Getting Back to Health- Part 1 of a series

When Drew and I first met, I was extremely healthy. I walked every day, did a work-out on a stability ball a couple days a week and really watched what I ate. I didn’t eat dessert or sweets, at all. I turned them down left and right. If I was somewhere that didn’t have a healthy food option for me, then I didn’t eat. Honestly, I was probably in the best health in my life. Then I fell in-love and all of my healthy habits went out the widow.

Drew didn’t like to go for walks. He liked to sit on the couch and watch movies. Since I liked him, I gave up my walks to cuddle on the couch with him instead of walking. Actually, now that I think about it, he didn’t like to do much of any exercise. Trust me, I tried.

He liked to enjoy alcoholic beverages at home. Something I didn’t do, unless I was having people over at my house. That was usually only for my birthday. There really weren’t a lot of times I drank at home. Well, except when Sex and the City was still on and my girlfriends would come over to watch it with me. But, I’d stopped doing that years before. I started drinking at home with him.


He also really liked dessert. A lot! Every night that he would come over he’d want to go over to the store and get some kind of dessert. Doughnuts, ice cream, chocolate and more. He was always getting something and I was always turning it down. That was until the night I said yes to Ben and Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie ice cream. After that, it was a long trip down a sugar coated road to weight gain.

Once I started eating desserts again, I couldn't stop.
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I don’t blame Drew for my weight gain. I made the decision to stop doing everything I was doing to spend more time with him, go out to eat way too much and indulge in those desserts. I was in-love and I was enjoying all of it. I knew I was gaining weight, but in a way, I didn’t care. Until I gained entirely way too much!

You have to think about what that cake is going to do to your body before you decide to eat it or not.
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Slowly, but surely I started improving my diet. I cut down on alcohol, wasn’t eating as many sweets and cut back on my portions. I also joined a gym and started working out with a trainer once per week. Something, I’d never done before. After about a year and a half I lost 70 pounds. Yup, you read that right, I’ve lost 70 pounds.

Drew's been a great support during all of this.  He's changed his diet and started going to the gym with me.  He even enjoys going on walks now. Something he thought he never would and fought tooth and nail to not do. Of course, getting our dog, ChiChi helped him get on board with taking walks.

It’s been a huge accomplishment and I’m really proud of myself for the progress I’ve made, But, I still want to lose more. I still need to lose more to really be healthy. Unfortunately, even with increasing work-outs and intensity I’ve officially hit a plateau. It’s so frustrating when you are trying so hard and nothing is happening for you! 

With the wedding coming up, I want to lose the weight even more. I know, so cliché. I can’t help it if I want to look my best on my wedding day, not only for Drew, but for me, too. I want my dress to look amazing. I want our pictures to reflect me in a healthy happy way. Don’t all of us brides want to look confident, radiant and just glow on our wedding days? I know I do.

As a result, I decided to see a homeopathic doctor to see if they could figure something out to help me. We did some blood work and then figured out a plan together to combat the rest of the weight I gained. I was instructed to make some changes in my diet, try a different approach to my work-out, get more sleep and take a few supplements.

With just a little over seven months until our wedding, it’s time to get my butt into gear and really be serious about my health. Today is the first day on my new program. So far, so good. At least, I don’t feel like I’m going to murder anyone for their tater tots. I haven’t even wanted anything sweet. Sure, I haven’t made it through my whole day, but normally I would want some chocolate by now. I would probably even eaten some.

I’ll make sure to check-in with all of you on the progress I’ve made and how the new program is going over the next seven months. Once I have more time under my belt with this new plan, I will even share with you what changes I’ve made and how the results of these changes have been for me. If you have any questions about any of it, please let me know.

Have any of you hit plateaus while trying to get healthy? What kinds of things did you do to overcome those hurdles?