Inspiring Weight-Loss Success Stories – 5

“I launched a new business”

Alicia Hunter, 42, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Lbs. lost: 56
Current weight: 104 lbs.
Height: 5’2″

My story: My weight began to creep up during my battle with infertility in my early 30s. I had a series of miscarriages, unsuccessful fertility treatments, and then — a miracle baby. He was a preemie, but healthy. At four weeks, though, he developed an infection, and on November 11, 2003, he died. As I mourned, I turned to food. I didn’t care. I was in a fog. I was just going to wear big, high-waisted mom jeans. Who was going to criticize me? I’m only 5’2″, but I got up to 160.

Turning point:After the baby’s death, my husband and I adopted a son, Hayden, and then, two years later, I got pregnant and we were blessed with a daughter, Ashley. I finally had the family I always wanted. But I was still mourning the baby I’d lost, and my weight was making me miserable. One Sunday we were out on a boat with friends, and I felt like a whale next to the other wives in their bathing suits. I was fed up with the way I looked. More important, I felt I owed it to my son’s memory to get past my grief and be a more alive mom, more confident, for Hayden and Ashley. The next day, I began a strict regimen, eating a healthy 100- to 200-calorie mini-meal (yogurt, turkey roll-up, salad) every two hours. And I ran on the treadmill. The weight came off steadily, and a little over a year later, I had dropped 56 pounds.

The beautiful payoff: In 2004, I’d taken a big risk and started my own business, a skin-care salon. I loved it, but I was self-conscious. You should look good when you’re offering beauty services. As I lost weight, I felt better, and was so energized by my transformation that in March 2009 I became a certified weight-loss coach and added a diet-counseling component to my business. I’ve already had over 100 clients. I love it — I help them lose weight and I give them a makeover. I now guard my own weight loss like it’s a newborn. I weigh myself every day. I keep a food journal. If I lick the knife while making my kid a peanut butter sandwich, I add that. I do Pilates three times a week. Losing weight brought me out of a very dark place, and I never want to go back there.

Inspiring Weight-Loss Success Stories – 4

“I got out of a midlife slump”

Maria Kussmaul, 52, Weston, MA

Lbs. lost: 31
Current weight: 103 lbs.
Height: 5’1″

My story: Running has always been an essential part of my life. In 1996, I entered the Boston Marathon as a tribute to my first husband, a runner who had died. But running was also how I kept my sanity — and how I kept the pounds at bay. I never went above a size 6, even through three pregnancies. That ended in April 2006, when I developed severe hip pain, and an MRI seemed to indicate I’d worn away the cartilage in my hip. The doctors said, “Your running days are over.” At the same time, my older son, who was in seventh grade, had to be hospitalized three times (he’s fine now). Plus, I had two other children — a daughter, 15, and another son, 9. My business — a boutique investment bank I’d cofounded — picked up, requiring longer hours and more travel. My husband (I’d remarried in 1996) took over much of the grocery shopping, choosing a lot of packaged meals. Add the fact that I was entering menopause, and the combo was deadly: I gained 30 pounds in two years.

The aha! moment: I hated the way I looked and felt. None of my clothes fit, so I bought cheap replacements, thinking I’d only be that size temporarily. When the seasons rolled around and I was still that size, I thought I’d have to resign myself to being a “frumpy 50-something suburban mom.” Then I met Susan Roberts, a nutrition professor from Tufts University, at a dinner. When she mentioned she’d written The Instinct Diet [now called The “I” Diet] and wanted to work with people who would try the plan, I thought, Here’s my shot. On February 7, 2009, my birthday, I started.

Back on (the) track: I loaded up on high-fiber cereals, low-carb pitas. Once I settled into the program, I wasn’t hungry, and I lost weight quickly. By summer, I’d dropped 31 pounds. Then I got the urge to try running again. My hip didn’t flare up, so I stepped it up. Pretty soon, I was running 10 to 15 miles a week. I got that old feeling: “Oh, yeah, this is me.” Doctors aren’t sure why my hip healed — it might be it simply couldn’t take the double burden of my weight and running, but once I was lighter, the pain disappeared. In September, I began training for my second Boston Marathon. Fourteen years ago, I ran it as a goodbye to my first husband. This time, it was about celebrating, giving thanks that I have my life back.

