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.