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.