butter – it is so rich and filling!

Want to encourage your children to be healthy too? Awesome, that’s the time to start! My daughter enjoys a shake from time to time, especially when we have to hit the road early in the morning and has her very own shaker bottle and bag of “Pink Shake” (Strawberry Nutrimeal). It will keep her full and happy for many hours and I don’t have to worry about stopping at McDonalds and then cleaning up the mess later.

 

I am just beginning my weight loss journey and have found a happy and agreeable balance with the USANA Nutrimeal Shakes and a Paleo diet. Best of all, it teaches my daughter to eat healthy too. I will continue to write about my weight loss but for now I will end with a picture that my daughter took today for me. Four months of a healthy diet and active lifestyle = 30 Lbs gone! And the journey is just beginning!

 

A Happy Home is a Healthy Home!

Rachel P.

 

Fibromyalgia and Me

(Fall 2011)

First I want, no I HAVE to say, that despite what others think or say, YOUR PAIN IS REAL!! I know that there are doctors who don’t believe us, we have coworkers who think we are just trying to get out of work, and even family members who think you are just seeking attention. But let me stand, or sit here rather, here and say, I BELIEVE YOU!

Fibromyalgia is what the medical world calls an Invisible Disease. There are no known causes of fibromyalgia or even ideas of why it affects more women than men and why some of those affected are hit harder than others but for those who feel the daily exhausting, excruciating pain, life outside of that reality becomes a distant memory.

I was formally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when I was 24 years old. I was an active duty soldier, a full time student, and single mom. I remember the feeling of udder and complete exhaustion from first thing in the morning to when I passed out at night. I remember how it was nearly impossible to walk or carry anything because of this bone crushing pain in my limbs. I would describe it as feeling as though I had been hit by a Mack truck, as though my shins were shattered, my forearms crushed, and there was this feeling of having hat pins shoved up between my fingers. It was completely crushing physically and emotionally the day I realized that I couldn’t even hold my baby girl.

As a pharmacy technician I knew that there were medications, a LOT of medications, that were frequently prescribed for nerve pain and the depression that frequently accompanies physically debilitating diseases. I honestly cannot remember how many different medications I was prescribed over the years – Amitriptyline, Clonapin, Celebrex, Cymbalta, Lyrica, Savella, Sterroids - lots of sterroids, Ultram, Gabapentin…I know there were more but yeah, I have forgotten. Now I know that I can’t complain about the copays but I have friends who do have to pay insurance copays and my eyes pop out of my head! I admit I was horrified when my insurance chose to no longer cover the Savella and my prescription was going to be increased from $6/month to $43/month.

I was retired from the military in 2010 because I could no longer perform my duties as a soldier due in large part to pain from my fibromyalgia. In the next year I had several jobs in other pharmacies and office positions until I realized that I couldn’t even take care of myself much less my now 3 year old daughter. I was paying out of pocket to see specialists across the North Texas region just trying to find a doctor that would be able to help me manage my pain. As with many who suffer with Fibromyalgia I didn’t have much success.

I was a regular pill popper. If I had a pain, I had a pill for that. I am not kidding. I was taking 2,700mg of Gabapentin, 150mg of Savella, (be right back – I gotta get the pill box) 3mg of Prazosin, 1 Vicodin, 80mg of Celexa, .5mg of Clonapin, and 150mg of Prilosec EVERY DAY! Every Single Day! And you know what, I was only MANAGING my pain. I was only BARELY functioning! I was still MISERABLE! I couldn’t even go grocery shopping without taking a nap and some pain meds when I got home. Fibromyalgia was ruining my life!

One day my brother was visiting and asked if he could have the bottles of Essentials that I had left at my mom’s place about a year before (I was on so many prescriptions – I didn’t want to “take more pills”. I was like sure, go for it. And then he told me how he had been taking them and how good he felt (he is another Army badass and one of the healthiest guys I knew…not to mention I knew he HATED pills of any kind). Epiphany!! If HE was willing to take these supplements I needed to try this stuff! Anything to actually PHYSICALLY FEEL BETTER!

