How to Lose Weight: Rachel’s Story

What do you call someone who can’t stick with a diet? A desserter.

You can’t lose weight by talking about it. You need to keep your mouth shut.

And one last one for my (no longer a painter) husband.

Why should you go to the paint store if you’re on a diet? You can get thinner there.

Why all the diet jokes today?

You know you clicked into this post because, just like me, you want to know how to lose weight! Yet you already know, just like me, that there is no miracle weight loss or fitness plan out there that doesn’t involve pain and sacrifice or your part and mine.

I’ve been hinting about some lifestyle changes my family has made in recent months. Last year held some big challenges for us, including my husband’s frightening near death experience. Between that episode and losing Tim’s brother due to massive heart failure at the age of 53, we have been faced with some harsh realities.

My oldest daughter Rachel is here today to share her own amazing journey and I know she will inspire you as much as she does me!

When my mom asked if I wanted to share my fitness story with her readers I jumped at the chance! I have been mulling over the words that have stayed at the tips of my fingers for the last few weeks and have really taken some time to reflect on the journey that began nine months ago (June 2015).

I can still remember my “day one”. I have had many “day ones” since I got married.

I was what I like to call a chronic quitter when it came to all things fitness and nutrition related. I would commit to working out but not eating healthy. Or I would eat healthy for two weeks then give up.

I was 130-135 weight wise when I married the love of my life in October of 2011. I was the thinnest and trimmest I had ever been in my adult life.

I looked dang good in my wedding pictures. But as I think back to that girl, I realized even at my smallest I was more unhealthy than I was at my heaviest weight. I had a job that was stress city. I didn’t get lunch breaks and I would go hours running around like a maniac and then stuffing my face with any and everything I could find – usually fast food. I would go to the gym 2-3 times a week and spend 1-2 hours minimum there and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I didn’t love “me” – even though I was a tiny size 4. FOUR!

Fast forward a few months and I switched to a desk job that was MUCH less stressful. I stopped working out and kept shoveling processed junk into my body. It didn’t take very long for me to be in the married “fat and happy” stage. I have been blessed with a man that loves me big or small and all that is in between. He supports me without being critical and makes me feel beautiful at every stage every day. HOWEVER….that does mean I became very content and within 3 years I had gained 70 pounds. That’s painful to admit. Man does it pile on fast when you stop caring!

Fast forward even more to spring of 2014. We found out we were carrying our first child and although he was perfectly healthy, my body HURT during pregnancy. I gained 25 pounds in 9 months (healthy for most but not for someone who was already overweight) and developed pre-eclampsia which landed me in the hospital being induced a month early. Thankfully all went well and our perfect angel was born on December 17, 2014.

For a few months I could have cared less if I weighed 120lbs or 320lbs. I was on a mommy high and cherishing my time with my baby while still learning how to be a wife and juggling working part time. My pregnancy weight fell off from nursing and adjusting my nutrition a little bit (cut out soft drinks).

But around July of 2015 I realized I needed a change. My body hurt. I felt bloated and gross all the time. I only reached for clothes that had lots of fabric and were as far from fitted as I could get. I had ZERO energy and I was rapidly approaching the stage where I was going to need to start chasing Aiden around. I couldn’t go up and down steps without being winded or get up off the floor without using my hand to assist me. I was hovering around 200 pounds and was sliding down a hole of frustration and depression.

At the time, my family was going through some serious crises. I wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t eating well, and was in a constant state of anxiety. I went to my family doctor wondering if there was something wrong with me – why was I so tired all the time and why did I feel like I couldn’t make it through each day? I felt like a failure.

My doctor ran blood work and everything came back normal. He asked if I wanted to be put on medication (anti-depressant and/or thyroid because my levels were borderline) or if I wanted to try working out first. That was my wake up call. I asked if he would give me three months to get moving and if it wasn’t better by the end I would be back to go the medication route.

This brings me back to MY true “day one”. Aiden was asleep, and Donny was outside mowing the lawn. I had ordered my first at home fitness program but it was still a week away from arriving. I put on my workout clothes and tried to ignore how tight they were. I had no clue what I was doing so I went to the on demand fitness channel with our cable company and huffed and puffed my way through a 15 minute cardio routine. Scared and overwhelmed by how hard it was a began to doubt if I could really do this.

At that moment I heard the sweet coos from the other room. And I knew this time there was no quitting. I needed to SUCK IT UP for him.

In August of 2015 I did my first round of Cize – a dance based at home fitness program – that changed my life. It was a workout that I had FUN doing. Instead of dreading it each day I couldn’t wait to press play when I got home from work.

I started seeing results, and quickly! My waist shrunk, my face thinned out, and after about two weeks I began to have more energy. Not every day was easy but when it was hard I reached out to my support system – a challenge group my cousin (and coach!) Jen had started. Having that accountability of weekly checkins for weight and measurements kept me in line. I lost 35 pounds with two rounds of Cize, then another 20-25 pounds with P90X3 followed by 21 Day Fix Extreme.

To date, I am down 60 pounds and over 60 inches. I have lost almost five dress sizes in seven months.

But more importantly I took control of my life again. I have more energy weighing in at 160 than I did when I got married and weighed 130. I am not where I want to be but am really proud of the progress I’ve made.

Even more than the pounds that are now gone I feel like I’m finding my purpose in life. To help others who also feel helpless. I love my body more now – still 30 pounds away from wedding day weight and covered in stretch marks and some loose skin – than I ever did when I was a wickedly tan cellulite free size four on my honeymoon. Finding that confidence again has been a beautifully painful process that I am so grateful for.

You can follow Rachel’s journey on youtube and instagram as well as updates here on the blog.

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