Inspiring Weight-Loss Success Stories – 3

“I left an unfulfilling marriage”

Cathy Cox, 34, Delray Beach, FL

Lbs. lost: 118
Current weight: 135 lbs.
Height: 5’6″

My story: I was only 24 when the scale hit 253 pounds. As a graduate student in Atlanta, studying — ironically — public health, I tried fad diets, fat-burning pills, everything. Finally, I discovered eDiets, an online diet network. Following the group’s low-fat, low-cal meal plan, I shaved off 30 pounds over the next couple of years. In 2003, I married a quiet, intense man, and for a while, I thought I was happy with our life. But my husband had terrible eating habits — he liked fried and processed foods — and wanted no part of the healthy dishes I’d try to serve. I became less conscientious about my own diet and, in a few months, was back up to 237. Panicked, I returned to eDiets and, in seven months, lost 27 pounds. Then I started hitting the gym, and slowly, I dropped more weight.

Breaking out: As I was getting thinner, I began to feel more confident. That’s when my marriage went downhill. I wanted to do things, but my husband liked the little life we had created. Once, when we were visiting friends in California, I was eager to go to the beach — I’d never seen the Pacific. But my husband had no interest. He came along for 10 minutes, then returned to the hotel to watch TV. My life was changing physically and emotionally. In three years, I’d lost 100 pounds. But my husband and I had grown apart. I tried to get him to go to therapy, but he wouldn’t, so eventually, I just packed a bag and left. I decided that as soon as we sold the house, I’d move to Florida. I’d always felt comfortable there when I visited, and I wanted a fresh start.

Life: part two: That’s what I call my new existence. I bought a townhouse, have been dating, and have even changed careers. I no longer do research. Now I work for eDiets, the very company that helped me reinvent myself. I’m the success-story coordinator in Florida. I continued to lose weight and am also certified as a personal trainer. Me! Before, I couldn’t run a mile. Now I’ve run five half marathons. And my new true love is power lifting. In January I deadlifted 303 pounds, and last year I set a record for my weight class. Sometimes I think, Who am I? How did I get here? But I know I’ve become the person I was always meant to be.

Inspiring Weight-Loss Success Stories – 2

“I beat a health scare”

Courtney Dawson, 34, Shreveport, LA

Lbs. lost: 188
Current weight: 157 lbs.
Height: 5’8″

My story: Everyone in my family is heavy. We love our Southern cooking, junk food, and sweets — and we’ll fry anything. As a result, I ballooned through my teens. I was over 300 pounds when I gave birth to my first son in 2002. After my second son was born in 2006, I weighed an unbelievable 345 pounds! My blood pressure spiked to 146/101, and my doctor wanted to put me on medication. I’m a single mother. I needed to take care of my boys, see them grow, but I just didn’t want to take drugs. I begged the doctor to let me try to lower my pressure myself. He gave me a couple of weeks to start losing weight or, he warned, I’d have to take blood pressure pills.

The fight of my life: I started my diet by eating Lean Cuisine, drinking only water, and walking an hour a day. After two weeks, I’d lost six pounds, and a month later, I was down 20, and my blood pressure dropped to normal — 120/80. The doctor said OK, but if my blood pressure went back up, I’d have to take pills. At that point, I joined LA Weight Loss, which provided some variety in my meals and also helped me learn to eat in moderation. And I kept walking every day.

Health — and a new career: It took 18 months to lose all my weight. It was hard, but I feel great. I weigh less now than I did in sixth grade! My blood pressure is 110/74, and I never took medication. I love jeans and I feel great in them. More amazing, I feel I can do anything. I’ve been a blackjack dealer at the Boomtown Casino for 12 years, but since losing weight, I’ve been inspired to do more with my life, so I’ve gone back to school to study elementary education. My dream is to be a second grade teacher. Along with math and reading, I want to teach kids about a healthy lifestyle, so they don’t end up like me. I’m already doing that with my sons, going to the park to practice soccer and basketball or play on the swings and slides. Being in school with two kids and working is daunting. I used to not follow through on things. But now I know if I lost all that weight, I can do this, too.

Inspiring Weight-Loss Success Stories – 1

“I brought my family together”

Farredeh Baughcum, 30, Monroe, GA

Lbs. lost: 44
Current weight: 143 lbs.
Height: 5’9″

My story: I got married in 2002. It should have been a happy time, but a year before, my mother was assaulted by a man she’d been seeing. In the course of an argument, he’d shoved her and broken her neck, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. I hadn’t wanted her to visit him that day, and although I was pleased she was able to come to my wedding — making her wheelchair debut — I was filled with anger and fear and worry. Although the attack may not have been the direct cause of my weight gain, I’m sure, deep down, it led me to eat. The pounds piled on, especially after I had my daughters in 2005 and 2006, and my mother came to live with us. My weight climbed to 187 pounds.

