Unbelievable…

After going through a complete transformation back in March after I removed a vortex from our house, I was in the best shape of my life, mentally and emotionally.

I’ve been filled with joy and feel lighter after being able to finally forgive my mother for the years of abuse I endured.

Then came my physical transformation that began at the end of April after having strep throat.

I began to lose weight since I gave up drinking. I realized I had been self-medicating myself with alcohol since I was 14 years old.

I lost my taste for alcohol and knew I was done with it. I didn’t need it anymore. I NEVER imagined this would ever happen since I liked to drink.

I didn’t get fall down drunk, but I would feel my shoulders relax and get that familiar buzz. I drank every night starting at 5 pm.

The weight began to fall off of me. In week one, I lost 6 lbs and 5 lbs the second week. I was amazed and thought well damn, I wish I did this years ago.

It took me until July to realize all the weight I was losing wasn’t just from not drinking anymore; it came from not binge eating at night when I got a buzz.

Right after the initial week of not drinking, I began making better food choices during the day. I had no cravings at night anymore.

When it comes down to it, even though we weren’t eating processed foods, I was cooking like a chef in a restaurant using tons of butter.

I wasn’t eating any fresh fruits, and the fresh veggies I ate were cooking in, you know what. Butter. Damn, how terrible.

Even though we cannot eat gluten, we ate gluten-free bread, which wasn’t nutritious for us. We were not eating enough seeds, nuts, or grains.

Initially, I started looking at “clean eating” blog posts and recipes. Everything seemed easy enough to prepare and had enough flavor to satisfy us.

I made little changes, like not cooking with butter but using avocado and olive oil. I still put butter on my corn on the cob, toast, which we rarely have, and baked potatoes.

There are no cheat days or foods that are taboo since we eat everything in moderation.

That doesn’t mean we eat “cheat” foods often, but when we eat out at our friends’ houses, it’s nice to just enjoy the delicious food that is always served.

We eat lots of salad with fresh fruits and veggies. I use salad dressing more sparingly.

Eating so many fresh fruits and veggies has brought my taste buds alive for the first time. I have an excellent palate, but now it’s even better.

I eat slowly and savor my food, not shoving it down like I did for years. Since last year, I have stopped rushing around, period. It’s a beautiful thing.

We eat lean beef, pork, chicken, and shellfish. Marinades and dry rubs impart a great deal of flavor to our meals.

We don’t feel the need to eat a starch with every meal like the way we grew up doing.

Potatoes, rice, or pasta were always served as a side dish. Many nights, we had a salad with our protein or just vegetables.

Am I starving myself to death like I did when I was in Weight Watchers 20 years ago? Not at all.

I am not counting points or longing for food like I did back then.

I am simply eating until I am full. This means my fork goes down the second my brain sends the message that I am full.

It doesn’t matter how good or how much food I have left. Most nights, I leave 1 or 2 bites on my plate instead of cleaning my plate. Again, old eating habits.

I only weigh myself once a week. I had an issue when I went to Weight Watchers and weighed myself numerous times a day without any clothes on.

That was a big problem, huge! I will never do that again after realizing how fucked up that was.

This week, I weighed in at 115 pounds, down from 158 pounds, for a total loss of 43 pounds!

Can you imagine my small frame carrying that much weight around? No wonder why I was so miserable how I felt and looked to myself.

Am I losing this weight and keeping it off for vanity’s sake? While I love how I look, I am doing it so I can breathe and have no lung disease symptoms.

My pulmonologists told me I had improved since the last pulmonary function tests I had the first week in April.

Another reason for staying on track is my gut health. I have never had a healthy gut before. How do I know? I am no longer lactose intolerant. Weird.

I will never change my routine of having one cookie with a small glass of whole milk before bedtime.

I’ve been doing that since I was little. I no longer have to buy Lactaid milk or take lactose pills while eating dairy products.

This in itself is wild to me after having lactose issues since I was nine years old.

In the end, the question is, “Do I feel better? “Am I sleeping better? Do I look better? Do I have more energy? Does my skin look better?”

The answer is yes to all those questions. I feel grateful that I have had a total body and mind transformation since March.

I am a completely different person who is happy, healthy, full of joy, calmer, and full of gratitude.

Marty is still in disbelief at how different everything is for me. I feel and look like I did in my 30s again.

Not bad for a 57-year-old. 😉

I wanted to share this wonderful part of my journey with you guys. You have read about my ups and downs, frustrations, and emotional struggles over the last three years.

Now is the fun part of my journey. How could I not feel grateful and blessed?

Have a nice night my friends.