First of all, I want to take the chance to introduce myself and let you know how I got to this point. My name is Nichole and I am a Christian, wife and mother. I came to Christian when I was 21 following the death of my step-dad Mike. I was at one of the lowest points in my life and I learned about this amazing guy, Jesus. He loved me for me and wanted to save me from the heartache I was experiencing. So, in August of 2001 I turned my life over to Jesus and I have been living for him every day since! Not too long after that I met my wonderful husband Jason and we got married on June 28, 2003. That day I not only became and a wife, but I became a step-mom to my step-daughter Chelsea and my step-son Matthew. On July 16, 2004 we welcomed our daughter Jacoba and life has been a wild ride ever since.
In 2007 we were expecting another baby and God had different plans for us. We lost our baby Father's Day weekend 2007 and with it the ability to have anymore children. I was devastated. Needless to say I got angry at God and very depressed. I went through the motions of life and spent most of my days in a daze. It was not until Father's Day weekend 2008 that I finally let my husband in on what had been going on inside of me. At that point Jason did whatever he could to draw me nearer to Jesus and help me heal. And I did, I got better. It took time and lots of prayer, but I got better. Unfortunately the damage was done. I was heavier than I ever was and clueless as to how to get it off. I tried the South Beach Diet, with success, but it never lasted. I tried most fad diets, with limited success and I always put the weight back on.
Fast-forward to 2012 and my mother was diagnosed with an auto immune disease that there is no know cure for. She will eventually be wheel chair bound as her disease attacks muscles and connective tissue. This gets my wheels turning, but still struggling with what to do. My family started to eat cleaner, but lazy days kick in because of lack of meal planing and fast food becomes a norm again. The end of 2013 was a turning point for me. A dear friend of mine passed away from complications from a blood clot. A simple broken ankle in November ended with her passing away in early December. Such a sweet soul lost too early. After that my step-dad Kevin was diagnosed with three blocked arteries and underwent a triple by-pass surgery days before Christmas. That was it, I looked at my husband and I said, "We have to make a change now, or we will never see our grandkids!"
So on January 4, 2014 my husband, daughter Jacoba and I began the Daniel Fast. The best way to describe the fast is to say it is a vegan diet with a lot more restrictions. No meat, no dairy, no refined sugar, no refined flours. If Daniel from the Bible could not eat it, we were not supposed to eat it. Very much plant based and we did that for 40 days. I lost 20 pounds over the course of those 40 Days and my husband lost 30 pounds! All without even doing a single day of exercise. At the end of the 40 days we began to incorporate foods back into our diet and I found that I was horribly allergic to dairy. I had eaten dairy my whole life. I love cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, all the really bad good tasting things that go right to my hips. I never liked milk, but the occasional chocolate milk was always a nice treat. In 40 days I cleansed my system of the toxin and when I started to introduce dairy back into my diet, I had horrible reactions, nausea, stomach cramps, skin rash, among others. I started to keep track of when I had these reactions and how severe they were, i.e. a food journal. At that point I started to think back across my eating past and realized that I had always had similar reactions to these foods, but never equated it to an allergy, just that it was how my body and that food reacted to each other. It was far more than simply lactose intolerance and I needed to make a change. A VERY DIFFICULT CHANGE. Like I said, I love cheese, cream cheese anything, especially cream cheese frosting, sour cream on everything Mexican and oh yeah, butter, everything is better with butter. Paula Deen was my idol when it came to cooking and I shared her love for butter. During the fast it was no big deal to live without these items because there was a deadline when they could come back into our diet. Now, it was just depressing, foods that I love, I can't have anymore. Now in reality, they are among the foods that made me the weight that I was, but my mind did not care. At that point I was angry again and depressed because I love those foods, realistically in an unhealthy way. That was when I was introduced to Whole Foods and their wonderful line of dairy free items. Now these foods are more expensive, but it gave me hope. We don't indulge in almond milk ice cream very often, its not cheap, like at all, but as a treat every now and then, its ok to have this sweet treat. Honestly, I had to learn to cook all over again. Baking is not as easy as it once was and using olive oil or coconut oil in place of butter in the skillet to cook was not foreign to me, just not the norm. What I realized over the next few months was that dairy was one of my biggest culprits for weight. We allowed most of the foods we ate prior to the fast back into our diet, but I was able to maintain the weight loss. Now I was on a roll. Normally I would have put that weight back on.
In August of 2014 I made the decision to fix myself for good. I was emotionally ready to change my life for good. I was no longer going to diet, I was going to make a lifestyle change. I went on to beachbody's website in hopes of finding something I could handle. I previously had Hip Hop Abs and Insanity. I liked Hip Hop Abs, but lets be honest, I am a white girl and I looked ridiculous. Insanity was too much for me at my current weight and how grossly out of shape I was. In walks 21 Day Fix, easily modified exercise and an easy meal plan including containers to teach me portion control. I can handle this. I placed the order and on September 1, 2014 I began my journey to a healthier me. I have now completed my first two rounds of 21 Day Fix and have lost 11 pounds and 15 inches total body. I am thrilled with these results, especially since the last week of my second round I was unable to exercise due to a back injury. I look forward to losing more weight, gaining even more energy and feeling healthy again.
Since I had such great results and loved the support I received from my coach and the challenge group that I was apart of I decided I needed to pay it forward. I wanted to share with others what I had learned and help them along their journey to a healthier life for themselves! So long story short, that is why I became a beachbody coach. To help others who have struggled like me.
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