Click! As Christmas 2007 approached, I was making a family calendar when I came across a photo of me in a bathing suit taken on summer vacation. I was horrified and promptly deleted it. (Thank God for digital!) But I couldn’t forget the image, so in January, when my best friend, Lindsay, invited me to a Weight Watchers meeting, I went. At first, I thought I wasn’t going to go crazy trying to lose weight, but the meeting leader, Jan, was amazingly motivating, and I thought, I’m going to do this. I set my goal at 168, started counting points, and lost my first five pounds in three weeks. When I hit my target, I decided to keep going, and lost a total of 44 pounds. By September, when my husband brought my fall clothes up from the basement, nothing fit, and I had to buy all new outfits. It was fabulous!

The turnaround: As I got fit, my mother and I began to get along much better. Exercise eased my anger about the assault, and soon I was helping her work out, too, using resistance bands and weights to strengthen her upper body. My girls join us now, blasting music and dancing. In fact, it’s changed how the whole family interacts. We used to watch TV together. Now my husband and I take the girls on hikes. I exercise eight to 10 hours a week, combining weights and cardio. I even ran a 10K race to celebrate my 30th birthday last July. When I’m training, and get tired and feel like quitting, I remember my mom in her wheelchair. I think how much she’d like to be able to run. It pushes me through that last mile.

Let’s change the world together

Source: http://www.carinalee.com/2016/05/lets-change-world-together.html

Two years ago I started my journey as a Noonday ambassador. It was a way for my heart to connect with the world in ways that it wasn’t able to before. A way to stand with arms linked with women and families from Uganda and Ethiopia and India and Vietnam, sharing their stories. Women who need access to medicine and health care, the means to send their kids to school, to work in a safe, dignified environment. By doing my small part in sharing their stories and creating a marketplace for their beautiful handiwork in my own community, I can make an impact in their communities. And in turn, it’s given me purpose and a worldwide sisterhood that I’d never even dreamed of.

I’m turning 38 next month and I have decided to set a pretty big goal – one that I can’t accomplish without you! I want our impact to grow so that more women and men and children can have sustainable jobs, receive fair wages, and create change in their communities. Here’s my hope: I’d love to get 38 orders by my 38th birthday. Every single purchase broadens our reach and impacts a community. Will you be a part of it?

Teachers gifts, birthday presents, a treat for yourself? Something beautiful that changes the world? It doesn’t get much better. Those Sharma earrings in the picture above just went on sale and are made of gorgeous gold and fuchsia leather! They’re some of my favorites.

And to make things even more fun: Every order made before June 7 will be eligible for a gift from me as a way of saying thank you for making such a big difference. I will randomly select one person to choose between the following (how will you decide?!)

Will you be a part of the story? Help me celebrate two years with Noonday and my upcoming birthday by changing the world with your purchase! And while you’re there, click on the impact tab and read the stories of the amazing people who make every single piece. You’ll leave encouraged and hopeful, and ready to make a difference.

Kids and food and cooking shows

Source: http://www.carinalee.com/2016/07/kids-and-food-and-cooking-shows.html

My kids love food. Not that they aren’t picky, because they are. But they, the boys especially, love trying new foods and experimenting and talking about recipes. My second oldest turned seven yesterday and requested “a vanilla cake with layers of strawberry ice cream and actual strawberries, and like, kinda frozen.” Birthdays are my favorite and I welcome whatever cake challenge they want to throw at me. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s always kind of fun.

This summer, my friend and I are teaching our kids to cook and doing crafts once a week to beat the summer boredom and hopefully gain some useful skills. Also on the list is teaching them to brew a proper pot of coffee, but that’s another lesson all its own that hopefully their wives will thank me for later in life.

I credit their culinary curiosity to some of the cooking shows we’ve watched together. I applaud the parents and grandparents who can sit through Curious George and Wild Kratts and enjoy them, but I am not that mom. The day my kids started to appreciate the Food Network and cooking competitions was a day I will cherish forever. Truly, most reality cooking shows are a little too PG-13 for my crew, but we have found some that we all enjoy and spark a lot of interest in getting in the kitchen to create. My husband can have the endless baseball games (seriously, every night. why?), I’ll take a kids’ cooking competition any day of the week.

