Biography: I am 36 years old and have been happily married to my soul mate, Mike for the past 7 years. We are very blessed to have an active 5 year old son and an overweight dog. We lived in NJ our whole lives until 3 years ago, we moved to beautiful Virginia.
My weight was never an issue until after high school. I was never as small as my friends, but I was a healthy size 7. That's when I became compulsive with shopping and eating. Trying desperately to loose weight, I would try with different fad diets, pills, anything sold on late night infomercials. I own every exercise DVD (still in the shrink wrap, might I add) and every piece of exercise equipment ever made. I had memberships to every commercial diet plan available, yet each year the only thing that got smaller was my bank account.
For years I had such poor eating habits. I ate out so much especially fast food and all kinds of junk. I actually obsessed about food. Every Monday I would start a new diet, but it would only last until Tuesday maybe Wednesday, if I was lucky. Then I would eat compulsively to get in all the food I knew I wouldn't be able to have again after Monday, when I would start the diet again. It was a vicious cycle.
I was really unhappy with myself. I had no energy and I felt awful. My weight finally hit an all time high of 218. My health suffered tremendously.
This past year was a really hard one for my family and I. My husband had 2 surgeries for thyroid cancer. Thank God he is now cancer free. Then he fractured his knee and needed lots of physical therapy. I ended up in the ER covered in hives. I didn't get nervous until my face started to swell. Another episode I had was when my legs became so numb and weak that couldn't walk for a few weeks. Strange as it may seem, I actually had to teach myself how to walk again. I guess some people would have given up, but I was persistent. Next, I lost partial vision in my right eye. There are a bunch of other problems but I won't bore you with the details.
After multiple tests and doctor visits, I was finally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and Fibromyalgia. Then, of course, I went for not only a 2nd, but a 3rd and 4th opinion while waiting 4 months to see a top MS specialist. The Doctor said I have had the MS for many years. He was amazed that I am not in a wheelchair, because of the amount and location of the lesions on my brain. Unfortunately, I will have to take MS shots for the rest of my life. I do believe God has given me MS for a reason and I have to help others who have MS. It really has made me a better person and take nothing for granted anymore. I don't sweat the small stuff; I have become so much more positive and thankful for each and every day!
Why and When you got involved with PnP: I got involved with Corrine May 2007. I was on her waiting list because I really wanted to become a client of hers. She was always so helpful to others on the Weight Watcher boards. I truly admired her. If anyone knew about the struggles of losing weight, she did. Plus she was also a mother and a wife and I felt I would be able to relate to her. She truly has a gift and you can tell she genuinely cares about people.
What types of workouts you do? I love to do strength training. It makes me feel like a Bad Ass. Currently I am doing the Intermediate Home Routine. Unfortunately my Fibromylagia causes me lots of pain. That's why I lift weights because afterward I focus my energy on my sore muscles instead of any of my other pain. I know I am making my body stronger and healthier instead of taking pain medication. I also love using my Treadmill and Treadclimber.
What keeps you motivated? Staying as healthy as I can for myself and my family. My husband married me chubby and he always loved me no matter what weight I was, but just how he smiles at me now is enough to keep me motivated. He deserves to have a HOT wife.
I would also like to motivate and inspire others especially with MS and other autoimmune disorders to lead a positive healthy lifestyle.
Eating Plan: I eliminated all artificial sweeteners, soda, fast food, and most processed foods from my diet. I try to eat clean small meals 5-6 times a day. I drink tons of water and green tea. I no longer live to eat, I now eat to live! I just feel so much better eating clean food. I don't crave junk at all!
I am hoping to work with Trish at Phit Nutrition starting in the New Year!
Something you never thought you'd be able to do: I honestly never thought I would be wearing junior sizes again. It's really is a nice feeling to put on a pair of size 9/10 jeans and have a small waist again. Oh yeah, I will wear a bathing suit this summer, I haven't done that in years either. The scale hasn't seen numbers this low in 15 years. Yeah!!! This will be the first holiday season in my life that the scale will actually go down!
How has PnP affected your life? PnP has affected my life in so many ways. I went through many rough times this year. It was so nice to have a place to come to get my mind off of my health issues. Most times I would just lurk on the site and I would be so inspired by everyone's achievements and positive posts. I feel like I know the girls personally! Corrine was a Godsend to me. I could have easily turned to food, but I remember Corrine emailing me to see how I was doing and reminding me that clean eating is 80% of the puzzle. It is sad that it took such tragic health issues to finally change my mind set to finally commit 100% to a healthier lifestyle. Since I was a member of PnP, I already had all the knowledge and the tools to take action immediately. My whole life has changed for the better. Now I have self confidence and so much more energy.
What do you think of the PnP site and what suggestions would you have for us? I think the PnP site is worth its weight in GOLD. This site is like no other. You can tell how much hard work and dedication went into PnP. The Exercise Bible and The Work Your Butt off Book are Top Notch! The workouts are just AWESOME. Then you also have the flash cards and the videos. The workshops are great too! The menus and recipes have also been such a big help to me. The other day I was looking for a crock pot recipe and wouldn't you know it, there was a downloadable book with 88 pages of crock pot recipes including WW points. Every time she adds something else I am seriously left speechless. I love that there is always something new and exciting to look forward to. Corrine and the Mods are truly amazing. Every member here wants to be here and there is no negativity like other sites. We are all here for the same reason: Positive support and motivation. Oh Yeah RESULTS!! But that's a given. I think it's impossible to belong to PnP and not get results!
Any other Comments: I would just like to thank Corrine from the bottom of my heart. I don't think she realizes what an inspiration she has been to me. I know she has touched many peoples lives but I honestly don't think I would be as strong as I am today if I didn't look up to her for all she has accomplished. The Body Building contest took the cake. That was actually on my birthday. It was awesome. Corrine definitely proves that she can do it all! I hope I will be able to make a difference in people lives also!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT PNP!!!