Decide, Dream and Get Going: Janine's Story

I'd love to introduce you to Janine; a very special lady who overcame just about every obstacle imaginable to lose 85 pounds. Today, she is happier and more fit than she could have ever imagined. Her story is one of perseverance, physical and emotional growth. Here, in her own words, is Janine's weight loss and life changing lifestyle journey:

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I had spent most of my life as a prisoner to those abuses and hurts, while at the same time keeping my own secrets well hidden. I was full of anger, self-loathing, condemnation and absolutely no self-esteem whatsoever. I was living my own "Groundhog Day". Every day a rerun of; "you'll never amount to anything", "never be good enough", "you can't do it" and "who do you think you are?" Even more disturbing; knowing that as a Christian I should believe I am accepted as God's own, made in His own image. But I had worked myself into the belief that I was not good enough with a list of self-imposed standards. Acceptance was not on my mind.

Unfortunately, obesity and my mindset were not my only issue. I suffered from a long list of conditions and ailments; resulting in limitations and having to pace myself in doing ordinarily simple daily household tasks. When I reached out to Lisa in an email I was at a point where I had lost all hope and my personal strength and courage was reserved for just getting out of bed. Lisa said, "Don't worry; all you have to do is decide". That day, that single day in so many days of utter hopelessness, I decided! Lisa spent time with me making changes to the food journals I would send her. In no time my stuck metabolism was moving. Finally, I found a sense of hope for my weight loss.

But, as everyday normal life would have it, I was still sabotaging myself, and though I was down 30 pounds, I hit rock bottom, on the inside. Oh the weight loss program was working alright - but I had yet to change the most important aspect of my life - how I felt about myself. I was continuing that same old pattern of turning to food to give myself 20 seconds of comfort. Those 20 seconds would lead to a limitless amount of guilt and a feeling of worthlessness. I think that's important to remember; physical fitness, weight loss, physical training, they're all wonderful and should be practiced and maintained. But it's who we are on the inside that eventually makes its way outward into our external existence. Like an addiction that comes back after a period of being clean, I would be in worse shape than I was initially. I again reached out to Lisa for help. This time, to work on me from "the inside out". 

A cheerleader, mentor, mother, sister, listener and most importantly; a mender. All of those apply to Lisa. She cheered me on, she taught me the "how and what", she offered unsolicited advice, laughed with me and cried with me. But most of all, she allowed me the freedom to learn who I was and to love who I was, as God loves me. She bandaged a deeply wounded spirit with true Godly wisdom and a Christian spirit. She proved to me that I was worth it!

My life today is very different than what I described in the first couple of paragraphs. I have now lost 85 pounds; have a new hope, exuberant joy, and the peace that only a mended soul can bring. I am gluten-free, continue to eat right, work out almost every day between cardio, and lift weights.

Here are a few pointers that have helped me in my journey. They just may help you as well:

• Journal everything you eat. As Lisa says, "if you bite it, write it". This is extremely important if you're someone like me who eats her feelings. If you don't journal your bad eating moments then you'll never learn where or when your triggers are. And, I've learned from experience, if you reach out to Lisa for help the first thing she will ask you to do is to journal your food - no excuses.
  
• Have veggies out while cooking dinner. I learned that I was sampling much of the meal while preparing it and then turned right around and would eat a full meal. If you're going to snack while preparing a meal let it be on veggies instead.
• Prepare everything ahead of time (as much as possible). Have bags of veggies ready to grab every time you leave the house, even if you don't think you'll need them. You always drive by places that tempt you. Grab some veggies instead.
• Set out a container with the proper amount of water to consume for the day. It will constantly remind you. Also, have decaf green tea and lemons around for those times when you're getting bored and the hunger bug starts gnawing.
• Move every day no matter how you think and feel. Your body doesn't get a vote - it's not a democracy. I struggle with this but manage to do it anyway.
• Ask for help! Throw away the notion that you can do this by yourself or have the willpower within yourself - you don't! I had to learn that God was bigger than a bag of potato chips, block of cheese, latte, or whatever whim I was on that particular day. I couldn't learn that on my own. I had to reach out to others to help lead me through it.
• Talk with your family. I had to talk with my family, asking them to keep their comments positive. I had many aspects of my life to deal with and over time when the "high" of being on a program faded I needed all the family support I could get. You may find this the hardest part of your new lifestyle, especially after the initial thrust of your program. Let your support system help you deal with the natural emotions that occur or they may keep you from obtaining your ultimate success.

Lisa created an amazing program and it works! Don't try and reinvent the wheel and spend hours wondering why something does or doesn't work. She's already done that for you. I would encourage you to get her book, The Metabolism Solution, and change your life.

But above everything else, I would say - It's time to believe YOU are worth fighting for - So today, Decide, Dream and Get Going!"

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I think Janine has touched on some real-life issues when it comes to a weight loss or fitness makeover. That is one of the reasons any success story you see here is real-life with real people and real results. Even the before and after photos are real. No Photoshop to make someone appear heavier. Real people who have obtained real results without surgery or professional training. Nope, these people did it at home simply by following the metabolic boosting plan found in The Metabolism Solution.