Not so long ago

Love right?  That's how we talk about ourselves with love.
I finally lost the last 15lbs, years ago.  I took a swimming class and for whatever reason the weight just fell off.  I think it's an exercise principle, always cross-train or your body will get used to it and you will plateau, get stuck, not change from your status quo.  The weight, the size stays the same.  At least that's true for me.  It's actually around this time that I learned to love other sports, via a very, very active roommate (her mother was running a marathon, while she was 3-4 months pregnant with her, I think something about that endowed her with superhuman energy).  We played at all the sports, and would gather anybody who was willing to play with us, sports like basketball, football, ultimate Frisbee (my favorite, I wish I could convince a group of mothers to start a team), swimming (it took me a month to learn to not inhale the water, it's now another favorite)... and much later I learned that yoga was not about tying yourself into knots and you don't have to be able to touch your toes to do it (yoga is mine now).  Very recently I have learned that Pilates is a lot like dance (love dancing!!!!!!!!!!!!! just one more exclamation point!).  Exercise, in many different forms, makes me happy, and helps me cope, imagining life without it.  Bleh.  The most important thing I learned from my variety of activities wasn't about how good I was or wasn't.  I'm actually pretty terrible at sports.  The only thing more important then being good at something is just trying it.  Find something you love to do, by trying something you're afraid of doing... it's the only way.  Try, leads to do.  Fear of failure only immobilizes us.  For me, it wasn't a failure when I missed a basket, dropped the ball, or missed the frisbee.  Everyone, even professionals make mistakes.  That's comforting to me, because then it's not about where I messed up, it's about how can I do it better next time.  Instead of turning away in fear and feeling humiliated... I'm going to play without fear, learn from my mistakes, and try to fix them the next time.  Isn't that a good game plan for life!
It was also around this time that I met Josh, my husband ( I may be connecting dots incorrectly, it may have been a year or two later after taking my swimming class).  We were working together on grounds crew at BYU college. We would go on hikes, he loves basketball, we went dancing, we played football and ultimate frisbee, he loved  being outside and working hard.  He made me laugh, was a tease, super intelligent, and most important to me, I felt safe with him.  We became engaged.  Soon after, I gave him the kiss of death.  We call it that because I had Mono ( I had no idea) http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/infectious-mononucleosis-topic-overview.  This link talks about fatigue, but Josh's fatigue was so bad he almost couldn't get out of bed.  He seemed to be healing, we got married, and the fatigue worsened, he couldn't even get out of bed.  He couldn't even wash dishes for five minutes without needing a break.  Soon after, he was diagnosed with Chronic fatigue, we've been fighting it ever since.

Engagement pictures, I wasn't as thin as I was in High School, but I was pretty happy with how I looked at this time... not perfectly happy, but pretty happy

You may be wondering why this is pertinent, it is too me.  It changed the landscape of our marriage so completely.  Instead of super active go getters, we turned into desperate seekers of healing (huge understatement).  This search has lead us to various places, green drinks, herbs, vitamins, diets, acupuncture, blood tests, and no magical cures that have lead back to 100%, better but never 100%.  Then, combine that with my three pregnancies, 9 months of morning sickness each, bed rest, and 50lbs gained each time (I lost the weight from the first two) and you have someone like me,  someone willing to try to find change that works and lasts.  I have been working on my own for a few years now and I have not yet been able to get to the weight and size that I want to be.  This program provides the food (so it's a no brainer, just eat the food) and a free health coach, someone to be a friend, hold you accountable, and help you transition back to eating 'normal' healthy food again.  Also, it's five times more effective than any other weight loss/health diet plan.  Here's thumbs up for being so excited to finally reach some personal goals!

I felt so stretched out and larger than I wanted to be that I didn't allow a true picture of myself.  It's sad.  The memory is more important than my discomfort with myself.  I would never want anyone, of any size, to feel that way

This was my natural birth baby, no epidural.  It was the best delivery, for me, so far.

If you become interested in the diet and want to join me in becoming healthier and the you, you want to be.  email me at hillsraliveajw@gmail.com