I need to work out my feelings a little bit regarding some negativity I've gotten lately. Gonna do my best not be negative or rude but just speak what I feel.
I have always been vehemently against fad diets, pills, or quick gimmicks to assist with weight loss. Many companies promise results, stick you on a plan, and then as soon as you stop taking the pill/drinking the shakes/eating the frozen meals, you gain all of your weight back. I believe that exercise and a healthy diet are the only lasting ways that people lose weight and keep it off. That said, let me just tell you EVERY way I've tried to lose weight.
In high school, I was a fan of Slim Fast shakes. Breakfast used to make me sick, so I would do a shake for breakfast. I played the following sports: basketball, cross country, tennis, golf, cheer, and track. So I worked out with athletics a TON. I also used to eat frozen dinners like Smart Ones for lunch. I'm not a big cook, never have been, so that was always easy for me. I was a size 7 as a freshman and finished high school a size 14. Even though I worked out religiously, I never did more than maintain because my diet was hit or miss.
The summer before college, I decided to be skinny at all cost. I maybe ate 500 calories a day for 2 months and was walking 5 miles daily. I got down to a 10 to start college. Ran 5 days a week, did aerobics, still ended up gaining 20 pounds. Gained a total of 40 in college.
I have been a Weight Watchers member, I've taken prescription diet pills, I have tracked calories and workouts, I have done the Whole 30 eating challenge, I've eaten the Paleo way, I've used Shakeology...I have NEVER had consistent weight loss. I've NEVER been thin. I have to fight tooth and nail for a half pound loss. In the past, my eating had to be perfect and I had to workout probably between 1-2 hours at least 5 times a week in order to see results. I have been so fit that I taught classes at the local gym, but even then was losing a pound a week max.
Have there been times where I was half heartedly trying? Sure. But as a whole, I have fought the weight loss battle really hard, only to always feel like a loser.
When I started the Advocare Challenge, I honestly didn't care what was in the products. It didn't matter to me how natural it was. However, as I began reading labels and really focusing on eating clean, I began to think about the long term. Do I want to be dependent on pills to be healthy? The first week after our challenge was over, the only Advocare product I used was Spark. I ate healthy and worked out. I lost 2 pounds. I didn't NEED the products to see results! Amazing!
If you can read this and say that "I didn't try hard enough," then you don't know me at all.
It has really hurt my feelings that some people are discounting what I've accomplished as a "quick fix" or "taking the easy way out," saying that I did things the wrong way. I have thought long and hard about my response, and here is what I will say to them:
1. Would you oppose me taking a multi vitamin in the morning or a calcium chew?
2. Would you oppose me taking a prenatal vitamin while pregnant?
3. Do you oppose treatment when sick? Depressed?
After 26 years, I had filled my body with so much yo yo dieting and crap food that no amount of exercise or healthy eating was making any kind of impact on my body. I was severely depressed, sluggish (almost flu-like), anxious, exhausted, and completely living a passive life. To me, this requires some kind of change...a healthy one, and something drastic.
The AdvoCare products I take are not quick fixes or appetite suppressants. They nourish my body in a way that restores it to its natural way of functioning. If I never took another Advocare product again, I would probably still reach my goal at some point. However, what is the point of not taking something that is only making me healthier? I research all of the ingredients of the supplements and am quite happy with what I have found. One of the doctors on the team developing the products is the man who INVENTED IV feeding. Seriously? How much credibility does that give these supplements?
I support getting healthy in whatever way works for you. My dad has been very successful on MediFast...it has saved his life. Is it what I want to do? No, but how proud am I that he has lost over 100 pounds and is going to be living a much longer life? I have a friend who used gastric bypass surgery to help him reach his goals. Could he have just eaten right and worked out and eventually reached his goal? Sure, but the urgency and motivation that his surgery provided gave him the confidence and platform to lose weight and inspire others. Sometimes, eating healthy and working out isn't enough, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes, we need help. Sometimes, we just want to feel how we were meant to feel!
I'm pretty sure that some of the skepticism is coming from the fact that Justin and I have started taking advantage of the business opportunity AdvoCare provides. Let me lay it out for you, people!
1. We signed up as distributors JUST to get a discount on the challenge bundles.
2. When we were loving our challenge and telling others about it, people started buying them off our site and we made some money, thinking, "Oooh cool! That's a little bonus!" It wasn't until this point that the whole money making section of AdvoCare was even brought to my attention.
3. We have been praying a lot about financial opportunities. My paycheck last month was $0.63 with MISD because of baby leave. My dream is to eventually stay at home full time, and I want to transition to part time work next year. Insurance for our family is going to cost a billion kajillion dollars. Because of how passionately I feel about helping people the way people have helped me, I feel like Advocare is a really great fit for us. I am so enjoying leading our current challenge group and it is so fulfilling to see people's lives change. Why not do this as a job? I feel like this is God's way of answering our prayers.
