Because I Couldn't Take It ANYMORE!

I have never been a real big dieter or even really cared about what/how much I ate.  While growing up I was always involved in sports and stayed fit by being involved in this way.  I never had to make myself go to the gym or get up and run because I was required to during practice.  With all this mandatory exercise, I always remained fit.  But, upon entering college, I stopped participating in sports teams and as a result I stopped working out.  I gained about 10 pounds or so in the first few years, but nothing to really push me to work out.

Last October, I found out that I had gallbladder failure and that I had to have it removed if I wanted to stop experiencing pain and sickness with everything I ingested.  I had surgery in the beginning of November and was stuck on the couch for two weeks as I recovered.  After my surgery, I went back to eating whatever I wanted (since before I could eat and I would just get sick and lose it all right away, not retaining anything to add weight).  My appetite had grown because I ate almost every meal with my boyfriend... my 6'4" boyfriend who is a full foot taller than me and can eat whatever he wants and however much he wants of it without any real consequences.  When we first started dating he finished almost half of every one of my meals but now I had started eating almost as much as he did!   This did not tun out well.

When I finally weighed myself in mid-March I was appalled.  Since only November, I have gained 20 POUNDS!!!  My weight had sky-rocketed from 135 lbs to 153 lbs in a few short months.  On top of all this excess weight, I was always getting sick.  I was either constipated or having issues with the opposite of that everyday.  I had started getting daily heartburn and I had really bad issues with internal gas all throughout my abdomen.  I felt sick all the time and that made me not want to go out and enjoy myself because I was just going to get sick.  I would try on outfit after outfit and never like how my body looked in ANYTHING!  It was so bad it often brought me to tears.  I had grown so self-conscious that I didn't even feel comfortable with my boyfriend of over a year seeing me without being fully clothed.

I knew that I had to do something to get my weight back down and to feel better about myself but I have always hated dieting and was never very good at sticking with it.

That is when I came across an instagram post by someone I had known for almost my entire life.  They had a similar experience with being horrified by their weight and they had taken action.  I saw pictures of her before she started her new "diet" (its barely a diet at all because it's amazing!) and where she was that day.  She looked amazing and had dropped a ton of weight in just 2 months!  I decided to visit her blog, itsjoherbalife, and I was inspired!  She had been taking the HerbaLife Challenge and was looking awesome.  I was really interested to find out how this worked and if she truly felt that it actually worked.  I contacted her and asked her ALL about it.

On Sunday, April 7, I started Herbalife!

HerbaLife is not a diet, but a LIFESTYLE.
It includes:
Breakfast - a morning breakfast meal replacement shake, energy detox tea, multivitamin, cell activator, tonalin, and fish oil pill.
Lunch - the four pills and a healthy lunch of your choice.  Keeping it COLORFUL with lots of veggies
Dinner - a dinner shake and the same four pills again.
And if you get hungry between meals you can have a healthy snack!

I have been taking the HerbaLife Challenge for 9 days now!  I am not worried about eating too much or too little and I never find myself hungry and thinking about the next time I can eat.  I get to pick my own lunch and therefore still get to eat really tasty food.  The HerbaLife shakes are also delicious!  I mix the powder with water or vanilla soy milk, ice (to thicken it up a little) and a banana (because I love them!).  I cannot complain about their taste at all!  I don't need coffee because my morning energy detox tea gives me all the energy I need for the day.

This past week I have felt  better than I have in my entire life.  I have not gotten sick or dealt with constipation at all.  I have not had any problems with gas and I have more energy and drive than ever!  My body feels good and I am AMAZED!

My first week I was so inspired to really get myself healthy again that I did not only start HerbaLife, but I also started working out.  I only worked out 5 of the 7 days but it felt awesome.  From now on I am going to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in a day.

After week one on the HerbaLife Challenge I have lost FOUR pounds!!  

I was so nervous to step on that scale on day 7, but I am so glad that I did.  I know results will vary each week and that it will not be a fast process, but I am getting healthy and I am doing it in a healthy way.  Each day I feel better and better and each day I gain more energy.  After seeing the results from just one week I am more motivated than I have ever been and I cannot wait to see what the next week brings.  I am excited to work out, eat healthy, lose weight, and feel better!

Following the lead of itsjoherbalife I will be updating this blog every sunday with my weight and some pictures of my progress (I will get week one photos up as soon as I can).  Public humiliation at what I have let my body get to and who I have become will give me the boost and motivation I need to keep going.

I feel AMAZING and I want everyone to experience the way that I feel for themselves!  If you want to know more about HerbaLife and start the challenge for yourself, contact me and I will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know.  I will be here sharing my story and like itsjoherbalife does for me, I will be here for 24/7 support for you!  Get HerbaLife and get in control of your body and your health today!