The Journey to a Healthier Me

In January, I decided to change my life. After years of being overweight and unhappy with myself, I knew I needed to take action. I’m still fat, but I feel better and am slowly making progress.

I’ve tried lots of diets in the past—from calorie counting to Weight Watchers—and had moderate levels of success. The problem was that after a certain amount of time, I’d revert back to old habits. After seeing the success of others, I decided to try a low-carb, gluten-free way of life. As a carb-loading, potato-loving, bread-adoring lady, this change was difficult!

The first few weeks felt like torture. I was tired and cranky. My energy hit an all-time low. All I wanted to do was nap and lounge around. My body ached like I had the flu. I wasn’t sure I could handle it, and the urge to give in to my cravings felt overwhelming. There were many times when I thought about eating a doughnut, a yeast roll, or a piece of pie. I wanted to throw in the towel and give up!

Just when I thought I’d reached my breaking point, the fog suddenly lifted. My energy returned. The aches and pains were gone. In fact, I felt improvements as well. My scalp felt less itchy and scaly from dermatitis. My nails got stronger. I no longer felt bloated and awful after eating a meal. Slowly, the numbers on the scale started to drop as well. My clothes started feeling loose. I started to feel better about myself.

One of my favorite accomplishments so far: no double-chin.

As of today, I have lost 24 pounds and 22.5 inches. I’m down one size in jeans, from a 24 to a 22. (That was a huge accomplishment for me!) I’ve stopped eating wheat and am working on cutting out all sugar and grains. I’m drinking at least 8 servings of water per day. Conquering the treadmill is next.

I hope you’ll join me on my journey.