I Drank the Kool-Aid

Weight loss does not come in a miracle pill nor does it come with Oprah's head on Ellen's body. "Garcinia" advertisements are clogging the web and are the #1 suggested Facebook post that is recommended for me to view. So, I viewed a few and the advertisements are delusional. One ad literally removed Oprah's head and put it on Ellen's body - and no, they did not Photoshop Ellen's hands. With that said - when the Groupon came out for $9.99 I bought my two bottles. Even the smartest of us are susceptible to a downfall now and then.

Needless to say, it was a wasted $9.99.

Why would I feel I need weight loss pills?  Because I fell down – or should I say UP.  Way up.  As we all know losing weight and being healthy is tough business.  Maintaining that weight loss and remaining in a healthy balance is even tougher.  The slightest change of a single variable can throw off our balance.

My balance was thrown off by the tough winter as well as working a job that demanded I sit for hours at a time.  By hours I mean HHHOOOUUURRRSSS.   Sitting so long literally makes your ass grow outward.  It fattens, flattens, and spreads.  Running at night did nothing to combat the negative (or in this case +) effects that those long hours in that chair had.  By the time spring peaked its head through winter I looked like a leftover snowman.  Everything about me was puffy and it took me back to that place where all I felt was 340 pounds….340 pounds just weighing me down. 

After my week long stint with the "Garcinia" (yes, that is all it lasted) I took to the basics and began writing down the foods I was eating.  I kept running and tried to take “micro-breaks” and move between meetings at work.  And the results?  I kept getting rounder.   I became really miserable on top of being round.  Not a good combination.   So now the hives are coming out.  For anyone who has kept up with my blog you will know that my coping mechanism for dealing with stress has been breaking out in hives instead of breaking into the can of chocolate frosting. 

Being in tune with our bodies is a must.  We need to know how they work and how to keep them working properly.  I know that I have the type of body that to maintain my weight and health (physical and emotional) I have to keep moving – all the time – no time for stopping for lengthy periods of time.  Some might be asking “Abby, why didn’t you ask for help at work?”  I did but when it finally arrived it was too late.  The damage was done and the help I really needed wasn’t going to come from support at work. 

Help came in the form of a misdial.  I “accidently” called this man I had met over the winter.  Meeting him in the first place was quite accidental in itself.  I met Team Fit founder Marcus through my realtor at the “Y” on a Saturday morning and within twenty minutes I knew this man was going to change my life forever.  I worked out with him for twenty minutes, took his number, he Facebooked me, we chatted a little, he invited me to a buffet…...  (Shannon Marie, if you are reading this it should remind you of my first stint at Jenny Craig…..wanting to do it but not quite ready to commit).  

So, back to the misdial – As soon as I realized I was calling Marcus I hung the phone up as fast as I could.  I was like “Oh shit, he is so going to see that!”  Sure enough Marcus called me the next day and (Shannon Marie – I swear it was the same exchange we had when I returned to JC) he asked, “You ready?” and replied, “I am.” 

On June 30^th I began the next voyage on this very long journey of getting and remaining healthy.  Marcus is a trainer that believes in caring for the body and the soul.  He sees people very differently from the traditional trainer; or at least those I have worked with in the past and have quietly watched work with others over the years.  I have been working with Marcus and his extraordinary team for just over a month now and the roundness has disappeared but more importantly than the outside, I feel better inside.  I don’t feel all of the 340 pounds weighing down on me anymore.  When I walked into Jenny Craig in 2008 I made a commitment to change.  It is 2014 and that commitment has not wavered.      

For a long time I could not find the words to share with you all.  I had no idea who I was without the weight and needed to figure that out- I had sworn that I would be the same person without it that I was with it – but no, that is not the case.  I am different.  People see me differently and I see myself differently.  I did not know where my journey was going, but now I do and have once again found the words – over 900 of them.  You have all followed me this long on my journey and I invite you to continue.  I promise I won’t disappear nor disappoint.