My story begins with having my third child, Noah, this past April in 2013. I was so happy. I had a great pregnancy, great birth, great baby. Now, it was time to get back into shape. After my first two babies, I pulled off most of the weight, not quite all of it, hanging on to 10 or more pounds each time. I was always trying to find ways to get some more exercise in my life. Small attempts that never seemed to be the right answer.
During this pregnancy I had switched to a low GI diet based on the advice of one of my midwives, which helped me keep up my energy with my 3 & 2 yr old. at home. Eating small meals frequently, high protein, and keep moving worked well for me. I barely gained any weight at the end of my pregnancy, which was important since I was trying to have Noah via VBAC. And then Noah came along. He was beautiful and perfect. I loved breastfeeding him. It was so important to me since I breastfed my other two children. It wasn't long before I realized that Noah reacted to things that I ate. After your pregnancy is over, most women are glad to be able to not be restricted any more in their diet. I went off the GI diet back to how I used to eat. Instantly, I could tell Noah did not like it. So I switched back to almond milk, which I discovered during the last trimester of my pregnancy. Still Noah had issues of skin breakouts, gas, and painful bowel movements, that would often explode out of him. Poor little guy. Then it sunk in, dairy of any kind did not agree with him.
Deep breath, OK, I can do this. I love him and breastfeeding is so important to me. But now I needed to do some research so I could not only eliminate dairy but adjust family recipes, many of which contained butter or cheese. So I knew I still needed protein but did not want to eat meat or nuts at every meal. Meat is too much for my taste buds and nuts have a lot of fat with the protein. Without an easy protein like milk, cheese, yogurt, etc., i realized I would need a protein drink. That's when I kept seeing Millie's posts on Facebook about Shakeology. She also kept posting about her weight loss journey after baby #2.
So I put my skepticism aside, which is strong for me. I have a strong science background so I, of course, needed to review all the evidence, do all the research before I came to my own conclusion. I went to the Beachbody website about half a dozen times trying to read up on all their products. It sounded good from all the evidence I saw.
Then I contacted Millie, who is my coach now, and asked about the exercise program (Body Gospel) she used and also Shakeology. It was so clear that I felt God prompting me to do this. Here I am breastfeeding my infant at 3 am and trying to find something that would help me so I could help him. He's my son and he means the world to me. But sometimes God talks to you in whispers at 3am, its not really maternal exhaustion. And this time I did listen to His whisper.
Why do I use Shakeology and Beachbody products? My "why" is my family. I love them so much and I want to give my all to them. I want to have energy all day long, I want to be able to play and do any activity the kids wanted to try. I want to be kind and loving to my new child, not a run down mother who would keep thinking I should just give him a bottle. I want to be healthy for them. I want to enjoy these years with my husband and be a good wife to him. He's my best friend and desrves the best of me. In addition, Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, which concerns me and I don't want that to limit me. I don't want to be on dozens of medications. It was time for me to get healthy.
So I signed up and got Body Gospel and vegan tropical strawberry Shakeology. The shake gave me energy instantly, which is awesome for a mom of 3 children ages 4 and under. Body gospel allowed me to worship, exercise and focus on my physical and mental health. I loved the journal that came with Body Gospel, with just a nugget of scripture to hear God cheering me on everyday kept me going. Writing my goals helped me. I was feeling great. Everyone around me could see it, sense it, feel it. The weight loss is a huge bonus. Feeling good because I got in a good exercise routine makes me personally happy. I got in my "me time" while being with my kids. Win win for everyone.
As I got more educated, I realized to my chagrin, I wasn't overweight, I was obese. I kept kidding myself, that I was fine and skinnier in my mind than in the mirror or on the scale. So I kept at it. Trying to get some exercise in almost every day. Trying to eat better on a dairy free diet, which at times felt so limiting. I also prayed to God. I knew that He would help me be successful. It was such a strong feeling that God was for me, especially in this year of my life. Every month, miracles would happen for me and my family, things that I can't explain other than knowing it God behind it all. My faith is so strong now.
And so here I am today, over 33 pounds lighter, kicked a sugar and caffeine addiction that I had most of my adult life, happier than I have ever been before and confident that God has me right where I am supposed to be. My family is completely reaping the benefits of my transformation. I am so grateful that I heard God's prompting to take a chance, to make a change. Thank you, God!
As for you, just take a chance, especially if you feel God's prompting. =)
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