Photograph courtesy of Natalie Jill
I remember my rock bottom very clearly. I was out walking my dog and I saw my reflection in a store window. I barely recognized the person staring back at me. It was not my body—there were bulges and things sagging...
That image shocked me back to reality. I walked home, put my daughter down for a nap (she was a few months old at the time), and got straight to work. I said to myself, "I can't feel like this anymore. I need to create something I can look at to make myself feel better and to encourage myself." I started leafing through magazines and clipping photos of fit, healthy, happy moms. I also cut out pictures of beaches and golf courses—anything that would make me feel good and give me something to shoot for.
I began attaching the images to a "vision board." But I stayed realistic—I avoided any images that were unrealistic for me. There were no tall blondes, no huge muscles. But there were lots of pictures of short brunettes, happy and in shape. My vision board was an important first step toward a new life.
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A Simple, Natural Plan
With the vision board as my inspiration, I went online and read everything I could about fitness and nutrition. I found the range of different advice overwhelming, so I went with my instincts. The terms that made the most sense to me were "unprocessed" and "natural." I thought, what if I only ate things that grew? What if I just moved my body more? None of my goals were extreme. I didn't sign up for a marathon or tell myself I had to lose X amount of weight in X number of days. I simply said, if I do these good things for myself every day and keep adding more, there will be less room for the bad. That has got to work.
Photograph courtesy of Natalie Jill
I kept all my meals and snacks balanced. I included a protein, fat, and carb in everything I ate, using my hand as a measurement tool—the size of my fist for carbs, my thumb for fats, and my palm for the protein. I allowed myself unlimited vegetables and berries, and I focused on eating more and more healthy foods so there would be less room for unhealthy ones. You're less likely to eat a whole pizza if you've just eaten a huge veggie salad, right?
I kept things simple with my workouts, too. I didn't feel confident enough to exercise in front of others in a gym, so I focused on using my own body as a workout tool in my own home. Our bodies are heavy; if you weigh 140 pounds, that's 140 pounds you can move and lift. I did a lot of planks, tricep dips, and push-ups—I got creative with my body weight.
I also made a rule not to weigh myself. After a few discouraging weigh-ins, I just let it go. When I finally did climb onto the scale 4 months later, I had lost 40 pounds!
I never had a master weight loss plan—it just evolved along with me. All the while, I kept staring at my vision board and kept my eye on the prize. That was 7 years ago, and today—at age 44—I look and feel better than I ever have before.
Rewriting Destinies Every Day
The amazing thing is that not only did my weight loss plan work for me, it's worked for thousands of others. During my journey, I posted pictures of meals I made for myself on social media and I shared my workouts with my friends. At first, I did it because it made me accountable. Then I started to see what it was doing for others.
Photograph courtesy of Natalie Jill
"Can I have that recipe?" my friends would ask. Along the way, more people started joining me. They'd send me a photo and say, "Hey—I lost 5 pounds!" So I'd post their before and after photos in congratulations and then ask, "Who's next?" There was always someone.
Things took off from there. What started with a few posts on social media has turned into a business that has helped thousands of people like me. I have 1.5 million Facebook followers and a book—The 7 Day Jumpstart—coming out in May. I took the vision I created for myself and turned it into a career.
When I deal directly with my clients, I always think of the person I was 7 years ago—beaten down, eating out of control. I know how she is feeling, and I talk to her from that place, with encouragement and compassion.
The crazy thing is every single vision on that original vision board has come true for me. The golf course view I cut and pasted—I'm staring at it out my window right now. The perfect husband I dreamed of—I met and married him. The happy fit mom—that's me now. I wrote my dream, and that dream came true.
