I AM NOT ON A DIET

Ok, first things first. My name is Jessica and I have some junk in my trunk. To be fair, I didn't put it there on purpose, but it's there regardless. I have always had trunk junk. I don't know why. I ate fine, played outside a lot, no horror stories of my parents ordering pizza every night and putting pepsi in my bottles. I just had some chub, and that's that. I started to even out a bit in high school. I still felt like a giant whale (it was high school... we all did), but looking back at pictures now, I'd love to be back into my size 12 jeans. It was after I got married nearly five years ago that I really started to spiral out of control. And I have two words to tell you how I gained SIXTY POUNDS in SIX MONTHS: hormonal medication. (Yes, the baby preventing kind. I'm trying to be classy and not say what it is, but a spade's a spade.) It's true. The stuff is evil. Some women are fine with it, but I wasn't. And if you're sitting there thinking I'm delusional and blaming a tiny little pill instead of taking responsibility for eating ten bon bons a night, I am here to tell you that you're wrong. Trust me on this- I was in a phase of my life that I was learning more about nutrition, eating well, working in an active job and exercising a lot... and still I gained. The weight gain stopped the second I flushed those pills down the toilet. Sadly, however, it didn't go away.

I continued eating normally, which for me and a lot of other people means that I had plenty of produce, whole grains, the good stuff, but we also had some junk around and didn't beat ourselves up if we decided to order pizza on Friday. A fairly good "balance", which maintained my weight but didn't help me lose any of it. I would go on diet spurts but those don't work, and as many of you probably can relate, after losing 5 pounds I'd be so proud that I'd relax my rules a bit and next thing you know my diet was out the window. It's a cycle, and it's annoying, and I got tired of it. I decided to get serious back in 2007 because Stephen and I were trying to start a family, and after a year of trying I was getting fearful and desperate. A doctor recommended weight loss as a step in the right direction, so I tried cutting my carbs from the afternoon til bedtime. This method helped me to drop 30 lbs in about 4 months, at which point we found out I was going to have a baby!

We welcomed our daughter Ella Joy into the world in August 2008, and I spent the next year getting rid of 15 post pregnancy pounds. Thankfully, as of February 1st (2.5 weeks ago) I was sitting right at the weight I had been when I got pregnant with Ella, and those 30 lbs I had lost on the low carb thing STAYED lost, which is right where I want them. Only thing is, the carb cutting is hard and it left me hungry a lot, and I don't like dieting because, well, it sucks. I don't think food is supposed to be viewed as evil, and I just think we have to learn to use food as a tool for a healthy body. I just didn't really know where to start, because I was eating good stuff, and still not losing weight. Not to mention, it was hard to focus on eating right when my busy work schedule paired with mommyhood was leading a lot of Taco Bell runs. That's when I got a call from a friend of mine, who was trying something new and wanted to tell me about it.

Now this is the part where most people will go, "Oh my gosh I've been reading this blog and she sucked me right into her story and it turns out she's probably a paid blogger who is trying to get me to try some stupid weight loss program!". Well, slow down, Sally, cuz I'm telling the truth here... I'm just a girl and I'm not getting paid to do this. So just simmer down and keep reading. Now, where was I? So my friend Angie calls me and tells me that she's trying a new program called Take Shape For Life, and it's different from other programs because it teaches your body to eat the right amount of nutritionally balanced foods at the right times. This puts your body into a fat burning state to get rid of all that stored fat that is just chilling around your tummy acting like it owns the joint. I was like, "Yeah, sure, mmhmm, glad it's working for you" and didn't really think it would work for my lifestyle or fit into my budget. Long story short, it is perfect for my busy, on the go lifestyle and it is way more affordable than any other program I have looked into. And at this point, I've got nothing to lose except about 73 pounds of blubber.

Here's the beauty of it though... this program is really focused on health. (I know- what a concept, right?) The meals are nutritionally balanced, and they are not just for people who want to lose weight. This stuff is a tool to help my body work like it's supposed to, and it's not some 1 month commitment that is gonna melt off some weight and then strand me back in the world of drive thrus and tv dinners. I'm really digging this whole thing, because I'm not on a diet; I'm committed to making changes to my body and using these tools to help me get there. Diets don't work. Period. Most people who diet don't really end up changing anything about their behavior, so they just gain all the weight back (and usually more) and I'm not going there. I've got 30 lbs to lose to get back to my high school size, and I'm GOING TO DO IT. And you know what? Then I'm going to lose some more. I'm gonna do this thing til I'm healthy, til I feel good, til my body reflects the person I am on the inside. This is going to work for me. And I'm going to prove it.

I'm starting this blog to journal my progress, because for one, I think it will hold me accountable to my commitment. It's a lot easier to follow through with something when you know people are aware of your goals and watching you work toward them. So, friends and family, I want to ask you to keep reading (even if I bore you) and please encourage and support me as I progress. I need you! I'm also starting this because I want to share some recipes I'm working on for anyone out there who's on the Take Shape For Life program. I love cooking, and as a matter of fact, I work part time with a caterer who also happens to be the friend who got me into this program. If anyone knows about how to make things taste good, it's her. And I'm a pretty good second choice, I guess, so hopefully our discoveries in the kitchen can help encourage others who are working toward healthy weight loss as well. And lastly, I'm doing this because I want to share about this program. I know people will be skeptical of anyone sharing about a product or program, but listen, in the last 2 weeks I have personally met over a dozen people who have changed their lives because of Take Shape For Life. Honest. And if it worked for them, it can work for me. And if it works for me, it can work for you. And if you're healthier, and I'm healthier, and our families are healthier, then I think it's something worth looking into. So there.