refreshed. renewed.

so - cliche as it sounds, dusting the ole blog off. facebook updates just aren't cutting it for me these days, and i feel the need to shout from the rooftops how incredibly awesome i am feeling these days.

i have this friend. lance. i used to work for his sister, heather. she's one of my best friends. my husband used to work for lance. we've all been friends for a very, very long time. as long as i've known lance, he's been a big guy. his whole family has struggled with their weight as long as i've known them. heather and i used to do weight watchers together. i lost almost 60 pounds on ww many years ago. fast. little did i know, at the time, i had grave's disease. quick weight loss was a side affect. i was just helping it along a little. life moved on, i got married, and the weight just kept on coming. i had thyroid removed, and the weight was even harder to lose. then pregnancy, then one health issue after another, the weight just stuck around. and packed on.

i've not felt good for years. meaning, miserable, depressed, out of breath... just plain fat. i was fat. and i was in denial. now, let me set you straight - i was not the binge, overeat kid of fat. i was the - i live a totally sedentary lifestyle and made really bad choices kind of fat. i have never been one to really eat in excess. i'm just a girl who knows a good scone and piece of cake! don't forget the french fries... oh and for the love of chips and dip.

i digress. lance. and his wife marlene.

i'd friended lance on facebook. i'd noticed lance started working out. i thought, wow - good for lance! then i'd noticed lance was really losing some weight. then he started shouting from the rooftops. so i got nosey. i emailed and asked him what he was doing. simple. herbalife. i'd heard about it before, i thought - ugh - another diet.. pills and shakes. blech. i doubted. i thought it had to taste bad and was probably overpriced. he pointed me in the direction of his wife, marlene. she assured me the smoothies were fabulous and tasted wonderful. so i said, heck - i've got nothing in the world to lose but some of my ass! :) so i ordered.

i visited lance and marlene's site. i ordered the 3-2-1 weight loss management which consists of smoothie mix, a multi-vitamin, and a cell activator. all natural. all vitamins. this was exactly three weeks ago. i have lost 11 pounds. ELEVEN! I have lost a total of about 37 pounds since December - as i got a jump start being sick over the holidays! i am on air! seriously. i can't imagine putting this weight back on. let me tell you a few of the things i've noticed... and this is no exaggeration:

• i'm smaller. i am already down a whole size in clothing
• i have energy. like the i can barely sit still long enough to blog kind of energy
• the whites of my eyes look whiter
• my hair is growing
• my nails are growing
• my skin has color back to it. i no longer look like a vampire
• the circles under my eyes are gone
• the blue in my eyes looks blue-er
• did i mention i have energy?
• i am tired at the end of the day (contemplating stopping the ambien)
• i feel rested in the morning
• i am genuinely happier. without trying
• i find it easier to make better food choices
• shitty food upsets my stomach. quickly
• my skins feels better
• i am taking things in stride (this never happens)

all in all, i hit bottom. i needed a shift in my life. the last time i remember weighing in at the doc, i was 267 pounds. there. i said it outloud. 267. sickening. this was in october, novemeber, and then again in december. and i denied it. never. again.

i will be checking in here, keeping it real, keeping it honest. i'm interested to have some folks on the journey with me. even going to become a distributor for herbalife. why not, right? the truth is in my waist line. and according to my daughter, kennedy: i'm gonna be one hot momma.

be happy.