My health journey: How 2023 changed my life for better!!

2023 was a year of huge mindset changes for me! I really grew as a person this last year. I grew in many ways (shoot, I even started homeschooling!) but I feel like if I had picked a word for the year 2023, it would have been “Health”! Two-thousand and twenty-three was really a pivotal point in my health journey.

I never had to worry about my health for most of my life. Before college, I was cared for by my mother with nutritious, homemade meals and even bowls of cut up fruit and cups of water placed in front of me – spoiled, I know hehe. I was a dancer (S.O to my girls with Indi-Mix dance group!) so I stayed fit pretty easily. It wasn’t until college (namely grad school), marriage and children hit me that my health snowballed downwards. Moving away from mom probably had something to do with it too! 

By the end of grad school, poor water intake, little exercise and a taste for eating out became my life. I gained 20 pounds which I took into marriage with me. As a newly married bride, suddenly and uncomfortably 20 pounds heavier, self-confidence was not one of the self-gifts I brought into our marriage. Joe loved me as I was but of course I wouldn’t believe it and needed constant reassurance. 

Joe has a very positive outlook on life about most things and, in his masculinity, naturally comes to my rescue and solves my problems. So, when Joe saw me struggling with my self-image and self-confidence he began as an engineer. A chart was drawn (for both of us – Joe to gain, me to lose), workout plans were made, gym memberships were purchased, and meal plans drawn up! However, poor Joe married a “negative Nancy”. There was lots of grumbling, complaining, and even some sabotaging of well made plans (who wouldn’t rather watch NCIS than head to the gym in 20 deg weather?)

What I didn’t have

At the time, I lacked something vital to being successful in my health journey. I lacked the right sense of purpose. Being who I am (that sanguine, ENFJ Theresa), lack of real purpose meant lack of motivation. At the time, I wanted to lose weight just to look like I used to. Now I look back and realize a part of me wanted to feel “equal” to Joe. At the time, No matter how much he reassured me otherwise, part of me believed Joe and others around me would love me more if I was thinner. 

Life Happened

Life continued at a pretty fast pace for us. I was pregnant and had our first child a few months after our first anniversary. During my first pregnancy I gained even more weight. I didn’t understand that “eating for two” meant adding on just a few more hundred calories. I can see now that I used my pregnancy as an excuse to overindulge and workout even less. By the time I had our baby I was at a point of such low self-image that I avoided pictures, started dressing frumpier, and became very sensitive if anyone mentioned my weight or that I “used to look healthier”. I was also growing weaker and more tired – though I attributed this (fairly) to being pregnant.

Our little boy grew and I was as energetic of a boy-mom as I could be. Most days I was tired, I left the “boy-play” to Joe, the house fell into disarray, and we were eating out often. From time to time I thought about loosing weight again only to have the thought “What’s the point? We’re hoping to have more kids. I’ll just gain it all back.”

Barely Alive

Less than 2 years after having our boy we had our first daughter. I was drowning at this point. I also realized that my body had become so tired and weak. It was difficult for me to carry my toddler or to lug around the carseat with the baby in it. About 1 year later I discovered (because of consistent, large amounts of hair loss, heavy periods, and fatigue) that I was severely iron and vitamin D deficient. Adding those vitamins into my life made a big difference to my energy. I had my head above the water and I could breathe and think a little bit! We took a short break from having children and tried to focus on restoring our good habits and health. 

At this point in life, “health” was still just something I needed to look good, or to be good enough in the eyes of others. I didn’t have the right mindset to be successful in my health journey. I joined a gym but fizzled out quickly, started eating salads but made up for my cravings with fries and chips and desserts. Mostly, I drank coffee and the occasional glass of water – if I was parched.

When our second was 3 years old we decide to try for our 3rd child. This pregnancy was tough on me! It became hard to get up when I was laying or sitting and my energy was at an all time low. I couldn’t keep up with my family and their needs. Joe was so gracious in taking over many evenings while I just laid on the couch because that was all I could do. The mental fog was unreal at this point. I brushed it off as “mom brain” and for a long while, simply hoped for better days.

Picture: Emma’s photo of me in 2023 before I started my health journey. Always exhausted and uncomfortable in my own skin.

