Goodbye Deodorant, Hello New Blender!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted in my blog! I thought this would be a good week since it marks an anniversary for me. Last year on Thanksgiving weekend I met my 75 pound weight loss goal- all thanks to nutritional cleansing. WOW!!! Sometimes I still don’t believe it myself. Since my last post, things have been going well. I’ve dropped another 5 pounds over the last year along with more inches. I actually fit into some size 6 pants, which is incredible since my thinnest in college was a 10.

Honestly though, for a long while now, it has been so much more about feeling my best and teaching my children healthy nutrition. The weight and inches lost are just an awesome bonus. My big motivator is feeling great and wanting to be in good health when my great great grandkids come along…

I have continued to gradually make changes for our family. I enjoy finding new recipes here and there and just tweaking our favorites to make them healthier. All six of us love drinking our protein shakes each day. I also am changing things up to lessen the toxins in our home. One example of this is I said goodbye to deodorant. Well I’ve said goodbye to traditional deodorant and have switched us to mineral deodorant. I enjoy using the roll-on Crystal Essence.

It works well for me, but I am now looking for a natural deodorant that also prevents giant sweat circles from covering my armpits. I’ll keep you updated on my search. Let me know if you have found a natural deodorant that is also a great antiperspirant.

Shortly after learning about toxins and the benefits of cleansing my body at the CELL level, I switched to Tom’s natural deodorant. But then I had an enlightening conversation and learned about the main ingredient in deodorants- aluminum chlorohydrate.

A friend of mine told me about the dangers of this ingredient when she shared her Grandma’s fight against breast cancer.

I am sharing this with you because I think it is so crazy that it is not common knowledge. There have been so many dangers I have become more aware of, and sometimes I wish I was still in the dark. There’s the old saying that “Ignorance is bliss.” Ultimately though, I am thankful to be informed so I can make changes and choices that are best for me and my family’s health.

I also want to share about a new type of blender I’ve discovered. It’s called Fitness Blender, and it’s a fantastic

resource for exercise routines. Exercise has never been my favorite activity, but I am always glad after I do it. Right now, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays are my favorite weekdays because I don’t exercise on those days. While losing my weight last year, I mostly just went on the treadmill for about 30 or 40 minutes, no more than three days a week.

This past summer I started focusing more on toning and strength training routines after my hubby told me about Fitness Blenders. Now he and I work out together 3 mornings each week with Fitness Blender.  

It is a website that you can go to (https://www.fitnessblender.com/) that has workouts for every fitness level and they are absolutely FREE! This site was started by Daniel and Kelli, a husband and wife team, and they are both personal trainers. I love that you can search for any type of workout and specify what equipment, if any, you want to use. They have so many different types of workouts including HIIT, Cardio, Low Impact, Yoga, Kickboxing, Tabata, Pilates, and more. You can also specify the difficulty level and your desired workout time. We access Fitness Blenders on our t.v. using the YouTube app on our Roku. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cardio Workout 33 Minutes

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/at-home-cardio-workout-with-no-equipment-why-we-dislike-gym-cardio-equipment

Fat Burning Cardio Intervals- No Equipment 25 minutes

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/at-home-cardio-workout-with-no-equipment-fat-burning-cardio-intervals-

Total Body Toning Low Impact Cardio Workout- 30 Minutes No Equipment Needed

https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/low-impact-cardio-and-total-body-toning-workout

To end this post, I want to share some new before and after photos. Last week I celebrated my 37^th birthday. I had fun finding pictures from 10 years ago. I may be a decade older, but I look and feel younger than ever!!!

One Year Anniversary!!!

      

        One year ago today, Jason and I began our new journey to healthier living. As with all yearly celebrations, I can’t believe a year has gone by!!! I think back to March 15^th of last year and all the feelings I had on that first day. How cool would it have been if I could have sent a message to myself knowing what I know now. So for my anniversary, I thought it would be fun to write a letter to my past self. :) 

Dear Past Jessica,

                First of all…HAPPY 1 YEAR HEALTHIVERSARY!!!  I’m SO PROUD of you!!! Now I know that you are excited and nervous about your first day. You can’t wait to get through the first week just so you know what the next month will be like. You’re going to ROCK this and you have AN INCREDIBLE year ahead of you. I have so many game changers to share with you, but I’ll try to save some for you to discover on your own. I know how much we love surprises. ;)

                This morning you took the dreaded “Before” pictures. I know it was not easy and a bit painful, but trust me; they make the “After” pictures that much sweeter and rewarding. In fact, Mom is going to surprise you with a size 8!!!! swimsuit and it is going to not only fit but look pretty good on you too. Remember to just take it one day at a time.

