I love to use this blog to inspire and motivate others to get fit. Here is a story that I would like to share. Mandy's story has helped others to get on the fitness bandwagon as well.
Mandy's Success Story
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| My Before Picture |
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| My After. |
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Mandy, I'm 29 years
old and I live in a small Wyoming community. I'm married and have two small
children, a five year old son and a two year old daughter who keep me on my
toes. Within the last five years, I have slowly started a nursing career and
have been working as a full time, night shift, nursing assistant since the birth
of my son. Also in the healthcare profession I enjoy volunteering many hours of
training and service as an EMT. My husband also is a full time employee who
works very hard during the day as a Foreman.
Growing up eating healthy regularly was scarce. Most of the time it
was late night meals and on-the-go snacks. Being athletic and playing sports was
definitely a plus for me, even though I was the slowest runner on the team. In
junior high and high school, I never felt comfortable in my clothes and I always
felt like people were looking at me. I was not extremely overweight but I was
VERY self-conscious and still am. I was never asked to any high school dances
and I was to shy to ask anyone myself. At this time in my life, I didn't realize
it but was depressed.
I never have been overly concerned about my weight
until I started working as a Nursing Assistant at a hospital. I have been able
to see first hand the harmful affects of obesity. All of the health problems
that come with being obese is mind blowing. A few examples that have impacted me
the most are diabetes, heart failure, and pro-longed recovery from simple
illnesses or surgeries.
On April 24,2012 I started the Insanity program
and I can honestly say, I love it and look forward to doing it. I have a good
friend who also has taken the Insanity challenge. Its nice to have someone I can
talk to or get advice from who is doing the same program. The reason I chose the
Insanity challenge is because I didn't want to be away from my home anymore than
I already am, didn't want to pay for a gym membership, I don't have gym
equipment, but I needed something to get my energy back. Working 12 hour night
shifts place a huge toll on your body physically and mentally. Nobody directly
inspired me, but I have always had a good support group through family and
friends. It was a decision and commitment made by and to myself.
Like you always hear, diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. I firmly
believe in this. In my journey I feel it a waste of time and effort to exercise
if I am not going to make better choices in my diet. When I do exercise I feel
total motivation to eat better and make better choices. For example, I always
try to eat something for breakfast. I am not a breakfast eater and never have
been. But I find myself feeling better when I do. I love fruits in the morning.
They are light and flavorful. Sometimes I will have yogurt with some granola in
it. Special K cereal and Honey Nut Cheerios are great to. I used to be a 2% milk
drinker, now I drink 1%. Not a huge difference, but its better. Egg whites are
great for my mid-morning snack/meal. I crave the protein in them and I add some
things to it to like fresh salsa and cheese. For lunch, if I am craving
carbohydrates this is when I will have a small portion. Maybe a turkey sandwich
on whole wheat bread with veggies on it. This way, I know I will burn the carbs
off throughout the rest of my day. I always have lots of things to snack on. A
few of my favs are almonds, cottage cheese with sliced tomatoes, grapes, string
cheese, pineapple, and basically any type of fruit or veggie. Since I have to be
to work by 6:00pm, I am usually out the door by 5:15. Which in turn means I am
making dinner for my family at 4:30. For me to make it through my 12 hour shift,
I need something that is going to hold me over. Otherwise I am starving during
my work hours and will start snacking on junk. I purchased a small George
Foreman grill that is easily stored and kept at my work for my use. So I bring
chicken to put on the grill, veggies, turkey burgers, practically anything can
be grilled. I grew up on red meats and that was hard for me to change. But I
have found ways to love turkey. I try to substitute bread/buns with a taco shell
and its surprisingly good! I always throw in fruits and veggies in there too! If
I am working, I feel a Subway 6" turkey sandwich is sufficient to eat at night
because I am working and need the carbs. If I am not working, I limit my carbs
at night simply because I will be going to bed and i don't want that food just
"sitting." One other thing that I use to cook with it olive oil. This is a great
resource to use rather than cooking sprays. I enjoy finding healthy recipes
online! I find it fun to try new things. Soda!!!! I was drinking 44oz of soda at
night 3 times a week to try and get me through my work nights. I have now cut
back to just water. I take a water bottle with me everywhere! Because I am
exercising, I have more energy and don't need the soda. I am disgusted just
thinking about drinking that much soda in one night. And last but not least,
planning my meals ahead of time has been highly beneficial. If I do this, I am
guaranteed a healthy meal and so is my family.
What keeps me going is that I feel FANTASTIC!! Exercising is the
only way for me to gain my energy back. I reflect a lot on how I used to feel
and compare it to how I feel now. I have learned that I never knew what it felt
like to feel healthy. I needed to feel good in order to know how crappy I felt.
I, along with others, have seen amazing results and that boosts my
self-confidence a lot. Just looking back at my old pictures and looking at my
new ones puts a smile on my face. I think that many of my close relationships
have improved because I am a happier person.
Of course there are times when I struggle. I would not call this
cheating, I would simply call it living. It would be very unrealistic for me to
say that I am never going to eat something bad or never have a soda. If I set
myself up for unrealistic goals in the first place, I would give up on the whole
thing because I have failed. If I want a cookie, I will have it. If I want a
hamburger, I will have it and move on. I feel like crap after and it is never
worth it and that reminds me of how I used to feel all the time and never
realized it. I cannot even drink soda anymore. There are days when I am totally
exhausted and I rest but I get up the next day and hit my workout hard.
The number one thing that has helped me lose weight the most is
making sure that I get my heart rate up. And if I am sick of doing Insanity for
a day, I may go for a run or take my family on walk. My family enjoys exercising
with me and that makes me so happy! I want them to develop good eating and
exercise habits as well.
The hardest thing for me is of course finding a good time to have
an un-interrupted workout session. This can be very difficult for anyone. When I
first started, I made the commitment for sixty days. That's it. Not that long.
Without the help of my husband, this would not have been possible. Sometimes I
have to lock myself in the basement so I can focus on my workout. I even will
exercise and nine or ten at night after my kids are in bed just to get the time
to focus and not be interrupted.
I haven't reached my ultimate goal yet but it is definitely in
range. I didn't even think that what I have done so far was even possible but it
is. In the beginning, my goal was to be able to wear a two piece bathing suit
and feel comfortable in it. I have learned that there are so many more aspects
to being healthy than just looking great. I'm emotionally healthy, physically
healthy, and mentally healthy. These things mean the most. As far as my workouts
go, I would like to add some weight lifting and I am planning on running my
first small marathon in the near future.
With all of that being said I can tell you that my self-esteem and
self confidence had risen above and beyond what I thought possible. One thing
that I would say to anyone is Trust Yourself. Trust yourself that you are
capable of a difficult challenge. I never understood what people meant by "its
not a diet, its a lifestyle." But that lifestyle change has hit me and I
understand it completely!
Way-to-go Mandy.
