Matt and Liz share their progress after five weeks. Between the two of them, 38 pounds have officially been lost!
After five weeks, Matt has lost 27 pounds, making his current weight 245 pounds. The second week in, I had to deal with a kidney stone. I spent most of the week in either doctor's offices or the hospital, so I didn't lose any weight that week. I couldn't exercise, but I was able to stick to the meal plans.
That made me realize that a huge benefit of being on the program is that I only had good stuff to eat in my house, so sticking to healthy eating was pretty easy.
The third week, I was able to pick up my workouts and just this past week I started doing two sets of 4-3-2-1. I'm playing with my boys a whole lot more. I went for a walk around the neighborhood with my three-year-old and I actually didn't feel like I was going to be out of breath. It was fun to walk with him and feel good at the end.
I think when you're mentally making healthy decisions, it leads you to subconsciously make other healthy decisions.
With diets in the past, I accomplished them because I got really committed and worked really hard at them, but when the commitment waned or I lost interest, I stopped. With the A New Way to a New You program, it just feels like my habits are changing. This is a "diet" that I can do and a way I can continue to live the rest of my life.
After five weeks, Liz has lost 11 pounds, making her current weight 198 pounds.This is most definitely a lifestyle change and because of my history with yo-yo dieting, I'm really looking at it as a lifestyle change. Just going for the fruits and vegetables first is a huge, huge part of it.
A couple of weeks ago I got sick. In the past when I'd get sick, it would always end with this terrible hacking, dry cough. This time I didn't have that cough and it's the first time in my life that I haven't had that cough and I really think it's the fruits and vegetables and eating real food instead of a bunch of processed junk. It’s totally incredible.
Up until now, I've made sure my four-year-old daugher Nyomi was eating right and I'd eat the quick fix. I would say I tend to put other people before myself, which can be a gift, but it's also a challenge IF you also don't take care of yourself.
For example, I haven't been to a doctor in the last four years and I'm realizing how important it is to get my "health team" together. So I'm lining up a new doctor, which in itself is a lifestyle change because I never wanted to go to the doctor, but I'm learning that there has to be a balance and a concentrated focus on my health.
It's funny because people are definitely noticing that something is different about me, but they'll usually ask if I did something to my hair. I've been trying on summer dresses that fit again and that feels great. It's amazing that such a small amount of weight could make such a big difference. It's so exciting.
We have trips planned this summer and we have our 10-year wedding anniversary in July, so those are my motivators for staying on track. I'm really looking forward to taking Nyomi to water parks this summer. I really want to go to the waterslides with her and not feel like I have to wear this full cover-up swimsuit so I don't scare people away! I don't want to have to think about that when I'm there and I know I'm on my way to being a size where I won't have to worry about it.
I would say the one word that best describes this stage of my journey is SELF.
