The Belly Bulge {part 1}

One of the questions that I get is...

What started you on your journey to healthy eating?  While they are really thinking... Why are you such a health freak?  Here, have some sugar!

I get it.  I really do.  ;)

This has been a long road of baby steps for me.  I'm still walking this journey.  I don't pretend to have it all figured out... far from it.

It all started with the heartache of infertility.

After rounds of medication, my doctor gave up on me.  My body just wasn't responding and his medical training left him clueless.  His best advice was to seek a specialist.  I wouldn't dare judge someone who has gone that route, but after one consultation with the specialist, we knew that we couldn't afford it... nor did we really want my body to endure the procedures he was eager to start.

Weight has always been the thorn in my side.  I can't really remember a time that I didn't have to work at it.  Looking back through memory filled photo albums, there were obviously times that I didn't work at it... or maybe I was just revisiting the 'awkward  years'??  ;)

Fast forward.

A family member gave us a Sugarbusters book.  I thought... great, another fad diet.  DK had more hope than I, so we began reading.  It really made sense.  Before long, we were making diet changes... cutting out refined sugar, processed foods and replacing bad carbs with whole grains.  The premise was to keep glucose levels stable.  The wrong foods cause higher insulin levels, which tell the body to store fat.  Who knew?  We began losing weight within a few months, over the holidays, without exercising. Was it really possible to lose weight by throwing out all of the "fat-free" products in the pantry?

I lost 30 lbs.

I got pregnant.

I am fully aware of the fact that it takes more than diet changes for many suffering with the heartache of infertility.  My heart goes out to you.  I still remember those years... quite well.

The moment of realization that a miracle was living inside me will be a memory I treasure... forever.

He captured every tear and heard every prayer.
God is good.

That's when the light bulb really went off!

There must be a food-body-health connection!

 It's seems obvious now...

How could I not know this before?

One lady from church told me,
"You just lost all that weight, now you're gonna plump right back up!"

{Let's just take a minute to soak up that moment, shall we?} ;)

Unfortunately, she was right.
Mama gained all her weight back, plus some.
Mama was hungry and too tired to exercise.

Well... the exercise light bulb had not gone off at this point.

That didn't come till after my second baby...
and some days, I {still} need a generator to get it going.
Just keepin' it real.

Of course, this is a very condensed version of how my journey to healthy living started.  It's a daily goal... and many days, I'm not successful.  However, the next day {sometimes week... month} I get up, dust myself off, and join the many others who struggle with this endeavor. 

We can do it!

Next... I'll let you know what I think of  The Belly Fat Cure.