                Your days will start out differently. You know how you wake up and coax yourself out of bed by planning your afternoon nap? Good news! You are no longer a regular napper! And surprisingly you even have energy left over AFTER tucking the kids into bed. This is thanks to the incredible nutrition and amazing sleep you are enjoying.  

                So I know you have emphatically said, “There is no way I want to drink a shake every day for the rest of my life. But I can do anything for 30 days.” Be prepared to eat your words, literally! You will come to savor every sip of your shakes and look forward to them. They will be the best meal of your day, because they are filled with ALL the daily nutrients you need that food today cannot give you. In fact, EVERY member of your family will enjoy a shake each day. Jaxson, Julianne, Annalee, and Katelyn will REQUEST that you add greens to their shakes!!! You will come to see the shakes as the gift they are and hope you are blessed to keep them as part of your family’s daily nutrition.

Speaking of feeding your family, I know how daunting it is for you to think about changing the way you cook. I’m so relieved to tell you that by the beginning of summer, cooking and eating healthier meals will be your family’s new normal. In fact, cooking healthy is so much simpler that you will feel silly that you were so overwhelmed to tackle that needed lifestyle change. You will get there! Just start making one change at a time. The kids are going to adjust better than you think they will.  One of the best changes when it comes to eating is that you will no longer look for something sweet to eat after every meal. Not only are your daily dessert cravings gone, but you no longer struggle with overeating. You still love to eat, but you enjoy food in moderation. It is not more important to you than it should be.

               

    I debated whether to share these next two changes with you. But keep in mind--- change IS good!!! You have not had any pop to drink for a whole year, and you do not miss it, even a teeny tiny bit!! I know that may be hard to believe because I know how much you LOVE pop. But trust me! Would I lie to you? ;)  Also, your house has been messier in the last year than it has been the past 12 years of your married life. Please don’t be alarmed by this. I know how crabby and uptight you get when things are not where they belong. The new you still prefers your home to be neat and tidy, but you are able to put time with your family over cleaning. Overall, you’re more laid back and this makes you a more patient mom who is not so easily stressed out. What an answer to prayer this is!! Before you know it, the house will stay clean, and you’ll be sad that your kids are not around to make all those messes.

    I hope this letter has been an encouragement to you.  Your quality of life will improve so much and you'll learn so much that you will begin sharing your story with people. You will be blessed as you connect with old friends and make many new friends (Erin, Lyndsey, Cheryl, Tammy, Michelle, Vic, Yoledyah, Anne, Janel, Karen, Marcy and Charles, Tom and Justine, Bobbie and Eric, Judy, and Maria to name just a few). You will love to share the gift of nutritional cleansing. It will be such a blessing to meet new people and be part of their lives. You will pray for them and their families and anticipate how God will use your friendship for His glory. How cool is that?!

      Thank you for investing in future me. I can’t tell you how thankful you will be that you said YES. Enjoy the year before you, and remember I am counting on you. You’ve got this!!!

Love,
Future Jessica

PS. Last Saturday at the park, you crossed the MONKEY BARS!!!

PSS. You have lost 80 POUNDS and 100.75 inches!!! Your BMI dropped from 36.8 (obese) to 24.2 (normal) Enjoy checking out those AFTER pictures below! NO, I didn't photo shop them. And NO you are not an exercise fanatic, but you're holding fairly strong at 3 times a week. :)

Thanks for reading my post today! I hope my story inspires others to take steps toward a healthier future. Who knows? Maybe you and I will be blessed to connect and encourage one another. Even better, if you are open to learning more about nutritional cleansing you can click on the link below to get our FRESH START newsletter. This is a great low pressure way for you to check out the gift that has been so life changing for my family.

http://wordpress.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1bbb8563e11b60fecfb886feb&id=c44dc9c465
(You might have to copy and paste the link into the address bar.)

75 pounds!!! My big goal has been met!!

Wow! It’s been 3 months since my last blog post! My weekly weigh-in this morning deemed today a FABULOUS day to update everyone on my progress. 257 days ago I began nutritional cleansing. We weren’t even sure what we were getting ourselves into. But now we know we are into something GOOD.  I reached my goal and have said a permanent farewell to 75 pounds! 

Of course I absolutely love being at my healthiest and the fact that I am now wearing clothes smaller than when I was married 12 years ago. But hands down, the most important victory is that eating healthy is our new normal. The best part is our four young children’s long term health has been positively impacted.

