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DISCLAIMER: I received the products mentioned below to help facilitate this post. All opinions and experiences are my own.
If you've been following me on Facebook or Instagram, you've no doubt seen tons of pictures chronicling my most recent "adventure"... trying to get healthy. A couple of months ago, I was having some issues with vertigo that landed me in the ER. After a nice shot of anti-nausea meds and a little bit of blood work, the Doctor comes back to inform me that all my blood work looked OK, but my blood sugar was really high and I would need to go on meds to control it.
Having been diagnosed with gestational diabetes during my last pregnancy, I knew exactly what this meant.... I'm screwed. Good-bye to the donuts, good-bye to the sushi I sooooo adore, good-bye to the easy to fix and eat sandwiches I enjoyed on a daily basis, good-bye to everything good in life... or so I thought. I had given up sugar and carbs in the past, when I was pregnant, but it was easier that time, I literally had another life depending on every bite of food I put into my body. The kicks and nudges from the inside were enough to keep me on the right track. What would be my motivation this time? On the way home from the hospital, I was whining to my husband how much this sucks, how much effort this was going to require and how I really didn't think I was up for this, etc., etc. He said one thing that will stick with me forever... He said: "Look at our kids and tell them they're not worth it." Well that was a low blow. You can't play the "the kids need you" card right off the bat... can you? Well he did and that's all it took for me to get it in my head to get with the program and not only for the kids, but for myself also.
Upon leaving the hospital, the Doctor gave me a months worth of meds, told me to lose about 40 lbs and told me to follow up with my regular Doctor. Yeah, I don't do Doctors and medicines. I have had three back surgeries, two c sections and one gallbladder-ectomy and to say I am not fond of Doctors is an understatement. I knew I had to get serious, if I wanted to avoid the dreaded Doctor visits once a month, so I did.
Knowing myself the way I do, I knew I was going to need an ally, so I enlisted the help of my husband who had been trying to get me to go low carb for quite a while. After some initial self doubt, reluctance and complaining on my part, we agreed to have one last hurrah over the weekend, then get down to business on Monday morning.
Monday wasn't too hard. I still had tons of carbs in me from the day before. I can't remember exactly what I ate that morning, but it was probably something like... eggs, bacon and coffee for breakfast, chicken and spinach for lunch and probably some kind of meat for dinner. No bread, no sweets, no carbs. No problem. I was hanging in there. Day one came and went and we were on to day two, then day three, then day four and before I knew it, it was just another day. About a week in, I decided to do something I swore I wouldn't... weigh myself. I wasn't expecting much, but I was sure hoping... there it was, I lost 3 pounds. Wait, what?! Really? Yep, just like that, I was losing weight and I wasn't even starving myself. Was this some kind of sorcery or what?!
Well, it wasn't magic exactly... let me explain... When you eat carbs, your body uses them for fuel and stores any fat you eat for later, but when you eat low carb, your body uses fat for fuel and it doesn't get stored. Pretty easy concept, really and once I figured out how to make it work and started seeing the results, I was hooked... then I wondered... what if I actually add some exercise to my day?! What a novel concept.
Being a super novice when it comes to any kind of exercise, besides vacuuming (which is a great way to burn calories, by the way), I started with what I actually felt comfortable with... walking. I set a small goal in my head to try to walk a mile. I put an app on my phone to help me track my progress, downloaded Pandora, found some old earbuds and I struck out.
I did that one mile and almost got to two, then I hit a wall, but that's OK. After I realized I was capable of so much more than I originally thought, I was pumped to do more and more. Almost like Dorothy in the "Wizard of OZ", I had the power all along, but couldn't see it because of my own self doubt.
