I had always been very active as a kid and as an adult.  I was involved in sports and loved being on the go.   In my twenties, I was a member at different fitness centers and enjoyed heavy lifting.  Feeling strong made me feel alive!  Food has always been a big part of my life too.  I enjoyed feeding my friends and feeding my face!   I never really worried about my weight.  I could pretty much eat what I wanted and I really never gave it a second thought. I was just always moving and very busy.  In my experience, life has a way of shaking things upside down.  Sometimes it seems impossible to overcome obstacles.  I had no idea what the future had in store for me, but I’ll tell you this, I wouldn’t change a thing.

In 2005 I was married, turned 30 and became pregnant all in the same month!!  Having two kids in three years was really hard on my body and my emotions.  I gained 80 pounds with my first child and 70 pounds with my second.  Within three years I had reached 250 pounds.  I was embarrassed, unhealthy, depressed, unmotivated and very, very unhappy.  I was squeezing myself into a size 17 and so very uncomfortable.  I had lost a few pounds here and there, but never really got to the point where I was proud of myself.  It’s really hard to try to take care of everyone else without first taking care of yourself!   I moved from the city up to the mountains where I eventually isolated myself  and had pretty much given up.  I felt tired all the time,  my back was constantly screaming,  my feet hurt and I was beginning to develop preventable medical conditions.   I needed change, I craved it, but felt like it was so far out of reach.  I couldn’t believe I was in this body.  It’s hard to feel a little like “you” on the inside when “you” don’t look anything like “you”on the outside.

In February, 2011 my most beloved childhood friend was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  Through her journey, she discussed with me the option of  a more holistic approach.  She asked me to look into alternative medicine.  I did a ton of research.  I gathered facts and also found an institution that was having a 92% recovery rate from all stages of cancers and all types of diseases simply by juicing and eating a variety of raw fruits and vegetables.  Months of research, knowledge in hand, facts over fiction I was ready to fight the fight.   Sadly,  in June 2012, my dear friend lost her fight with cancer before she could even open my package.  I was devastated and heart-broken.  Here I was,  armed with knowledge and I didn’t know what to do with it.  My life really felt more hopeless than I’d ever imagined.   I look back now and wonder why in the world I didn’t see the answer to what I needed most.  I needed to recover.  I needed to heal my body from the inside.

My family moved to Battle Ground about 6 months ago.  I had recently lost some weight and was feeling better about myself.  I was excited about getting free newspapers and magazines in my mail box.  My family was discovering our neighborhood and what was around us.  I came across a coupon for Resolution Fitness and decided to check it out, no more isolation, besides everything was so close we could walk!  I slowly started dragging myself to the gym a couple of times a week.  I was finally coming out of my shell.   It was hard and I hated it, but everyone was so nice and the classes are challenging and fun!  Recently, I started recalling all that I had learned about internal healing and food and decided to put my own research towards a 30 day challenge for myself.  I started juicing and eating one solid, protein packed meal a day.  Thirty days later I’m 22 pounds lighter, for a total of 57 pounds since January!  Juicing was challenging at first but soon I was sleeping better, waking up early, feeling completely rested and my energy was through the roof!  I also began going to the gym 4-5 days a week and working out at home with my kids.  I forgot just how exciting it is to feel strong!  I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me but I’m up to the challenge and making sure to stay out of my comfort zone.  I’m pleased to say I recently purchased a pair of size 10 jeans!!  I’m now healthy, happy, motivated and more comfortable than I’ve been in a long time.  I’m continuing to notice changes in my body through this journey and am beginning to think maybe all of that research was intended for me.  Love your body and yourself again…it is possible and you’re worth it!

Thanks for reading my story.  LIVE STRONG.