I share as much as I do, not to see how many people I can get to buy a challenge. I share because I want people to feel how I feel. I have not had this confidence in myself in years, and somehow I am caring for a new baby and losing weight without passing out in the middle of the day. Advocare makes this possible for me. I am seeing amazing results with our challenge group, and lives are being changed!
I won't ever hate on you for your choice of getting healthy. Don't hate on me! I wish I could just buck up and ignore the haters, but I have a sensitive heart and am a people pleaser. I want people to support us, even though they might not choose to do things the way we do.
I've made the commitment to not be one of those people who has an agenda when I talk to people. I will only ever talk to you about Advocare if I think that you could a) use the energy, b) benefit from the cleanse, or c) be successful in the business side of life. But I will also be honest with you about it. You won't get a phone call that says "Hey, good talking to you, let's catch up! By the way, let's talk about losing weight."
I hope my heart comes across in this post. If you are someone that has been burned by someone selling Advocare or a similar product, on behalf of them, I apologize. But they are not me. Let's work together in becoming healthy, the way that works best for us.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Before and After: Advocare 24 Day Challenge Results
***Disclaimer: I had a baby in January. I got a ton of stretchmarks and loose skin from it. I also still have about 60 pounds to go, so I'm not claiming that I'm a sexy piece of booty. If you are uncomfortable seeing a postpartum tummy, don't read. *****
So, I just read the post from my first day of the Challenge, and it made me tear up a little bit. I was so depressed and just sad. However, in order for me to demonstrate what the past month has meant to me, I will give you some background insight.
I have struggled with my weight forever. I can't ever remember a time that I would consider myself skinny. People used to give me a hard time about how much I would eat and my XL tag on my sweatshirts. It was always a big joke that I was slow on our basketball team in high school, and even though I always played right along, it made me feel like crap about myself. I've always wanted to have a hot bod, but just never did. Between free food and just bad habits, I put on 30 pounds in college, topping out around 205.
In 2009, a few months before I met Justin, my roomie and I became workout obsessed. I was teaching Turbo Kick at the gym, and working out twice a day several days a week. I dropped about 20 pounds and felt very much on the way to my goals. Then, Justin and I started dating and I put it on again. Lots of yo-yos happened until, finally, life slapped me in the face and I just stopped caring.
In February of last year, Justin and I got pregnant. We were ecstatic! The day before my first appointment at 9 weeks, I ended up going to the ER due to lots of pain. Turns out that I had had a miscarriage. I felt so angry and sad. More than that, I felt like it was somehow my fault for being unhealthy. I didn't want to go to work, let alone eat healthy or work out. Justin and I were trying to work on our hearts, so our bodies took a back seat.
When I found out in May that I was pregnant again, I was terrified. And so very nauseous. The combination of these two things caused a standstill in any extra activity. I had gained some pounds and had returned to my end of college weight--205, and scared that I would somehow jostle the baby and go through the same heartache. Any healthy food I put in my mouth made me feel like I was going to throw up. I ate what I want and sat around all summer, continuing into the fall when I went back to work. I started getting stretchmarks halfway into my pregnancy, and instead of putting cream on them, I thought to myself, "Who cares? I'll never be attractive again." Looking back, I can't believe I ever thought that way. It breaks my heart to think that I felt that way about myself. As of New Year's Eve, I had gained 56 pounds into my pregnancy. I had stretchmarks all over my abdomen, hips, butt, thighs, all the way down to my knees. I didn't think there was any way Justin would ever look at me the same again.
Once Kinleigh was born, our lives were turned upside down. Babies are so wonderful and amazing...baby hormones are not. I was in such a mixture of euphoric joy and yucky guilt and self pity. My weight loss froze after about 10 pounds of my 56 pounds were gone. I couldn't run for 1 minute without feeling like I was going to die. There were several times I just sat there, looking at my stomach, thinking "I'm going to be a fat mom." It makes me sick to think that I was there.
Justin had brought up the Challenge several times, and I had dismissed it, thinking that Advocare was just another gimmick that would cost a ton of money and produce no results. However, after investigating it, I felt like maybe, just maybe, it was the push I needed to make a change. In my mind, I really think it was my last ditch effort to try...if it hadn't worked as well as it had, I might have given up. He promised to do it with me, so we ordered our bundles and got ready to hate our life for 24 days.
I made Justin take some before pictures of me. I refused to look at them until today, and when I opened the email, I started bawling. Not only do I not recognize the body in front of me, but the look on my face says everything that was in my head. It tells me exactly how I felt about myself---disgusted.
Long story short...I lost 10 pounds on the Challenge. I'm wearing clothes that I haven't been able to wear since K's birth. I have no desire to drink soda or eat junk food...my food addictions and cravings have completely changed. I have energy to work all day, play with my baby, edit photos and clean house when I get home. Advocare didn't do the work for me, but it made the changes doable. I never once felt overwhelmed or that I was going to quit. Once I got past day 7, it felt pretty easy. I signed up to be a distributor just to get a discount on Spark, but I feel so very passionately about this company and these products that I am making myself show you these pictures in hopes that you will see what a change YOU can make in just 24 days.
