From This to That Friday: My Personal Story {and Transformation} with Weight Loss and Being Comfortable in My Own Skin

#fitandlean2015 #transformationtuesday #healthyandhappy #eatclean #wholefoods #healthyeating #healthyliving #freshproduce #isagenix #lovemyISA #lovemyionix #weigthloss

*All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone. I did not receive any compensation for this post. I am not a health care professional (like Baymax! lol) or in the medical field, and this is not to be used or construed as medical advice to anyone. 

It's FINALLY FRIDAY FOLKS! Hooray! And today is a big day for me! Today's From this to That Friday post is a bit more personal to me, but I have felt the need to share my own story...for several reasons. 

So many people struggle with feeling comfortable in their own "skin". I have not been exempt from this myself. After birthing 5 babies over the past 15+ years, 5 C-sections, little exercise, the stress of just LIFE at times, running a business (as a mom of 5 that works from home), having a husband that has been gone at extended periods of time over the years, yada yada yada has contributed to this some I am sure. (We all have struggles and mountains to climb.), I found myself hating my "C-section belly" and my size and frustrated with my inability to lose the weight. I wasn't overly HUGE, but was not happy with how I WAS. That's a lot of it. No matter the size you are, if you are unhappy with it, it affects your daily life. And that in effect, affects those around you! (Family, friends, etc.)

I think the struggle has become HUGE in America and plays a big part in how many people are depressed, have anxiety, or low self esteem, and/or other various issues. In part this is due to society's view of how we "should" look. There are so many reasons that contribute to this. I could go on and on about porn, about photoshopping, models, how rarely, what you see is real, etc... Society, as a whole, seems to think we should all fit within a certain "look" to be beautiful. How wrong is that?! Isn't there beauty in difference? Nobody would be beautiful if we all looked the same. Nobody would know beauty or see beauty without differences. The key is to finding beauty in EACH of us!

Well, all of the above, combined with gaining more knowledge about the foods we eat, what is actually IN the foods we eat (and what isn't!...lack of nutrients, etc,) over the past few years led me to even more research and study. Hours and hours and hours of research and study! My husband found out that he had LOTS of hidden food allergies. The food that I made, and that entered out house, drastically changed. The amount that we spend on the food we eat, drastically changed. BUT if it's for better health, both mental and physical, it's worth it, right?

So...I set out on a new journey last year in February to lose 65-70 pounds. I was going to turn forty last year, and wanted some weight gone...to never come back! I started using a nutritional cleansing program that was amazing to me. I started it to lose weight, but it ended up helping me in so many other ways. Even my husband noticed that I was happier as I progressed on my journey. I had woken up with aches, in my feet especially, and hands, for the past 3 or so years, and those disappeared. I had migraines pretty regularly at this point in my life, and those went away as well. (Without any medication!) It's amazing what it does for your body to fuel it with good nutrition and to cleanse out the toxins. That's all about what this nutritional cleansing system does for you. It cleanses out the toxins that have built up, and that block the fats from being released. Then it helps to strengthen and replenish your body with great nutrition that promotes lean muscle growth. I love that it was truthfully all natural. So many things say that they are, but are they truly? Look at everyone one of those ingredients! Can you even pronounce them? This had vitamins, minerals, oils, nutrients, bark...lol!

This was my first month.

And while I hesitate and don't want to put these pictures out there (bc I abhore them!), I do so hoping it will help someone else. Other than at the end of my pregnancies, I was at my heaviest when I started this program last year and I needed this help. I love this program! (BTW, if you want more info on the nutritional cleansing system I use, email me at createitgo@gmail.com) 

As you can see from the pictures, the scale doesn't always tell the whole story. I lost more weight my first month than the second, but look at my pics from my 2nd month, Less weight lost, but lots more inches and definitely more of a transformation. So don't rely on just the scaled. Yes, it tells the truth, but for the most part (other than about once a month), I don't get on the scale often. I measure. It also helps to keep you positive and therefore helping to lose more weight too!

Four month mark:

And then months later, and not really different in weight other than a couple pounds...but again...the inches and good nutrition show!

Along with that, I counted calories, ate as clean as possible, and as organic as possible. Some months I didn't have the amount in the budget to do as much as others. It was a lifestyle change though. So in my mind, there aren't cheat days. Do I EVER eat sugar? Of course I do! Do I still bake and cook with it? Yep. Do I also alter recipes to be more healthy! YEP! Do I ever eat unhealthy? OF course! When there is a birthday, of course, you are going to treat yourself. Then you go back to eating healthy...no refined sugars or flours. I did go without ANY refined sugars or flours for the first month and had them prob only a couple times the second month. However, it is true that you can't out exercise a bad diet. So choose wisely and then be happy about the choice. AND don't compare yourself to someone else OR their rate of progress.

I still have not lost all that I want to, but it didn't go on in 1 year and it didn't come off in one year. I want to be healthy and happy about the way I do this and some of that takes patience, perseverance, dedication, will power, and change. And I'm happily on my way! AND I am trying to focus on all that my body HAS given me in the meantime and to be thankful for the body and health that I have today.

I love the how the changes that my husband and I have made, now affect our 5 kiddos as well. We all eat pretty clean. The kids rarely eat dairy or sugar. We eat mainly gluten free. My son's acne is clearing up finally after giving up those three things. It has also helped his mental clarity. My little girls love fresh fruits and veggies and beg me for my shakes! We all love the shakes and vitamins and more! I love that they ask for snacks at the store like apples and asparagus! I love that when anyone is sick, all they feel like is a healthy nutritious shake. And I love knowing what all they are getting in that shake.

We're all different. Some of us want to gain MORE. Some of us want to GIVE our weight to those kind of people. It doesn't seem fair. BUT "fair" doesn't mean that we all are the same, or get the same things/body/life. I tell my kids that "Fair means that we all get what we need to succeed". So if it doesn't seem fair, look at it as a learning experience. What can you gain from this experience to help you to learn and grow? How can you help others? Inspire others? Then just go on your way. Keep trying. The only way to lose, is to give up. 

I share this just as a bit of my story to let you know that I'm real. I'm not perfect. I don't have the perfect life. I don't just sit around creating and cooking and smiling and making crafts with my kids. I struggle too. We all do. We all have a story and if we let others share in what we learn from our own stories, it would help all of us. So share your stories, and help and inspire someone else today! 

Happy From this to that Friday!