My Story

In 1993, I retired from the US Navy and moved to Arkansas. I have to admit I was unsure of what to expect.  A girl from the northeast moving to the South.  Someone who had spent the last 20 years living on many large military installations now living in what was then a still fairly rural part of the country.  But my husband and I had discussed it and we felt returning to his hometown was the best thing for our children.  We had a support network there and had already purchased a home.  I had been told that I would be able to use my Russian language skills working for any one of a number of companies based in Arkansas that were trying to enter the market in the Soviet Union.  Life looked good.  I was excited. 

But life didn't work out as expected.  Rural meant I didn't have the selection of foods that I had become accustomed to.  And being in the South meant sweet tea and fried foods were the norm.  Early 1993 meant the fitness boom had not yet become an integral part of society so I had no place to workout, no "fitness buddies" to hold me accountable.  If I wanted to run or walk I could do it along the road but I never felt comfortable doing so alone.  And just as we arrived and began to settle into our new home, the Soviet Union collapsed and with it my possibility of a very cool job. 

I am not going to lapse into some sort of sob-story.  I did make friends.  Just not the kind who wanted to go run with me in the morning.  And I did find work.  A desk job.  My husband was driving trucks at the time so he was frequently gone, leaving me to work and care of the girls.  I didn't mind that.  Being in the military had taught us how to handle separations.  But between the desk job and no free time after taking care of all the household responsibilities, I slowly started to put on weight.  Not a lot.  But I did gain a couple of sizes. 

Life went on pleasantly enough.  We had a nice home.  The girls did well in school.  My job paid well and wasn't entirely boring.  I went back to college.  The girls were active with band and sports and so dinner was often hot dogs and chips and soda at the ball field or fast food on the way to practice or my classes.  But no big deal.  It wasn't going to kill me.  And eventually, my husband would get a job in his field and be home to help.  The girls would be able to drive themselves.  And I would find time to take care of me.

Then came the cancer diagnosis.  And the treatment.  And the surgery.  And no energy to do what little exercise I had been getting.  Or cook what few decent meals I had been preparing.  And the weight began to creep up.  Almost imperceptibly but as surely as time moves on.  And along with it came a whole crop of new issues.  I was thrown instantly into menopause with the cancer surgery.  Ladies, you know what that means!  Hot flashes, sleepless nights, mood swings, no energy. As I got heavier and heavier, my joints began to hurt from the excess weight.  I was tired ALL the time.  I lost all motivation.  I was pretty much just going through the motions each day, doing what absolutely had to be done.

As I began to recover, some of the symptoms began to subside.  And I found a new job working for the local Girl Scout Council.  I still didn't feel great, but at least my job let me get out from behind a desk a bit.  The hours were still crazy.  Lots of nights and weekends and traveling across the council.  So still too many hours of fast food dinners and little sleep.  But I could get out to our Camp occasionally and walk.  I just knew everything would get better from here.  I had beaten the cancer.  I had a job I actually enjoyed.  And I wasn't that fat.  I could lose the weight - no problem.  Or so I thought.  But nothing I tried worked and the pounds just kept creeping on.  Until the day the local news did a story on a program I was running through the Council and I saw myself on television. 

You know the rest of the story.  I was appalled!  I finally realized I had almost doubled in size!  And you know the story of how I tried every almost every weight loss product and program available with no luck.  Oh sure, they would all work for a bit.  But you can't stay on them forever.  And as soon as I lost some weight and came off the program, the weight came back.  Plus a few more pounds just for good measure!

Does any of this sound like your story?  Are you overweight, tired, irritable and in pain?  Well, I have good news for you. 

My story began to change a couple of years ago.  I've told the story of my entry into network marketing "for real" when my mom died and I brought my dad to live with us.  So I'll skip that part here.  

What I will tell you is that I finally found a product and a program that worked.  Without buying special foods or meal plans.  Without all the side effects of many other products.  One that I can stay on as long as necessary.  And one that taught me lifestyle changes so that when I do come off it the weight will stay off. 

I've lost 65 pounds since I started on the program.  And I don't even follow it as closely as I should.  You see I am still pretty busy so we still have far too many fast food dinners.  But I'm learning...learning to make healthier choices even when eating out.  Learning to pre-prep as much as possible so dinner takes less time.  Learning to pack healthy snacks with me so I don't wind up ravenous if I'm running late.  Learning to drink lots of pure, clean water.  Learning that I don't have to run 5 miles every day to get back in shape.  And the weight keeps dropping off. 

One of the happiest days of my life was the day I took my grandson kayaking in the Everglades! Because it wasn't too long ago that I wouldn't have been able to get into the kayak. 

Yes, I know that I have more weight to lose.  60 more pounds is my goal.  But this time I know I will make it.  And once I do I will keep it off.

You can do it too.  Here's how.