I've been terrified to share these before and after photos. Honestly, I'm worried that people will see that I don't have a six pack or notice that my skin is still jiggly and think less of me. I'm concerned that people will say mean things about my stretch marks. I know that I'm putting myself at risk to get some negative comments about my appearance, but it isn't the tan six pack people that inspire me. It's the people who have normal lives but have made amazing changes that kept me going. My hope is that it will be encouraging for real people to see real results, even if they are just in progress.
So...deep breath...here you go.
In the before picture, I weigh 237 pounds. Today I weigh 227. My goal is 160, so we have a ways to go, but for the first time in a really long time, I KNOW that I can get there. I'm setting small goals and making changes, and I feel healthier than I have in a while. I'm a better wife and mom than I was a month ago.
My husband Justin totally just OWNED this challenge. He lost over 15 pounds and his results are so incredible! To read about his journey and see his pictures, check out his blog:
http://hardassdad.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/my-long-winded-results-24-day-challenge/
If you are interested in trying any Advocare products, including the Challenge, for yourself, I'd love to give you some information and help you out! You can see some of the different products and shop on their website here:
https://www.advocare.com/130323164/
So, I just read the post from my first day of the Challenge, and it made me tear up a little bit. I was so depressed and just sad. However, in order for me to demonstrate what the past month has meant to me, I will give you some background insight.
I have struggled with my weight forever. I can't ever remember a time that I would consider myself skinny. People used to give me a hard time about how much I would eat and my XL tag on my sweatshirts. It was always a big joke that I was slow on our basketball team in high school, and even though I always played right along, it made me feel like crap about myself. I've always wanted to have a hot bod, but just never did. Between free food and just bad habits, I put on 30 pounds in college, topping out around 205.
Junior year of college, weighing almost 200 pounds
In 2009, a few months before I met Justin, my roomie and I became workout obsessed. I was teaching Turbo Kick at the gym, and working out twice a day several days a week. I dropped about 20 pounds and felt very much on the way to my goals. Then, Justin and I started dating and I put it on again. Lots of yo-yos happened until, finally, life slapped me in the face and I just stopped caring.
Running a 5K 2 months before our wedding
When I found out in May that I was pregnant again, I was terrified. And so very nauseous. The combination of these two things caused a standstill in any extra activity. I had gained some pounds and had returned to my end of college weight--205, and scared that I would somehow jostle the baby and go through the same heartache. Any healthy food I put in my mouth made me feel like I was going to throw up. I ate what I want and sat around all summer, continuing into the fall when I went back to work. I started getting stretchmarks halfway into my pregnancy, and instead of putting cream on them, I thought to myself, "Who cares? I'll never be attractive again." Looking back, I can't believe I ever thought that way. It breaks my heart to think that I felt that way about myself. As of New Year's Eve, I had gained 56 pounds into my pregnancy. I had stretchmarks all over my abdomen, hips, butt, thighs, all the way down to my knees. I didn't think there was any way Justin would ever look at me the same again.
(Me at 37 weeks)
First week of little K's life- me at 240 pounds
I made Justin take some before pictures of me. I refused to look at them until today, and when I opened the email, I started bawling. Not only do I not recognize the body in front of me, but the look on my face says everything that was in my head. It tells me exactly how I felt about myself---disgusted.
Long story short...I lost 10 pounds on the Challenge. I'm wearing clothes that I haven't been able to wear since K's birth. I have no desire to drink soda or eat junk food...my food addictions and cravings have completely changed. I have energy to work all day, play with my baby, edit photos and clean house when I get home. Advocare didn't do the work for me, but it made the changes doable. I never once felt overwhelmed or that I was going to quit. Once I got past day 7, it felt pretty easy. I signed up to be a distributor just to get a discount on Spark, but I feel so very passionately about this company and these products that I am making myself show you these pictures in hopes that you will see what a change YOU can make in just 24 days.
I've been terrified to share these before and after photos. Honestly, I'm worried that people will see that I don't have a six pack or notice that my skin is still jiggly and think less of me. I'm concerned that people will say mean things about my stretch marks. I know that I'm putting myself at risk to get some negative comments about my appearance, but it isn't the tan six pack people that inspire me. It's the people who have normal lives but have made amazing changes that kept me going. My hope is that it will be encouraging for real people to see real results, even if they are just in progress.
So...deep breath...here you go.
In the before picture, I weigh 237 pounds. Today I weigh 227. My goal is 160, so we have a ways to go, but for the first time in a really long time, I KNOW that I can get there. I'm setting small goals and making changes, and I feel healthier than I have in a while. I'm a better wife and mom than I was a month ago.
My husband Justin totally just OWNED this challenge. He lost over 15 pounds and his results are so incredible! To read about his journey and see his pictures, check out his blog:
http://hardassdad.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/my-long-winded-results-24-day-challenge/
If you are interested in trying any Advocare products, including the Challenge, for yourself, I'd love to give you some information and help you out! You can see some of the different products and shop on their website here:
https://www.advocare.com/130323164/
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