Tis The Season....For An Adventure Of Epic Proportions

Alright everyone this post is going to be a long one, but I encourage you to read through to the end. Consider this making up for the long spans f nothing when I fail at updating.

Here goes...

So recently I have been seeing so many of my friends making healthier choices in their lives, and I am so excited for them! Keep it up guys! They are the inspiration for this small glimpse into my own journey.

I decided January 1, 2014 to give up all processed sugars from my diet for a month. This wasn't sparked by anything I did or realized. A bunch of people I work with approached me about it saying they were all going in together to try it for the month of January.  I figured okay why not it's just one month.

Looking back I see myself a lot like Frodo who had been told he only had to get the ring to Bree, and then he could return to his life in the Shire as though nothing had happened.

I didn't realize it then, but there was no way the life I had before would ever return to what it was. Like Frodo, I had taken my first step blindly not fully understanding that I had just set into motion an adventure of epic proportions.

Now when I say adventure,  don't misinterpret my meaning. I am talking the whole shebang...highs AND lows, victories AND defeats, pain AND comfort, joy AND heartbreak, ...the whole works that make an adventure one worth experiencing and sharing.

After all it was Tolkien who said it best, "It isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't a few dragons."

That first month was probably the worst. I had severe sugar/caffeine withdrawal headaches, and I felt constantly exhausted. I kept trying to tell myself just one soda or one piece of chocolate wouldn't hurt, and it would help get rid of the pain.

Just a small note to tell you just how bad it was - every time I heard the crack and fizzle of someone opening a can of soda my resolve started to crumble. I remember thinking to myself, how did I get to this point? How had I become so addicted to this stuff without realizing what was happening?

I don't know if I would have made it that first month if I had been taking the journey alone, but because I had my friends alongside me I knew we could press on together.

As the days passed the headaches slowly  lessened, and my energy began to return. For the first time, I felt like going for walks rather than sitting in front of my tv with a bag of chips.

February 1st finally arrived and along with it the end of my cutting processed sugar from my diet. There were all kinds of sugary treats that I could now eat, but as I looked at the brownies and cake and candy I couldn't do it.

Eating sugar wasn't a reward to me anymore. If I ate it, everything I had fought through the past month was for nothing.

When I looked at those sugary treats I remembered the nights where I felt I couldn't lift my head from the pillow because of the headache and lack of energy; I remembered how sad I felt when I realized the sound of an opening soda can caused my self will to crumble; I remembered that once the headaches passed how much better I felt, not only about myself, but also how I was living my life.

I am sure by this point you have figured out what I chose.

I put the brownie down and decided then and there that I wasn't going to go back to how it was before. I started the journey at 300 pounds and miserable. I didn't like who I had been, or how I had been living. I had come too far to turn back now.

February came and left, and I decided to pick up doing Zumba on my wii a couple times a week. This was a pretty big step for me because I am not a fan of exercise. I hate being all sweaty and gross.

Now, while I am still not a fan of exercise, I have found I love how I feel afterwards. I am researching and learning what my body needs. I am learning it isn't nearly as bad as I had thought it was going to be.

I have learned that I can start small and work up. This may seem like common sense to some, but I thought I had to kill myself on a treadmill everyday to make any difference.

When I figured out how wrong I was I realized how to cater to my own body's needs - I had to figure out how long to keep my heart rate up along with how much cardiovascular training to do and to add on strength training.

August hit, and I had lost around 30 pounds. I was feeling better, but I hadn't really seen any changes in myself. I mean I saw the numbers on the scale going down, and I felt better, but I still didn't physically SEE the changes in myself.

I tried to shrug it off, but it really bothered me. Was I not doing as well as I thought?

I decided to go get my hair trimmed up thinking maybe that would help. My hair was down to my waist and pretty unruly by this point. I don't usually get much cut off, just enough to get rid of split ends and touch up the layers.

I sat down, and the hairdresser told me I had enough hair to donate while still having it long enough to reach my shoulders.  I had always wanted to donate my hair (apparently red hair is the most requested and hardest type to get), but I never had it long enough to cut it off without it coming up to my chin (I have a round face so short hair = poor choices).

I figured why not and told her to go ahead and cut enough off to donate. I watched in the mirror terrified as she braided my beautiful long hair and started cutting it off.

Three pairs of scissors later she held up the braid. Like it or not, my hair was gone.  It did make it easier knowing it was going to help someone who needed it, but my hair was gone! I thought I'd made a huge mistake.

Everyone seemed to loved my new, much shorter hair, but I still wasn't so sure. However, surprisingly enough, it was when I had a picture taken of my short hair that I first saw a physical difference in myself. It was what I had been praying for. I could finally see how much weight I had lost. It was the push I needed to keep going.

In September I hit my 40 pound mark, rather then using food as a reward like I would have done, I treated myself to a new outfit. I can honestly say that was the first time I have ever been clothes shopping and not hated what I saw looking back at me in the mirror.

Now the end of the year is coming upon us. I am floored and humbled as I look back on everything that's happened. Is my journey of epic proportions over? Not even close. My life will never return to what it was before, and honestly I don't want it to.

I have lost a total of 45 pounds. I have dropped a size in everything. I have more energy than I have ever had before. I still have a long way to go, but I have already come so far.

I don't claim to be an a authority on health and exercise.  God knows I have so much more to learn. I could be doing a lot more in some areas, and in others I'm doing pretty well.

Currently I am researching different vitamin regimens to see what will work best for me. I hope to incorporate one by the first of the year.

I want to continue to learn and grow. I will have days that I will fail miserably,  but I will also reach new milestones. I will take each trial as it comes, and I will continue to push forward. I can't wait to see what things this adventure will continue to bring into my life.

For those of you just beginning this journey, keep going! If I can do this anyone can. It will be difficult, but it will be one of the best choices you will ever make for yourself and everyone around you.

For those who have been on the fence not sure if they should or could take the first step, DO IT! I cannot express in words how worthwhile it is. No, it isn't easy, and yes, you will want to give up, but don't let that hold you back. Find someone to help keep you accountable, or even better find someone to take that step with you and begin the adventure together.

I hope this story, my story, encourages and inspires you. I would love to hear all of your stories Don't forget to become a follower! Much love to you all! Until next time...

MelLew