So for those of you who don’t know me as well as others, I LOVE food and I LOVE to eat. It took a few months for healthy eating to become my family’s new normal. Since then, I’ve been enjoying our new lifestyle, and I am still getting results. It is a tremendous blessing to continue to enjoy food with it no longer being more important to me than it should be. I also no longer struggle with portion control or daily cravings for sweets. The shakes that I once saw as something I HAD to do to lose weight, I now see as a vital part of my nutrition. I am grateful to have them as part of my day and look forward to them. They are delicious and I value them because they give my body ALL of the 90 essential nutrients it needs but doesn’t produce on its own. I confidently boast that this shake is the best nutrition on the planet, and it stands head and shoulders above all the rest. It has been eye opening to hear stories from people whose health has dramatically improved with nutritional cleansing. God gave us AMAZING bodies that are able to heal and protect themselves when we take the best care of them.

Nutritional cleansing is not about weight loss but about getting poisons out of our bodies and then filling them with super nutrition. Losing visceral fat (the most dangerous kind!) is just a marvelous BONUS!!! So for me, it started as a weight loss journey but is now all about health and nutrition. I love that I am free to eat what I want and that I still can treat myself occasionally. But I truly desire to give myself food that will help me to feel and look my best.

At the end of September, Jason and I went to the movies to see The War Room. Afterwards we had a late dinner out at Chilis. I remember telling Jason that I had absolutely NO desire to order pop. I also said that if the NEW me told the OLD me that one day I would be out at a restaurant and not even want pop, then the OLD me would have warned me and said, “NO!! Don’t do it!! You know how much you love pop!! Who cares that it’s not good for you!!” Sorry OLD me, the NEW me is here to stay!

Now that I’ve met my goal, I’ve set a new goal. I’m completely thrilled and happy with weighing 159.8 pounds. However I took a look at the chart that came with my digital scale. According to my height, (5 ft 7), I am still considered overweight. So my new goal is to get down to 153 pounds. I also want to be more consistent with exercise. My main exercise since March has been using the treadmill. I do a fat burning treadmill workout up to 3 times a week. The key word is “up to.” I want to be more consistent in not skipping out on one of the three days.

I will leave you with some photo updates. I finally took some new pictures!

Rose Colored Glasses

It's way past time to give you a weight loss update- I have now released 60 pounds! That is 10 pounds more than what my 2nd grade son weighs. It is very difficult for me to pick him up and carry him- not that he really ever wants me to. But I can't imagine a life with me still lugging around those extra pounds. In the middle of March I started at 235 pounds and I am now down to 175. I am in the home stretch with only 15 pounds to go!!!

It's been about 5 months and I still can't believe the progress I've made. CRAZY!!! One of my favorite compliments I have received from several people (including my hubby) is how much younger I look. Totally LOVE that! Better than looking younger- I feel younger too. Also in one of my blogs, I listed what I have gained so far in my journey. I was so glad to once again fit into my cute brown belt. It is bittersweet for me to report that the days are numbered for that cute belt. I've poked a new hole in it, but it is getting too long. My wedding rings are ridiculously loose on my ring finger. So I often wear them on my right hand. I was at a jewelry store the other day and as of right now I need to go down 2 ring sizes! Thankful that downsizing my rings will be A LOT cheaper than when I had to make them bigger. 

Jason and I were very cautious and skeptical before we began eating super nutrition and doing full body cleansing. Now- there is NO DOUBT about it.

The reason it works so well is because our bodies are filled with so many toxins from our environment and food. To protect us, our body surrounds our organs with visceral fat. As soon as I started cleansing and giving my body super nutrition, it quickly began releasing all that fat and inches. In the beginning, when I would tell people these facts, I wondered if I sounded a little crazy because never before had I ever given TOXINS or Protein Shakes a single thought. As I've talked with more and more people, I've discovered that many people do think about toxins. Apparently not as many people are as oblivious as I was. I am glad that I am now more aware and equipped to rid myself of toxins and avoid them when possible. Here's a great link you can watch about the importance of cleansing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lol4ja2pD74&app=desktop 

So August 10th was the 150th day of my health journey. Although I wrote it in on my calendar, the day came and went without me realizing it. Hoping to soon take my measurements and more before and after photos to share. In the mean time, I thought I would tell you all about my rose colored glasses. 

A couple weeks ago, I was looking at some photos and I came across pictures from my sister's wedding. She got married in February- one month before my healthy journey began. I remember how super cute I felt in my new blue and black dress. Wow--- now looking back at these pictures, I can't believe the difference! Back then, I had believed the lie that I was just destined to be a life long member of the Overweight Club. When I looked at pictures of myself I would put on my rose colored glasses and cling to the saying, "The camera adds 10 pounds!" I'm sure some of you can relate to me. It's funny how we are often our own worst critics, but when it suits us- we make excuses. No more excuses for this girl! I'm taking my rose colored glasses off- for good!

July 2014

July 2015 (Shared this photo in my last blog.)

