This post has been a long time coming… so pull up a chair, and a cup of your favorite tea.
I’ve been writing at this little blog of mine for almost EIGHT years. EIGHT. And during that time, I’ve been busting my butt to lose weight and/or keep that weight off.
If I’m completely honest, there have been ups, there have been downs, and there have been times where I’ve considered rolling up the No Thanks to Cake carpet and walking away from this whole blogging process. Truthfully, it’s all of you that have kept me going. Knowing you’ve been out there reading what I’ve written, cheering on my workouts, and following my progress that made me reconsider.
If I’m completely honest, I believe that I would have gained all that weight back had I stopped blogging. There’s a lovely accountability that comes with having a healthy living blog that has worked wonders for me. I have to thank each and EVERY one of you for following and supporting me along the way… I literally could not have done this without all of y’all.
Now, before you jump ahead… I’m not quitting. Far from that, actually.
I flipped the calendar this year, and decided I needed a change. While I’m still down 50 lbs from 2010, I still have some weight I’d like to lose. My lifestyle too has changed quite a bit. No longer am I commuting a horrendous drive to an office each day, and I work from home. I’m still traveling like crazy. Rather than traveling solo carefully picking my meals and making time for exercise, I’m traveling in groups with employees, customers, and sales people to socialize with making mealtime much more complex than it’s been in the past. And, amongst us girls, I’m in my FORTIES now. That appears to have brought its own challenges…
In late 2017, I started thinking about how I wanted this new year to be… and I felt the urge to shake things up a little bit. If I’m completely honest, I was a bit ashamed flipping the calendar without having lost anything for the entire year. I wasn’t ok with it, and I wanted something different for the new year.
I also knew that I was torn. The plan I’d been on for the past 8 years had worked for me. I was the most successful I’d ever been on a weight loss program with Jenny Craig. The program completely worked, and I had kept off 50 lbs for longer than I ever had.
Additionally, I’ve forged an INCREDIBLE partnership with Jenny Craig over the years. The PR team has done so much for me, and we had done so much together. From hosting not one, not two, but THREE recipe contests with the brand, to shooting cooking videos with the team in Carlsbad, to taking an advantage of an incredible discount on the food plan for the past several years. I’ve had a BLAST working with the Jenny Craig team, and I can’t thank them enough for helping me change my life.
If I’m completely honest, I delayed making a change because of this amazing partnership we’d forged over the years.
End of day though, I’m just a girl trying to be the healthiest version of myself. It’s a little easy to get wrapped up in partnerships and relationships and pause; however, 2018 has to be the year that I focus on what I need, what my body needs, and what will adapt best to my new lifestyle.
If I’m completely honest, this change is overdue, and I’m excited to share more with you later in the week.
As I close the door in my Jenny Craig chapter, I have to thank all the amazing men and women I’ve met over the years as a result of this incredible program. I am forever grateful for the program, the opportunity, and the support these ladies (and many others!) have offered.
I’ll share more on what’s next on the blog on Wednesday. Stay tuned! xo