I have been on this journey for a couple of months and to date, I have lost 20 lbs and I am not on any meds to control my blood sugar anymore. My numbers are excellent and as long as I continue to watch everything, I should (knock on wood) be OK. Aren't our bodies amazing the way they can heal themselves?! While I have only been doing this for two months and it sounds like everything is rainbows and unicorns, it's not. I have had a few problems along the way. For example, after my first week of walking, I had horrible blisters on my feet, big, huge ones that were really painful, but I didn't let that stop me. I put band-aids on them and kept going, with what I felt comfortable doing. I also added some different terrain into my walks and even went hiking a few times. Where there's a will, there's a way. The best advice I have given to friends (that have asked) is: make it fun and it won't feel like work. Simple enough, right?! Also, planning is key! A wise old guy once said... "Failing to plan is the same thing as planning to fail" ... or something like that. But seriously, planning is key to making this a success. For me, mindless snacking was my downfall. Instead of preparing a meal, I would just snack here and there, which adds up so much faster than you even realize. Once a week, sit down and plan what you want to eat the next week. There are tons of low carb/keto diet sites with tons of recipes to try. Pick a few and write them down. Most keto/lowcarb recipes are fairly simple and require simple ingredients, like meat and cheese. Find an app that will help you keep track of what you eat. For me, this was huge. Instead of trying to count stuff in my head, I can keep track of it on my app. (I use My Fitness Pal) The app can also keep track of your exercise also and deducts the calories from your total for the day. Don't deprive yourself of what you want, just find a workaround. When I was toying with the idea of going low carb months ago, I was afraid I would miss out on eating all the foods I love, I don't. I eat pretty much anything I want and if I can't have the conventional version of something, I re-work the recipe, until it's low carb friendly. What about low carb southern fried chicken? Yes, even fried chicken. (and low carb cheesecake {recipe coming soon}) 
After you get your "food game" on point (as my kids would say), it's time to get your "gear game" in check... or something like that. Whatever. What I'm trying to say is, you need the right tools to get the job done. Just like you wouldn't show up to build a house with a spoon and knife, you can't show up at the gym or the walking track in just any old thing. Exercise is serious business and should be treated as such.
Starting with your clothes... you need something that is appropriate for the weather, something that will keep all your important bits covered up and something that feels like a nice warm hug... on your bum. I reached out to the awesome folks at Soybu, who have an amazing new line of plus size active wear and they were kind enough to send me an outfit to check out... OMG! It's like buttah. Seriously, the Allegro leggings are soooo soft and the Melissa Tee fits just right, no matter if I'm going to work out or going to the grocery store, this outfit is a winner. My 18 yr old tried to steal the shirt last time she was home from college... not today, sister.
When I first started out with my exercise routine, I found I had two problems. One, I didn't have anywhere to put my huge phone, which was playing my awesome music I needed to keep me from quitting halfway through my workout and two, my earbuds kept getting sweaty and falling out of my ears.
Well this just wouldn't work. The music is the main thing that kept me going (besides the kids), so I looked online... surely there is something that I can use that will hold my phone, while I am walking, like a fanny pack, only not quite as granny-ish... I found it! Say "Hello" to the Kinetic K1 running belt from Sporteer.
This little gem is amazing. It holds my giant Lumia 1320 phone and even a couple of dollars, so I can ride the bus home, if I give out on my walk. (kidding) There's also a spot for a house key or maybe a love note from your sweet hubby. (hint, hint, sweet hubby)
The belt is adjustable, so when I shrink, it will too. It has a really nice, comfy padded feel and is really substantial, but best of all, it works for my big phone. With all my research, this is one of the only running belts that fit large phones I could find. You can even switch songs and answer the phone, without having to remove it. 
After I solved my phone problem, it was time to solve my "sweaty earbud" issue. As I was looking online, I ran across these awesome Monster isport Freedom wireless headphones... was this my huckleberry? Yep, it surely was. These headphones had exactly what I was looking for... and they are sweat proof. Score!
The isport Freedom is everything I was looking for... Slip resistant ear padding, great sound, cool color (reflective strips too) and best of all, it's wireless, which makes for a much smoother, less distracted run/walk.
The isport Freedom has on ear controls and even allows you to answer phone calls, with one touch. The headphones come with an antimicrobial cleaning cloth, a carrying pouch and a USB charging cord. All you have to do is charge them and go. 
All these awesome goodies sure do make my "job" easier, but when it boils down to it, it's really just about perseverance, dedication and the support of an amazing partner. If I can do it, anyone can.
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