2023: A sense of purpose

One day this last year, I had this strong feeling inside me that this is not what life should be like. I should be able to at least take care of my life and those entrusted to me. I should be able to at least take care of myself! “Maybe its the pregnancy” I thought. I decided to wait it out but at 6 months postpartum, I still noticed the same problems – extreme weakness and fatigue, mental fog, and of course I was still overweight. I was tired of not being who I wanted to be and ready to make a real change this time.

Exercise

I decided to join Orange Theory Fitness. I tried a free class there and knew that the coach, group environment and clear guidance would be motivating for me to have a good workout. And the price would keep me in check to not miss a day! After working out there 2-3 times a week + adding a workout at home, I felt a little more energized and stronger by the end of 2 months. I could carry my children easier and help Joe with my strength more. Even though I still felt tired and I hadn’t lost much weight, for the first time ever – I liked working out! I felt that empowering strength that comes with working out a couple of times a week. I wanted to make this a sustainable habit in my life.

But why wasn’t I loosing weight? Why did I still feel that mental fog and that tiredness?

Growth in Mindset

It was at this point in my health journey – when I was desperate for results – that I talked to my friend, Katharine White about her journey. While our kids were in school together, I had seen Katharine transforming over about a years’ time. She would share often on her instagram about how her new health choices (through the program Optavia) gave her the energy for the life she wanted for her and her family. By making changes in her health she became more of the kind of mother she wanted to be. I wanted that SO BADLY for myself. 

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Katharine White (@katharine.ella.w) • Instagram photos and videos

Here was my sense of purpose. I wanted to be an energetic, strong, and joyful mother and wife. I wanted to live life with positivity and I could finally see that my unhealthy life choices were my biggest hinderance. I was finally ready to make a change and not look back!

An unexpected discovery on my health journey

Right around this time, I discovered I had 3 kidney stones! And one of them was there since I was pregnant with our 3rd baby. They were so big I had to have them removed with a procedure. My urologist urged me to drink not 64 but 100 oz of water a day. It was then that I realized that for the last 3 to 5 years, I probably drank 2 cups of water/fluid a day + Coffee.

After I started drinking more water, a lot changed in my life. I started having much more mental clarity and even more energy. I was surprised by how drinking enough water even led to me having a more positive outlook on life. (Who knew brains & bodies needed water that badly, eh?) I began to believe, in that positive light, that by making some life changes, I could be the mother I’ve always wanted to be.

Drinking enough water not only gave me more energy, but transformed my mental health from hopeless to hopeful. That change for me was HUGE.

Tangible change

After I recovered from my procedure, I decided I was ready to get some more information about Optavia from my friend, Katharine, who is a health coach for the program. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – the program is expensive. So I discussed this option with Joe to see what he thought. He said, “Do it. We spend money on many other things – what’s more important than your health? We can cut back on other things to make room for this.” And so, with these very true words from my wise husband, I started the Optavia program.

This was the best decision of our lives! Not just “my life”, but OURS. The program (and Katharine) did all the thinking for me. I was eating much healthier and much more intentionally. And guess what! My family saw this and began to naturally consider their food choices too. My carnivore husband and children now enjoy salad, and my children are more willing to try new foods as well. They are all now better than me about carrying around a water bottle and basic exercise/activity is starting to become part of our family culture. 

Better I imagined

It certainly is a joy to see the tangible changes in the shape of my body. I get to wear more clothes that I love now and dress myself with joy. But, what’s even better is the look on Joe’s face – when I choose my health over temporal wants, and especially when I willingly choose activity over sitting on the couch! I think that’s the life he always wanted for us. I can finally see why! My new found energy serves not just myself but my family too. It enables me to be the mother I want to be and CAN be!

And the best thing ever is how proud I am of myself. Look at the change in my face! There is so much light and energy there now. The choices I, myself, acted on made those changes! Praise God!

There is a great sense of empowerment in knowing that my choices and therefore my health directly affects the choices my family makes and our happiness together. I chose this path for myself out of my own willpower and came out victorious and equipped to continue to take care of myself and those I love. 

I’m so grateful to have really grown in my mindset and my health journey this year.

More to come on the specifics of following the Optavia program! In the meantime, if you’re feeling inspired and would like to talk to Katharine, my friend and health coach, you can fill out her interest form and she will reach out to you.