Our 2011 Health Journey

So last December (2010) Tom and I looked at each other and thought, "Wow, we need to do something about this!" We were overweight and feeling down on ourselves, so on January 3, 2011 we started our weight loss journey. At first that's what it was all about, losing weight. I lost about 15 pounds in a month and Tom lost over 20. We cut out all the junk, all of the processed, boxed, frozen, JUNK. I instantly started to feel better, not just in my appearance, but I was sleeping better, Tom stopped snoring, I didn't get tired as quickly, and I didn't feel lethargic all the time. I could run longer, I could lift more, and I was excited about how my body was feeling. Tom's acid re-flux went away completely, and he was re-energized.  As I become more engrossed with losing weight I learned about all of the health benefits of cutting all the junk out. Diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, glaucoma, all those things run in my family, and by changing my diet and exercising, I was preventing all those things from happening to my body. That gave me even more of a drive to change my lifestyle.

I did become obsessed for a while, weighing myself everyday and scrutinizing myself over each inch, and each pound. Instead of celebrating how far I came I was tearing myself down for what I hadn't done. Luckily, I am marrying and amazing man, and he reminded me of what I have done for myself, my future, and my body. He is so encouraging, and I couldn't have done this without him.

Of course we had our moments of weakness. When we would go home we would splurge, or when we had family come visit us, or to celebrate something. But we always went back. We maintained really well, and at the end of 2011 I had lost 30 pounds, and Tom had lost 35 pounds. As we entered 2012, we reevaluated our health goals and decided that Tom wanted to lose 10 more pounds, and I wanted to lose 15 more. We switched back to a whole food diet (I think I made this up! To me this means veggies, fruit, lean meat {chicken, turkey, certain fishes, Heart Healthy pork loin} and yogurt.) It's always hard at first, giving up the pizza, the margaritas, the Mexican food, the JUNK, but already, after six days I feel so much better. I am back to having a full night's sleep without waking up, I have more energy, and I am getting so much more out of my workouts because I have natural food supporting my body. The food you're meant to eat, the food God intended us to eat. I have lost 4 pounds, and tom has lost 4 as well. Yes, we will splurge, but we know that it only takes a few days on the whole food diet lifestyle and we will feel so much better. And honestly, this is a lifestyle that we have taken charge of and intend to live our lives this way. We want our future children to understand what healthy food does for them, and how it will make their bodies feel amazing. We are thinking long term! So to those of you who have made it a goal to get healthy, help your family get healthy, and change your lifestyle, you can do it! Get up, and do something, you will feel so much better about yourself.

I have a simple rule that I follow if I'm not sure about what to eat, "If it has roots, or a mother, and looks like it did when it was grown, then it's good!"

Good luck with all your New Years resolutions, and if you need a work out buddy or some yummy healthy recipes, just let me know! :)
Love,
Lauren

Tom and I in December 2010. (several pounds heavier!)

Us in September 2011

Rachel and I on New Years!

See, MAJOR difference!