Tag: wellness

Even Personal Trainers need a little help sometime. We, too, need the guidance of a professional to get us on track, help us stay focused, and lead us to success in our goals. That is why I enlisted the help of two very important entities; Book It Fitness for my training program and BistroMD for my nutrition goals.

My hurdle has always been my nutrition. I have struggled with it for as long as I can remember. I have gone through every stage of nutrition deficient you can image. I first became aware of ‘weight being a thing’ in high school. I lived in a very depressive and submissive environment. I was transplanted from my home state to another. I worked in the fast food industry. Those factors alone was enough to cause a developing teenager to spiral out of control in almost every aspect of life. For me, food was a comfort. Working in the fast food industry, not only made this an easy choice but, sometimes, it was my only meal of the day. Not the healthiest to say the least. I did not grow up in a time when nutrition was in the frontal lobe of everyone’s brain. I once tried the starvation diet in high school and it left me weak and shaky and realized it wasn’t for me. I joined the track team and quickly learned I was too fat and out of shape. I only made a fool of myself instead of accomplishing any real results. Then I found myself smoking again. I had been a smoker off and on through elementary and middle school and found comfort in it. Once I graduated high school, I knew I had to escape the confines of my home so I joined the Navy.

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I struggled through bootcamp because of the smoking, being overweight, and out-of-shape but I made it to the end. I was definitely a sight for sore eyes. I couldn’t march if you put a gun to my head and made me. Anyways, I had lost some weight but it wasn’t enough for anyone to gasp at when I returned home on leave. Through bootcamp, I had a difficult time eating. Some of my unit buddies even commented on it. I was in Florida and it was hot as hell. We marched everywhere. We were constantly on the go and I would have much preferred to sleep then to eat. I even learned how to sleep standing up, in line, waiting for the next evolution.

Moving on to my first duty station…I was stationed in Puerto Rico. It as a fabulous place to be stationed. However, I was still very conscience about my weight. I didn’t want to wear a bathing suit because I was embarrassed by my body. I started working out and the weight began to shift. I still wasn’t comfortable in my skin. I got pregnant. I continued to workout. A coworker even commented that he didn’t know a pregnant woman was allowed to workout. He was very supportive in the matter given his old-school knowledge. My son only wanted wholesome, healthy food. I was 165 when I initially got pregnant. I left the hospital two days after delivery at 125 pounds. I looked amazing! I felt better than I had my entire life. I knew I never wanted to go back to the old me, my old looks or the smell of nasty cigarettes. I felt sexy for the first time in my life and I wanted to stay that way. I began a new workout regimen. I would go to work and participate in Command Physical Training. At lunchtime, I would go to the gym and lift weights with a coworker. After work, I would run a few miles. Adding the weightlifting made a huge difference in my weight shift. The weight started dropping quickly. I monitored everything I ate. I ate a little as possible and counted every calorie. Before I knew it, I had weighed in 114 pounds during my Physical Readiness Evaluation. Still I wanted to lose more!

I, then, transferred to Virginia. My husband had not been in Puerto Rico for some months because he had attended school in California. He was being fed a bunch of information from his coworker, a mutual friend. He was not very pleased with the weight loss. We had many discussions where he had threatened to have me hospitalized. Still I was so afraid of gaining weight but the culture shock of Virginia eventually took hold. My husband’s threats wore me down. I started to gain all the weight back. Soon after, I discovered I was pregnant with my second son. I was depressed, pregnant, alone because my husband was always gone, and had few friends. This pregnancy, my son, wanted SUGAR! Little Miss Debbie became my best friend! I gained so much weight that I was embarrassed to weigh myself. On top of all that, I had an emergency cesarian section. Eventually, I lost that weight and settled around 135 pounds for the rest of my career with fluctuations when I would deploy on ships.

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While stationed at my last command as an instructor, I started having medical issues. I was put on some medications that made the weight disappear quickly. People thought I was anorexic. I was even escorted to the medical facility to be evaluated before I was allowed to run my Physical Fitness Test. I lost all this weight and was finally feeling good about myself once again. At 125 pounds, I was feeling secure in my body. Then, mid-40’s happened and all that weight I had lost started to come back with a quick vengeance.

Now, that I have retired and I am heading hard toward 50, I find it more difficult than ever to keep the weight off. I have gained 30+ pounds since I retired in 2013. I am tired. I am frustrated. I feel defeated. Diet after diet, lifestyle change after change. Nothing seems to fight the hormonal imbalance of a 50 year old woman. Not even hormone replacement therapy! So I made a decision.

I decided I would invest in ME! My run coach, Karen Nelson of Book It Fitness, introduced me to this program. I was very skeptical but realized I was at the end of my rope. I don’t have time to plan meals, then prepare the meals, then cook the meals. I am training for a 50 Mile UltraMarathon, I work a full time job, run my own fitness business, and manage a household of needs and wants. My plate is FULL! Who needs to add cooking on top of all that!

What’s the program, you ask? BistroMD! I viewed their website and saw their menu was in line with what I like to eat. They offer a 7-day program and a 5-day program. I noticed one of their programs was called “Menopause”. Since I am turning 50 and have moved on into this world of “The Change“; I thought this would be a great place to start. I signed up for the program but started to question if it was the right plan for my Ultramarathon Journey. I sent an email to a link on their site. First, it states it would take 24-48 hours for a response. I had an email in my inbox that day! A registered dietitian requested more information on my journey and my WHY? I answered all her questions. Wow, another quick reply! This has never happened in my world. I am usually waiting for days to get a response to the most important questions. She gave me suggestions on how I needed to proceed with some sample menu patterns to use around my intense training regimen. She was extremely encouraging. She even requested that I reach out once I start to run 25+ miles consistently so we can strategize on a new plan.

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I ordered my 5-day package on Monday. I received my package on FRIDAY via FEDEX! The meals came already frozen on dry ice in recyclable packaging. Most of the package is compostable which I absolutely love. The rest can be put in a recycle bin.

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I start my program on Monday. I will definitely let you know how this system goes. So far, I am excited to have found a company that has great communication and can accommodate my lifestyle! Oh, one more thing…since I only ordered the 5-day program, their website is FULL of recipes I can cook on my own…or maybe entice my husband to. This will definitely help me get through the weekend.

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Bonus! The correspondence with a Registered Dietician comes with my subscription. No extra fees are charged! Stay tuned as I go through Week 1 and give you my progress! Change is in the air!!

Check out their program and see if it will fit your lifestyle and goals!