The USANA Essentials has 100% changed my views about Health Supplements! I am in so much less pain than I was ever able to accomplish with all those prescription medications. Am I cured – Heck No! Fibromyalgia is part of my life but the difference is that Fibromyalgia no longer CONTROLS my life. For sake of ease and consistency I personally started purchasing the HealthPak. The complete balance of the USANA HealthPak is allowing my body to heal itself. The HealthPak is prepackaged dose of USANA Essentials, Active Calcium, and a Mega Antioxidant. This combination of pills has helped to minimize the inflammation in my joints and muscles which has significantly minimized the pain that I experience on a daily basis. The active calcium is helping my bones to rejuvenate from the years of continual steroid use. Heck, I am back to doing 5Ks with my daughter – that is how much my pain has diminished. If you are ready for a change and ready to feel the energy and wholeness you deserve, contact me and we can discuss how to help you reach your goals!

A Happy Home is a Healthy Home

Rachel P.

My USANA Story

My USANA Story

I was 23 years old and had just given birth to a beautiful 7 pound daughter. I couldn’t have been happier. But as the weeks went on I started to notice that I wasn’t healing the way I should be and I was in excruciating pain and the fatigue was beyond manageable. Not only was I a single mother, but I was a full time student, and was an active duty soldier in the inpatient pharmacy at Fort Hood. As the fatigue and pain grew worse I would find myself stopping for fast food on my way home after work and subsequently I started putting on weight. And the heavier I was, the more pain I was in, the more fatigued I was, and the more I hated my life and my body.

It was about a year later after going from doctor to doctor who said I was crazy, making it up, or attention seeking before I met a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. As I came to understand the disease I found that I had been battling the nerve pain in my hands and feet, the migraines, gastric issues, and fatigue for as long as I could remember but hadn’t given it much thought because it never affected my life. But now it was affecting more than my life…my child was being affected in a negative way. But where did I start?

Being on active duty there are strict guidelines about weight. Well since I could barely walk, I couldn’t do PT, and I wasn’t eating correctly as we have already seen, so passing the height and weight  requirements were laughable. I had tried every diet and diet pill I could get my hands on; Phentermine, Xenadrine, HCG Injections, Nutrisystem, South Beach, SlimFast, STARVATION! The more I tried and failed the worse the depression got and then the pain and fatigue, and then more fast food to avoid cooking and cleaning, and more weight – the never ending cycle. One day, we got a new NCO in the pharmacy who was obviously all about being fit, healthy, and nutritious food – SFC Patrick Hilliard. Over time, I was able to tell him about my health and my struggles and he began to tell me about the nutrient balanced USANA Nutrimeal shakes and supplements. I decided to give the RESET program a try. But I hadn’t reached rock bottom yet.

I was retired by the Army for numerous health issues and was being treated at the Veterans Hospital in Dallas. I had continued the poor eating habits, had put on more weight, could no longer hold a job because of the pain and fatigue, and had started experiencing serious heart issues as well. The day I sat in my cardiologist’s office and was told “Lose the weight or you won’t live to see your daughter graduate high school” was the day I came to a horrific realization - I had hit rock bottom. I didn’t know how I was going to get there, but I knew who to call.

I still have a long way to go but with the constant love of my daughter, the encouragement of the Hilliards, my personal trainer Dustin White with 24 Hour Fitness pushing me further than I had thought I could go, and my family and friends cheering me on I have made huge strides. With the help of USANA's perfectly balanced Nutrimeal shakes and natural supplements perfected by science, I have lost almost 30 lbs, gone from barely walking to completing 5Ks, the migraines and pain have become more manageable, and my blood pressure is normalizing (I’m still on medications but I can feel a difference) But best of all, I AM HAPPY AGAIN!

I have always striven to give at least one person a reason to smile each day. If I can bless just one person the way that those who have stood beside me have touched my life and given me the confidence and ability to live my life the way I have always dreamed, then I will consider myself a success.

A Healthy Home is a Happy Home

Rachel P.