Thursday, August 2, 2012

My Story

This is me before I started my fitness plan.


My kids snapped this picture of me one night at a restaurant.  I was too tired to cook.  Can you see how miserable I look?  I was that tired every night.  I'm a mom and a nursing student.  I thought I was too busy to do anything about my health.

When my classes ended this spring, we took the kids to Orlando.  I was miserable on that vacation. It was six solid days of walking through theme parks. I was so out of shape that the walking completely wore me out. I had massive blisters on my feet and I lived on Advil to sooth the soreness in my feet and legs. I was very happy to go home.

 The fatigue was no surprise. I am a nursing student. Spending all day on my feet during clinical practice just wears me out. I once took my son to the movies after a day at the hospital and fell asleep during the opening credits and woke up for the ending ones. I was always tired. I can't tell you how many times this year I went to bed before my kids because I could not keep my eyes open past 7:30. Seriously, I couldn't make it to 8pm.

 In nursing school I learned all about heart disease and diabetes. Those lectures scared me to death. I was on the fast track to high blood pressure (OK, I was already there), type 2 diabetes, and an early death.

 I came back from Florida and announced that I needed to lose weight. I climbed on my scale and nearly fainted. I weighed 261.2 pounds. Ouch. That was way more than I thought. I realized at that moment that I needed to lose 121.2 pounds. That's a LOT of weight. A lot.

 I decided to watch my eating and begin exercising. Initially, I started to walk 2 miles a day and eat less. I told a neighbor that I was trying to lose weight and she insisted that I join her for a workout. She was doing this program that she bought over the internet and she thought it would be perfect for me.

 She was right. I was challenged by the workout, but I could make it through. The instructor was very motivating. The instructor's name was Chalene Johnson and the program was called Chalean Extreme. I rushed right home and called my husband and told him that I needed to order it right away.

 Chalean Extreme is one of those programs from BeachBody, the people who make P90X and Insanity. The program came just a few days and I jumped right in. Chalene's motto for the program is "Muscle Burns Fat". Boy is that true! You lift weights (or use the included resistance tubing) three days a week. I started feeling a difference in my muscles almost right away. My metabolism started to rev up and the scale started to show results faster!

 When I ordered my program, it came with a sample of something called Shakeology. Shakeology is a meal replacement/nutrition shake. I watched a video about it and it looked pretty amazing. It claimed it could help you lose weight and curb cravings. I thought about all the times I starved while trying Slimfast and thought "yeah, right". But it was free so I tried it....and it was really good. It tastes a lot like a McDonald's chocolate shake (which I happen to love). I still didn't believe that it could help me lose weight or curb cravings, but I liked the idea of a yummy chocolate shake for breakfast, so I asked Ken if I could order a month's supply.

 Shakeology costs more than something like Slimfast and I wasn't sure he'd go for it. He asked me a few really good questions. 1) Do I really think that it will help me reach my goals....yes. 2) Will I substitute Shakeology for my morning trip to Tim Hortins or Dunkin Donuts......yes. 3) Can I return it if it doesn't work...yes, there is a 30 day bottom of the bag guarantee. Then my very smart husband said that we wouldn't really be spending any extra and I should go for it.

 He also said that his roommate from college posted that he is some kind of Beachbody coach. Ken asked me to contact him and ask him if there was any way to get a discount. Kevin, the roommate, explained that I could buy Shakeology as a customer or as a coach. Coaches get a 25% discount.

 I explained that I was far from a fitness instructor. Very far. He explained that Beachbody coaches are just people who love Beachbody products and share them with others. Coaches provide moral support to others and they make a commission on any orders their friends place. He said Beachbody has a network marketing program because word of mouth is an extremely effective way to spread the word about their products.

 I liked the idea of a 25% discount so I signed up to be a coach and placed my Shakeology order.

 I just have to tell you that Shakeology is AMAZING! I have lost 29 pounds in 8 weeks!!! More amazing is that the craving thing is true. I don't have cravings anymore. Not for chocolate, not for chips, or fast food. I used to be a slave to my cravings. I couldn't buy a bag of chocolate chips unless I baked the cookies that day...I would eat the chips straight from the bag.

 Shakeology is a nutrient dense shake made from over 70 superfoods and no chemicals. It is intense nutrition. My skin is smoother and so healthy looking and I have so much energy!

 I know that if I still had those cravings I wouldn't be losing weight right now. I usually can't make it more than a week or so on a diet. The craving and hunger kill me. That's not the case now. I drink Shakeology, eat a sensible diet that is lower in carbs, and work out daily. Shakelogy and Chalean Extreme are my two new best friends!!!!

 I love what I am doing and I want to share Beachbody with the world! If you are interested in Shakeology or a Beachbody fitness program leave me a comment or contact me on facebook. There are several ways to save money. I can help you with finding what works best for you!!!

 Oh, by the way, this is me today. I still have a lot to lose, but I'm on my way!!

3 comments:

  1. Kim, congatulations on your weight loss. You are going to be an inspiration to a lot of people. Thank you for sharing! Penny

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  2. Kim, your story is very motivational and inspirational. I wish you a lot of luck. I will be coming back to continue to read your progress. Thank you for sharing! Elizabeth

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  3. Kim you are amazing! I love your story...so many people have the same issues and don't know where to turn. A true inspiration.

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