Want to bond with your own little baker or future chef? A few of our favorites are on Netflix now! The Kids Baking Championship is super fun and inspiring. The first season of Beat Bobby Flay is a family favorite. It’s not a kids show per se, but my boys love choosing who they’re going to root for and planning what they’d make if they went up against him. They also love watching the crazy combinations and ridiculous amounts of food Adam Richman attempts in Man V. Food. And not on Netflix, but probably streaming somewhere: Chopped Junior, MasterChef Junior, and Rachael Ray’s Kids Cook Off.

George has already promised me that he is going to become a chef and live with me and cook for me for the rest of my life, so I think it’s all paying off. And if that doesn’t work out, at least they have a deeper appreciation and a little bit more of an adventurous spirit when it comes to eating!

Motherhood, back to school, and my paradox of emotions

Source: http://www.carinalee.com/2016/08/motherhood-back-to-school-and-my.html

The last two weeks of summer vacation felt crazy. My kids were in desperate need of structure and routine and I was too tired to give it to them. They were tired of playing the same games, it was too hot, they were too loud, there was too much laundry. We had school supplies and uniforms to buy and one last birthday party to throw. I longed for the first day of school, for the promise of quiet. Don’t get me wrong, we had a great summer. We even mostly enjoyed each other’s company. We had some super fun adventures, lots of good conversations, but we were all over all the togetherness.

 

My fourth grader was wearing his backpack around the house for a week.

“Just drop us off, Mom! We’re fine.”

I felt kind of grateful for that response. Proud of them, even, for being so independent.

But then we circled into the school lot and from the back of the van, Eddie quietly said, “Mom, can you walk me up?” 

“Oh buddy, we’re already in line. I’ll give you a big kiss as you get out.” 

But then, obviously, you’re in the rush of the carpool line and teachers are looking at you for efficient departures. He looked a little forlorn, but gave me a quick smile and they all hopped out. My heart sank as I watched them scurry off to the first and the fourth grade lines and the van door shut.

I swiftly pulled into a spot in the parking lot and made my way to their lines. Eddie’s face immediately brightened when he saw I’d come back. Big squeezes, a few kisses, and letting them know I would genuinely miss them and they were off. I shocked myself when tears suddenly appeared in my eyes and I realized summer was really over. And that even though it can be mass chaos with six kids all day, every day, and that I didn’t have one quiet moment to myself for twelve straight weeks, I was actually going to miss these little men who all of a sudden didn’t seem very little.

But now, here we are. Two days in and to God be the glory, my girls are all napping at the same time. It is so quiet I can formulate actual thoughts. During the day, when the sun is up. Miracles do happen, and sometimes they are tiny, but they are awesome.

My to do list, my catch-up-from-summer-madness list, currently has twenty two items to check off. But it still seems manageable because I have the hope of time and space to do it. Not only that, if I want to, I can even sit down IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY and relax with a cup of coffee, and maybe even my Netflix list. It’s been known to happen. So feel free to hit my up with suggestions on what to watch next. I’m currently obsessing over Marcella (if you liked the Killing, watch this. You will thank me.) and catching up on the second season of Madam Secretary, which I told you about before. If you haven’t seen it, start today, trust me.

And now I am off to do whatever I want for thirty more minutes. I mean, I don’t even know where to begin. And I know life is about to get crazy and the warm fuzzies from summer will soon wear off, but I’m even kind of excited to go pick up the rascals.

My most heartfelt advice on parenting

Source: http://www.carinalee.com/2016/06/my-most-heartfelt-advice-on-parenting.html

Recently, I was talking to someone who is about to have her third baby.

“You have six kids,” she said, “what’s your best advice for someone that’s about to add another baby to their family?”

Because most days are filled with craziness, and because when she asked, I was surrounded by all six kids, and because it’s summer and my kids eat constantly, and they were all asking for food at that exact moment, I was a little frazzled.

In the midst of our conversation, I gave her some thoughts on laundry. Obviously very practical, and truthfully, I could talk about laundry at length. I know, you guys, I am very exciting. But I walked away from our conversation wishing I could’ve shared what I would have, had I taken two seconds to think it through. So, I circled back with her and told her this:

Give yourself abundant grace. Ten percent of parenting is knowing what you’re doing, and ninety percent is winging it. Nobody has it all figured out, we just try our best to do the right thing and raise these little people into adults who love God and love others well. It’s hard and messy and you will spend too much time second guessing yourself. Have fun, give yourself a lot of grace and understanding – the same you’d extend to your dearest friend – and remember, God loves those babies even more than you do. He can carry and sustain you when you need it most. All that, and lots of coffee.

