Commitment!!!

 

I have not weighed below 200 pounds in ten years. My weight gain really got out of control when I became an administrator. I kept putting the lives of my students and staff before my own needs. Which led to me not taking care of my self, being extra irritable and not able to appropriately manage stress from day to day work. I thought I was thriving, but I really was just surviving. My life was out of balance and I needed to make a change. 

I've tried so many different nutrition and weight loss strategies and nothing seemed to work. In October last year, I got to point that I felt incredibly horrible. I had no energy, I was constantly having stomach issues and I hated the way I looked. I didn't know how to change. I was in an insanity loop; continuing to do that same things over and over and expecting something different to happen. 

I realized that I needed help. I couldn't continue to try to get healthier on my own. Previously, I tried Weight Watchers, Curves, Shakeology, 21 Day Fix, 2B Mindset, group workout classes, food journaling and hundreds of dollars in supplements. I would be really into it for a few weeks, but then life would happen and I would revert back to bad habits and then gain the weight back, with more pounds added. 

After having to buy clothes with a 3XL label, I realized that I couldn't continue to live like that. I needed to make an active change to my health and lifestyle to not only help me feel better about myself, but to also have a healthy body and mind. 

I saw an ad for a weight loss program with Fox River MedSpa in Algonquin. I've previously gone there for yoga, meditation and massages. They were promoting working with a nutritionist and getting semaglutide injections weekly. It was a $100 weekly investment, but I was desperate for a change and felt like this was my last stich effort to make serious change in my life. 

I began working with Tina to track not only what I was eating, but how I felt about what I was eating. How my body was working for me and how my gut was reacting to the different foods I was putting in my body. The semaglutide was the extra boost I needed to focus on my health. One hundred dollars a week was A LOT for me!!! I had to adjust what I was spending my money on. I wasn't buying new clothes, because I was committed to losing the weight. I wasn't buying take out food, I was committed to eating healthier for fuel, not just immediate gratification of boosts of sugar or salty treats. 

My journey with Tina helped me realize that the overly processed foods, pasta, bread and empty calorie carbs were not only causing my gut to bloat, but was causing inflammation in my body and depleting my energy. She suggested that I take a food sensitivity test. So for Christmas, my husband got me an in-home food sensitivity test, where I mailed in a blood sample and a few weeks later I received a report that indicated that, I was sensitive to gluten and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes & eggplant). I mindfully cut those food items out of my diet (processed tomatoes - like in pizza or pasta sauce) and I noticed a difference in my digestion, which allowed me to have more energy. I stopped the semaglutide injections, but continued with the food journaling and began working out at Planet Fitness focusing on some cardio and weight lifting. But, I still didn't feel so great. 

I was experiencing major perimenopause symptoms of hot flashes, cramping, periods that would be heavy for several weeks and then nothing for a month, and my mood was always angry and irritable. So I knew I needed to get more support from my gynecologist. I've trusted  Suburban Women's Health Specialists with my early cervical cancer surgery, both pregnancies and my uterine ablation surgery and now I needed them to figure out why I still was feeling not myself. With several exams and ultrasounds, my doctors discovered multiple fibroids. My doctor told me that my uterus was like a "bag of marbles" filled with fibroids. We decided that since I was not planning on having any more children, and with a family history of uterine cancer, that I would be a good idea to just have a hysterectomy. 

March of 2024 is when I had my partial hysterectomy. It was a robotic hysterectomy where they filled my abdomen up with air, turned me upside down and removed my uterus, all while being knocked out of course. I have a very high tolerance for pain, so recovery wasn't too bad, accept for my shoulders, I wasn't able to sleep on my side, since my body needed to release the gas that pushing my organs up towards my shoulders during the surgery. But I was back at work the next week and finally felt relief after a month. I wasn't having cramps, I was able to not have anxiety about how many pads I would need to change during the day and I was more energetic. A lot of pressure was released from my abdomen, but I was still having IBS issues. 

I took another chance with a gastroenterologist that I saw when I was having issues in my 20's. GI Alliance and Dr. Sun diagnosed me with IBS-C. After several visits and a colonoscopy, it was clear that even with a more mindful diet and regular exercise that my body still needed help. I was prescribed Trulance, which helps calm my gut and helps adjust my pH levels and allows more water to support regular digestion. It is important for me to stay hydrated and limit alcohol to allow for my small intestine to absorb needed nutrients and let the rest go.   

Even with all of this, I was still having trouble loosing weight and still lacked the energy that I felt I should have, since I'm running after 5-7 year old kids each day. I'd climb the stairs and be winded, I couldn't walk up and down my long drive way without stopping at the top of the hill to take a few breaths. I know it had to do with me holding on to weight around my waist, hips and thighs. So I was lucky enough to get an appointment with an endocrinologist. It is very difficult to get an appointment with an endocrinologist, but once I did, he was able to schedule blood tests for me to determine why I was still feeling so sluggish. 

It turns out I was anemic and had low cortisol hormonal levels. I was tested for Addison's disease and pituitary gland issues, but I had none of those. The easiest strategy from my doctor has been increasing lean protein into my diet. I focus on having eggs, chicken, salmon, spinach, broccoli, beans and high protein grains in my diet each day. Also, my endocrinologist prescribed Zepbound.  Zepbound is a tirzepatide for weight loss. I do not have the cravings I once had and I'm able to really choose food for fuel and treat myself in small ways and not overeat like I have in the past. 

With all of this medial help, I've also realized the importance of moving my body more mindfully. Now that I have more energy and do not have debilitating cramping, I feel more motivated to work out. I enjoy walking on the treadmill and weight circuits. I love seeing when I can increase the weight I'm lifting and trying new machines to work different parts of my body. Yoga has also been a huge part of my body and mind transformation. When I'm feeling extra stressed or needing to center my thoughts for the week, I go to a yoga class. After heavy workouts it's also extremely helpful in stretching my body and increasing my flexibility. I'm currently reading the book Atomic Habits and one of the ideas is to cut out the excuses and make it easier to follow my intended habits. One thing that has really been working for me is bringing my workout close to work. I realized that if I came home after work, it was nearly impossible for me to leave again to go workout, but if I change into my workout close, then I don't have an excuse. I just drive to Planet Fitness from work and get in a good hour or so of a workout, then I go home and take care of what I need to take care of. 

I'm committed in keeping this up. I've been following up on my appointments, refilling my prescriptions, weighing myself daily, working out at least 3x a week and making sure my fridge is stocked with healthy, quick options to stay on track. I've even been able to get my husband on board with Zepbound, working out with me on the weekends and cooking healthy meals during the week. 

Getting under 200 pounds has been a big goal for me. Losing 50 pounds has been life changing. I've been buying new clothes that I feel good in, I'm not winded walking up the stairs at school. I've also been able to hold downward dog (I hated that asana before, because it hurt my wrists so much) and be more confident in the gym and at yoga. 

I still have some ways to go. My next goal is to be 185; that is what I weighed after I lost the baby weight with my son Ben and before I became an administrator. Who knowns maybe I'll even be able to get down to 165, which is what I was when I got married. I just know I don't ever want to go back to that feeling of constant ick, low body confidence, low energy and unhealthiness. I'm on a great path, I want to share that with you to keep me accountable and maybe help you, if you're feeling like your in the same cycle of "blah" that I was in. Each day has choices and I'm choosing commitment to myself for a healthier me!!!