Surprised by Health!

In October 2011, my sister Mary started Genesis Transformation (GT). She raved about how great she felt and that her waist size was getting smaller even though she was eating plenty. Of course, she encouraged me to try it but I thought that this was just one of her newly found conquests that she seems to easily triumph over. I know me, I’m more of a half in – half out sort a girl. Every goal that I’ve met, I’ve taken the long, round about route to get there. Not only did I think I couldn’t be as committed as Mary, I felt I couldn’t justify the cost with two kids in college.

Every January 1st, I start some sort of food/exercise plan in the hopes of losing weight. So in late December, I was contemplating a 3 week fast to start the new year. I was desperate. Sharing my plans with Mary, I told her the hardest part was that coffee was not allowed on this cleansing fast. She said, “You should just do GT – at least you can have coffee!” I became a little more interested and weighing all the outlays of cash for the kid’s expenses, I convinced myself that I am worth this small investment. My husband was a bit dumb founded and in the beginning when I was fueling and eating lots, I remember him saying “That is NOT a weight losing plan!” I’m sure he had his doubts but he generally kept them to himself. My sons were, I’m sure, thinking that it wouldn’t last for long-they’ve seen me attempt and fail at “diets” many times. It’s funny because they are now my biggest supporters! They are truly amazed!

One would assume that I signed on to this because I had cancer twice and was managing rheumatoid arthritis. I’m not going to lie, this choice was made solely based on vanity. I was amazed at the transformations on the website and this is what motivated me to join. What I didn’t anticipate were the health benefits I enjoyed from the beginning. I’ve been able to completely stop taking the rheumatoid arthritis medications I was dependent on to get through the day. As I get stronger and my joints have more muscle support, one would never know the years that I suffered with this debilitating disease. One morning, recently, I was coming down the stairs and my son heard me but didn’t think it was me because I took the stairs so fast and lightly! I believe that getting the inflammation down will help me stave off another cancer event and most likely any other inflammation related diseases that may have been lurking. Getting the extra weight off is undoubtedly better for my compromised joints. I recently weighed my lunch bag that I take to work everyday of which I carry up seven flights of stairs. Weighing in at eleven pounds because of the water bottles and glass that I use, is quite heavy. It’s amazing to think I lost almost two times that! No wonder I had a hard time going up the stairs in the past!

Keeping it real here…Genesis Transformation was not always a picnic. There were days when I just wanted to quit. I felt I was giving up too much to get so little sometimes – especially the weeks, during tax season, when people at work were enjoying catered food and I was religiously following GT and the scale wasn’t necessarily reflecting the sacrifices I thought I was making! If only I could lose weight every time I passed up the endless supply of food brought in! It doesn’t work that way. Let me just say that it wasn’t as if I was food deprived. What kept me in the game was that, although I was passing up what appeared to be delicious food, I always had a satisfying, health sustaining meal to look forward to. But it was a process that required commitment. About ten pounds ago, I emailed, my coach, Samantha and told her that I wanted to accept the weight I was at and asked her to put me on maintenance. I was getting tired of the rigors of rotation. She whole heartedly told me that I should keep on going – that a leaner body is a healthier body. Thank goodness I listened to her then and all the other times she had to talk me down from my illogical thinking. As I stated earlier, I’ve always started diets, but never finished them. It took six determined months to get here and believe me – I would never have lasted without the support and wisdom of Samantha.

Having Mary go through this process at the same time was not only motivating but especially interesting. She is ten years younger than me so even though we are sisters, we had very different issues and challenges related to our transformations. Samantha’s approach to each of us was very individualized. Ultimately, Mary had the same awesome results and is, like me, addicted to feeling good. Thank you Mary for your encouragement and, as always, your great example.

Someone recently said to me, “Life is too short – I must have my cocktails on the weekend.” I used to buy into that thinking and before I knew it, I was “overweight” on the BMI scale plus I moved like a 90 year old. Life to me wasn’t going to be short enough if I had to deal with the pain of arthritis into my later years. I’ve seen what this advanced disease does to a body – it ain’t pretty. Looking back, six months is a small investment in time for the quality I have added to my life. That investment, resulted in a stronger, healthier body plus the proof to myself that I can reach a goal straight on. I always knew that I was the boss of me but this process helped me put into practice invaluable self management techniques that will last a lifetime. Celebrating my 52nd birthday this week, I’m looking forward to what I can accomplish in the next 50 years!

SueB, BEFORE

SueB, AFTER!