Pitch black~ as it usually is when I’m putting on my workout clothes… early bird in every way… but on this particular morning I felt more swollen + uncomfortable than I could ever imagine. It had been a slow build~ major life changes~ a global pandemic shutting down every right of passage for my 8th grade son + putting my 10th grade son’s recruiting to a stop at the most important time for his craft~ followed by a major injury for said older son over the course of 3 years~ a mama bear’s survival mode was to keep her guys uplifted and forward moving~ little did I know it was at the sacrifice of myself… like I said, slow build.

Back to the pitch black morning (Marc 13, 2023, 4:30a to be exact) I was struggling to get my sports bra on… the swell was now creeping into areas that did not need swelling. Frustrated, nearly in tears, and feeling like I could hear the swish with every movement~  I did something I rarely do~ I weighed myself. The number that stared back was one I hadn’t seen since I was 4-5 months pregnant  with my last child who was almost 17. I did what any other sane person would do… I woke my husband up and told him how much I weighed… I startled him and he seriously could care less haha… but telling him held me accountable. Then I went back to my living room, signed up for weight watchers (I remember it had worked before and many times for my mom) wrote out a food list for my husband to get me (he’s the food man in our house) squeezed into my work out clothes and got it done, moved on + started to move forward. Enough was enough for this 5’2” frame. 

Funny thing is I’m super active, pretty diligent about what I eat, but portion controls, no end or beginning to eating schedules and worst of the all~sugar- had crept back into my everyday… sending not only my weight sky-high but also my anxiety… it wasn’t pretty but it was still the cusp of winter~ breaking into spring making it a great time for much needed changes all around.

I committed to weight watchers and circadian fasting (previously discussed) + to eating a clean, wholefoods based diet. Exercise is never an issue, but I also made changes there to suit my mental game that was a little off the rails. Within just a few weeks I felt the bloat pass, the good rhythm of sleep cycles + the motivation to keep going bc it was easy. I was eating all my fave foods, just measuring and being accountable for every morsel. But~ pasta was had, drinks here + there (I’m not a big drinker) + even some vegan pizza + vegan ice cream as long as it fit into my daily’s +/or weeklies… nearly 15lbs down (more like 14 I think but I’m not weighing in as much) and now switched to maintenance mode on my WW app I can honestly say I haven’t felt this good in years~ my hormones have settled, my anxiety is practically non existent + I’m at a weight I haven’t seen since my early~ to mid twenties (just after the birth of my first) … proof that weight gain isn’t just a sign of aging… it’s a sign of the life stressors that seem to put us care givers dead last. 

My take aways from my weight watchers journey. Try to eat starting two hours after waking and stop two hours before bed (I trend towards 3 hours each way) up your protein and fiber and limit your sugars. And eat whole unprocessed foods as much as possible! Find foods that you love and stick with them. Don’t overthink it + be prepared. Food prep and diligence keep me on track. And if all else fails, keep it simple. I eat the same breakfast almost every morning, pretty much the same snack and 1-3 lunches everyday. Dinner is usually a protein and a veggie + sometimes a healthy starch. And give yourself grace! xoxo