February 2015

July 2015

February 2015

July 2015

February 2015

Last Weekend at Indiana Beach (Julianne is driving the car!) August 2015

Peak Cleanse: 120 Days!

Summer is well underway and we have officially been living our new healthy lifestyle for 123 days! This morning I weighed in at 182 pounds- I am so close to my goal of 160. I have “released” a total of 53 pounds!

I have some more before and after pictures to share. Now when we took the ones from 90 days, I absolutely LOVED those pictures. Whenever I looked at them, I would be so excited and encouraged. Well when we took the 120 day pictures last Saturday, I decided it was time for an outfit change. So I switched to much tighter spandex shorts and a new smaller tank top. I still prefer the 90 day pictures, but the new outfit will keep me motivated to lose the last 22 pounds.

Besides feeling better and having more energy and patience with my children, I have enjoyed some other highlights of shedding toxins and body fat. I will share a few of them with you. One of my favorites is how encouraging and complimentary my husband has been. A funny example is when we went to Hebron High School to watch fireworks. We meet up with friends there every year and as tradition, the dads do a Dairy Queen run before the fireworks start. My least favorite part of this fun night is the PORTA POTTY! Of course this was the first year that the twins were not in diapers. And of course one of them needed to go to the bathroom before Jason was back with the ice cream. So I set off with 4 children and it was as awful as you can imagine. I’ll spare you the nasty details and the gagging. As we were making our way back across the huge parking lot, I spotted my hubby. On the walk back I was giving him the stare. With my intense look, I was attempting to communicate how much I disliked the trip to the bathroom and that Porta Potties would not be part of my 4^th of July next year. When I finally reached him, he said, “Wow..watching you walk back here reminded me of our college days.” Apparently he didn’t get my stare message but I didn’t mind one bit!! He totally caught me off guard and I loved hearing him say that. Who knows…I might even take the kids to the bathroom again next year…

 

Fireworks Show 2015

Also it was so fun to post wedding pictures on Facebook when we celebrated 12 years of marriage last week. I NEVER would have done that in the past because my wedding pictures just reminded me that I had grown not only older but a lot heavier. Thank you for all the affirming comments! They brought me so much joy and encouragement.

I am SO THANKFUL that back in March we invested in our health and our future. 

Peak Cleanse: A Late 90 Day Update!

Where does the time go?? I've been wanting to blog and give a 90 day update. But here we are almost a month later, and this Saturday will be 120 days. WOW! So I thought I'd do a quick blog and share my 90 day before and after photos with you. We are doing well, and somewhere in the last 90 days, our new healthy lifestyle has become the normal way of life for us. This is a great place to be. When Jason took my 90 day pictures on June 11th, I was worried there wouldn't be a big difference from my 60 day photos. The same thing happens when I weigh myself on Wednesday mornings! I worry there won't be any progress because eating healthy and feeding myself great nutrition is the new norm. It's so awesome to see what my body does when I take great care of it. This morning I weighed in and was down another 5 pounds. So as of today I have released 48.2 POUNDS!!! I still can't believe it! Please let me know if you would like to know more about this awesome cleansing system. It's all about feeding yourself super nutrition and cleansing the toxins out. Looking forward to posting 120 day results. Hopefully I can get those posted before another 30 days goes by!

Peak Cleanse: Onederland!

So my sister introduced me to the phrase “Onederland.” Apparently when someone weighs over 200 pounds but then loses enough weight to be back in the one hundreds, they enter the magical place called ONEDERLAND. I first learned of this “place” right after I had completed my 30 days and was down 15 pounds. I was still 21 pounds away from Onederland. Well yesterday on “Weigh-In Wednesday,” the scale made it official- 198.2 pounds! Let me tell you, Onederland is pretty WONDERFUL! Although, I might be more excited that I am fitting into size 14 pants. I still can’t believe all of the positive changes in my life that have happened in such a short amount of time.

For years I have struggled with being overweight. I prayed many times for God’s help in making more of HIM in my life and less of food. I knew that food was too important to me and brought me more excitement and comfort than it should. I was made for so much more than food. I knew I was not setting a good example of self control or of being a steward of what God had given me. At the same time, everybody has to eat. And God did give us food as a wonderful delicious gift. So it was much too easy to just keep eating like I was. What an answer to prayer that now I enjoy the gift of food without letting it be more to me than it should be. I am also very thankful to pass this new and improved view of eating onto my 3 girls and my boy.

I love this picture! Welcome to Onederland! Enjoy your STAY! 

What freedom I have in knowing that I am not going to ever leave Onederland. The cleanse system I am using has been such a blessing with such great results. I love how doable it is and how much I am enjoying the journey. What started as a 30 day thing, has become a welcomed and appreciated lifestyle.

Here’s to losing the next and final 37 pounds! Half way there! No going back!