Monday, February 24, 2014

My Weightloss Journey

Oh body image. Such an emotional topic. Let's cut to the chase and say that having a baby is the hardest thing my body has ever been through. I gained a LOT with my pregnancy, had a "surprise" c-section as the doctor called it, and didn't lose a single pound for the 6 months I was able to breastfeed.

I've been wearing baggy clothes and elastic waisted pants for TOO long. We took some pictures in October and November and I cringed at the sight of myself. My face is so round and my tummy is just icky. But I caught myself in the negative self talk and remembered something my dad always said growing up, "I don't want to hear you complaining if you're not doing anything to change the situation."

So, I decided to change the situation. I used to eat clean and felt so awesome doing it. I called my friend, Jenn, and ordered a 10-day cleanse to kick start clean eating. I lost a couple of pounds, but I wanted more. And I didn't want to work out. It's just not realistic for me except a walk every once in awhile.

I began taking 2 drops each of Young Living's lemon, peppermint, and grapefruit in a capsule every day. I wasn't very strict about it and usually forgot. I eat kind of clean at home, but we live at a camp & eat there a few times a week too. It's awesome that the cooks at camp usually provide whole, clean foods during meals so I TRY to choose those. I'll be honest though, all self control goes out the window when it comes to those darn gooey peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. And au gratin potatoes. I just cant help myself. I mean, I DO help myself, to a hefty serving of them ;)

Well.. even with my abundance of cheat meals, I was consistently losing weight. I went on like 1 walk every 2 weeks and was kind of eating healthy. I didn't think about it until my friend, who has been eating REALLY healthy and not cheating at all said "I think it's those essential oils, otherwise how are you losing this much weight when you always eat the cookies?! I've been watching you!"

So I decided to do a test while I was in Georgia. I knew we'd be eating lots of treats and Zach's mom's super yummy cooking so I decided to just eat what was there and make sure to take my oil pill every single day. That way, I'd know if I lost weight it would HAVE to be from the oils. I weighed myself when I got home and guess what? 3 pounds. Gone.

You guys. This is not a "diet pill". They are 100% pure essential oils that come straight from nature. Nothing added. Nothing taken away. The only side effects are relief from being outside when the season change, and no more bloating/gas.

Here is a picture from last fall, and a picture my friend took last week. I know it's not a HUGE difference, but it's about 15 lbs, 2 pant sizes, and a whole lot of confidence gained. I could actually button my pre-Bennett jeans. They're low waisted and not cute on me anymore, but I could get them past my hips and buttoned! It just feels good.


**Please don't ingest just any essential oil! Lots are adulterated with other substances. Even other oil companies who claim to be "pure" are proven not to be. Do your research, be informed, and only ingest Young Living oils.