So here goes! I've been on a journey of weight loss and changing my lifestyle for about eight months now. I've worked really hard to drop nearly 80 pounds so far. I am a very busy mom of four and taking care of myself was never a priority because I spent most of my time running from soccer practice to dance to school functions, to my own classes. There was never enough time left for me, until I found myself within 10 pounds of my weight when I delivered my fourth child. I felt horrible and was outgrowing my clothes. I was tired and honestly thought that if it had been possible that I could have exploded out of my skin. I was a competitive gymnast growing up, although I never really had the "gymnast" body type. I've always thought I was overweight, and have been on diets since I was around 15. I realized last summer that I really needed to do something about my weight. I always wanted to be one of the healthy people I see running at the trail around the lake by my house. I've never been one who enjoys running and have only done so when forced in PE class or during gymnastics. Even then I ran begrudgingly...and most certainly never thought it was "fun." I didn't believe there was any such thing as a "runner's high," and was more likely to believe it was something made up by crazy runners to trick people into signing up for marathons.
So, I started my weight loss journey last November when I had gastric bypass surgery. I obviously had to make great changes in the portions I was eating, but never considered surgery an "easy way out." I had no complications and felt great within a few days of having surgery. I didn't only want to change the way I ate, but felt like I needed to make some serious changes in my lifestyle as a whole to make sure my weight loss was successful this time. In January I signed up for the Smart Exercise program at Rebound Physical Therapy. I was working out 5-6 days a week with two sessions per week with Derrick, my personal trainer who designs programs to kick my butt on a regular basis! In late February I signed up to run the Army Ten Miler race in Washington D.C. Thank goodness I have until late October to prepare for it! In the meantime I have been training to run my first 5k on July 10th.
In March I noticed one of my students drinking a yummy protein shake before class. I asked her about it and she told me about this place in town called Lifestyle Nutrition center. The shake was around 200 calories and she drank it as a meal replacement. I had to learn more! The next day I visited the our local Lifestyle Nutrition Center, and quickly realized they sold Herbalife products. Obviously, I was surprised and thought for sure they would try to sell me their products and coerce me into becoming a distributor. I was pleasantly surprised that they did nothing of the sort! It was a really busy afternoon at the shake club, and I was offered a free shake for allowing them to do a health evaluation with me. I didn't have time to stay that day, but said I would be back the next day and would come at a less busy time. I loved my first shake and definitely knew I had to return for more. I returned for my health evaluation and was given not only my weight and BMI, but the approximate amount of calories and protein I needed to have each day, as well as what I would need to have in order to either maintain my weight or to continue losing. I really wasn't concerned with weight loss when I went there. I liked the flavors of the shakes, I loved how they made me feel, and the fact that they were a great replacement for a meal and fulfilled some of the daily nutrients and protein requirements that I may have been missing in my regular diet. I also quickly realized that my yummy shake helped to curb some of my cravings for sweets...which was a giant plus!
I was never approached by the owners or employees of the club about purchasing products, but after several weeks of stopping by every day and hearing them interact with other customers, I decided there were a few things I wanted to try. I started out just taking the Multivitamin with the Cell Activator. After about a month on those two products, I added Cell-U-Loss, Total Control, and Thermobond. Obviously, after this much time has passed, my weight loss has began to slow down, and I totally believe these products have helped kick start me again and have been able to push me past my plateaus. I feel fantastic and have a great amount of energy!
Again, I am not a part of the Herbalife company, nor am I an Independent Distributor...although I have convinced most of my family to start using the products, and talked my sister-in-law into becoming a distributor so I could get my products at a discount...I am just a happy customer! I have done a lot of research on the company so I could feel confident that they are not a sham. I know they have been in business for 30 years, so that says a lot about their reputation and ability to produce great lifestyle products!
I can't wait to see where this journey takes me!
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