I kind of laugh whenever we go in for a baby check up and our pediatrician asks me if I have any questions. Not that I have it all figured out, but babies are pretty manageable to me. I do have a million questions about fourth graders, though. Navigating through eye rolling and hurt feelings on the playground and not getting picked to pitch in a little league game. I have questions about first grade boys, too, even though this is my second and third time around. Like, why do they think that poop is so hilarious? How can I protect their hearts while also letting them experience real life a little? How can I explain to them why some kids aren’t that nice or don’t get why our family looks a little different? Is there a cure for the drama that is being three years old? How have my kids so acutely developed the ability to filter out my voice but can hear snacks being consumed two rooms away? Kids are a mystery to me.

I admit wholeheartedly that most of the time I feel like I don’t know what I am doing. I don’t feel like I am getting the things done that need to be done. I don’t have any secret formulas for getting certain results because all of my kids are so vastly different from one another. You think we’d see some kind of pattern with six of them, but that hasn’t happened yet.

But here’s what I know: we really are trying our best. We fail a lot, no doubt about it. I pray that I can somehow be a reflection of His love in their lives, that in all the craziness and messiness and imperfection, they see Him. And that they know we love them.

You’ll never have it all figured out. There won’t be a moment that clicks and you think, “NOW I get it!” (And if there is, surely you will realize five minutes later that you actually do not.) Just do your best, give yourself lots of grace, know that He’s got your back, try to have some fun along the way, and surround yourself with people (or even just one person) who get it. I am so grateful for the friends in my life who are walking through these things with me, who struggle and wrestle with the desire to love their kids well. A little community of support as you live this role as a parent is invaluable.

Parenthood changes you and challenges you, and stretches your heart to love beyond capacity.

 

the thing about summer

Source: http://www.carinalee.com/2016/08/the-thing-about-summer.html

Here we are in the throes of summer break. The free schedules, lazy afternoons, late bedtimes, otter pop hangover mornings. The warm air wraps itself around your shoulders, noses covered in newfound freckles, the smell of sunscreen and sunshine and play lingering on your skin as you slip under the sheets and fall into summer sleep. It’s dreamlike at times.

But also, I’m going a tiny bit crazy. 

I feel a little like a pendulum, waving between the bliss of abundant family time, a whatever the day may hold wonder and an oh my goodness if these children ask me for one more snack I will die attitude. 

I love my kids. So so so much. I would die a thousand deaths for them. I would walk through fire, jump in front of a moving vehicle, swim every ocean, and whatever.
I look at each individual little face and I nearly cry over my love for them. 
But together? My three boys are either in a murderous rage toward one another, huffing around because of some brotherly injustice, or crying as though someone has just run over their dog approximately every hour of every day. There are small snippets of time where they are playing harmoniously, exploring some corner of the yard, quietly building their legos, riding their bikes around our quiet street. Snippets, people, snippets.
I have asked them 47 times in the last 12 minutes to please stop asking me for snacks and shows and treats. I just want to eat my second meal of the day at 2pm without having to jump up and do something for someone else. I promise it will only take me ninety seconds to eat if you just let me sit down and eat.

I waiver between feeling sad that there are only 33 days of summer left and seriously contemplating making a countdown chart to the first day of school. And then feeling really guilty that there are moments during the day that I am not reveling in the joys of my children’s presence, but rather praying for the grace to not tear my own hair out as I clench my teeth at the sound of yet another battle. 

Here’s the thing. You are still a good mom if you feel spent. If you feel like you’ve run out of patience and you need a break, and you don’t enjoy every minute of the day, you’re still a good mom. I really believe that this motherhood business is the most sanctifying thing that could happen to a person. It is hard. Some days it is damn hard, and that’s just reality. It’s beautiful and messy and terrible and amazing and glorious and awful and every single gamut of emotions you can possibly experience in a 24 hour period. Heartbreaking and mind boggling and completely fulfilling and not at all fulfilling and guilt inducing and full of love. It doesn’t even make sense, so maybe don’t try to make it.

What I want is for us to collectively let go of the guilt. Because the thing is, that guilt just shows that you care. You are pouring your life out. I’m pouring my life out. And sometimes it’s hard. But it’s also all I could ask for. When I sneak in their rooms at night and watch them sleep and they are soul crushingly peaceful and cute and I can’t even deal with the amount of love in my heart. Or I see Ivah jumping up and down with joy when I get her in the morning, or when George sings to me, or Frances spontaneously wants to snuggle, or Eddie asks to sit on my lap after dinner, or Lute wants to tell me every detail of the story he just read. Those little moments are the ones that remind me that at the end of the day, we’ve really got it good.