What matters more than the number on the scale?

The difference between the photo on the left and the photo on the right is 10 months and 63 pounds. I was no where near my goal in the photo on the right but I felt so much better. It was hard getting to that point. Everyone asked how I did it and the honest answer was diet and exercise. This was the truth and still is; however, what people don't know is that the first 30 of the 63 pounds was brought along by personal stresses in my life at the time & quite honestly not eating like I should. The last 33 pounds that I lost were definitely by eating right and exercise.

Right after the second photo was taken, the holiday season hit! All my stresses from the beginning of my weight loss journey had resolved but now we were under different stresses. We were beginning the journey of moving two states away. The stress of the move, leaving our families and starting in a new place where we knew no one was huge. I stopped going to the gym and pretty much ate what I wanted when I wanted. It is now December of 2014, one year and two months after the photo on the right was taken, and I am now 30 pounds heavier than I was in that photo. Granted, I am not the 63 pounds heavier...like the first photo.

I have tried over and over to get back on the wagon. I have had so much trouble! I have had no energy for exercising, no willpower to turn down food and my cravings have been all over the road! Then something happened...something that even I was skeptical about...this was it....in this photo...do you see it?

There, on the left? Do you see it yet? The ruddy appearance, swollen look, tired eyes. More than that, do you see what is on the photo on the right? Still round but not as swollen looking, the glow, the bright eyes, the energy? These two photos were taken SEVEN days apart, same lighting, same location, same make-up.

What you see in the photo on the right is more than just the girl with polycystic ovary syndrome with out of whack blood chemistry...its a girl who has been able to help regulate what is going on inside of body! What you see is more than a girl who has had more energy than she has had in a very long time...that girl worked 6 out of the last 7 days and spent her one day off Christmas shopping! What you see is more than just the 7.4 pound weight loss on the scale in just ONE week...you see the happiness of someone who finally was about have her appetite suppressed just enough not to want to starve herself but to be just hungry enough to make the HEALTHY choices without a moment of hesitation. The one that was also able to completely eliminate her NIGHTLY sweet snack!

You are probably wondering how I did this and I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't share that information with you. What I must tell you is that a miracle pill DID NOT make me lose 7.4 pounds in one week....regulating my diet did. I know from my experience no matter what you do, you have to decide to make the right choices for yourself. What I can tell you is that taking 2 pills, 2 times a day for the past seven days gave me the willpower to make the RIGHT choice and the ENERGY to get done the things I needed to get done. In turn, what you see in that photo on the right is the happiness of knowing that I have a new co-pilot with TruVision Health to help me stay on track to have a happier and healthier life for both myself and my family.

Do you want to try it for yourself? Email me and let me know that you are ready to have TruChange for Life! You are ready to try this out for 7 days yourself. I promise you, you won't regret it! Contact me via tiffany.ivey.garrett@gmail.com or (210)913-2291. Also, find me on facebook at TruChange for Life. Just send me your email address and for just $20 you can get started with your 7 day sample pack and begin your TruChange for Life.

The Ramblings of an Exhausted Mom...

This past week or so I have not slept well, at all. It is odd for me to have difficulty sleeping because short of a few times of major stress in my life, I have never had trouble falling asleep. My daughter, unfortunately, gets that from me. She is SO hard to wake up in the mornings! The advantage to that is that, even though she is now 16, she slept like a champ when she was little. While other parents complained about being up all night with their kiddos, this mom was kicked back enjoying the good life; however, the tables sure have turned on me & things have backfired now that I have a teenager! I am getting off track here. Where was I? Oh, we were discussing my sleeping issues. I am not sure what it is. I do have a lot on my mind right now with the holidays coming up, attempting to pay off some bills, training at a new job and going to school.

To add to my sleeping issue I, in general, just have no energy these days. I know much of it is because I am out of shape right now. I so bad want to be back where I was physically just one year ago. I know it will happen. I will get there but it is so hard to stay focused right now! I think once Brian gets on board with going to the gym with me, it will make things easier. I am planning on going to the gym in the mornings (before I realize what hits me) after Thanksgiving. Okay, so it won't be the immediate Monday or maybe even Tuesday after Thanksgiving due to our long drive, but it will happen!

So...really, I guess that is all this rambling will be about. I am just tired. I want my energy. I miss it. Please send it home if you find it.

Later, friends.

Follow Through Friday (Yeah, Its Sunday.)

Okay so I know its Sunday...and hey...who knows...I might not even know what I am doing here BUT I came across the ladies on InstaGram who are holding each other accountable and a lot of other awesome ladies are linking up so I figured I would join so lets see if I am doing this right! :)

So basically, these ladies are giving a run down of their weekly plans for fitness from what I can tell...are giving you a run down of their previous week...so here we go. :)

This past week....errrr...ummmm....does packing & unpacking a car count as exercise? How about walking the dog up & down the stairs at our hotel? :) Okay for realzzz....I did okay this week exercise wise. When I wasn't at work I did go to the gym and pump out some weights and cardio a few days. Other than that can I admit here...I was l-aaa-zaaaayyy? Extra a's added for effect if ya didn't know.

Plans for this week?

Monday: #5amclub Hitting the gym for 45 minutes of cardio before work. #12hourshiftprobs
Tuesday: Repeat of Monday.
Wednesday: One hour of cardio; Thirty minutes circuit training/weights
Thursday: Repeat of Wednesday.
Friday: Repeat of Monday.

So there ya go...hold me accountable peeps.

Oh the bestie and I text updates and our weigh ins...which are on Thursdays each week. Scary stuff up in here folks.

My Journey to Fit! ~ Weight Loss ~

This really has been a journey...one that so many struggle with on a daily basis. Over eight years ago my cousin Traci and I started a blog (which I have now imported all the posts into this blog) to journal our weight loss journey. I went back today and read my very first post (found here). During the beginning of that journey my starting weight was 262 pounds! That was so scary to type! On & off for years she and I worked so hard to try to achieve weight loss and we definitely had our ups and downs. As I imported the old blog posts over to this blog I noticed something...I stopped posting my "starting weight" and instead I just posted the number of pounds I gained or loss. The truth of that is, during the time of trying to lose weight I actually GAINED weight...that folks...put me at my ALL TIME HIGH of 285 pounds! That's right people...I was gaining on that 300 pound mark! I don't even know how or why it happened but it did! I think some of it came from my frustration with my PCOS (which is another post in itself)!

This photo my friends was one of the starting photos from our weight loss blog. I was embarrassed enough about this one but last night I found two more on my computer that were way worse!

Who IS that girl anyway? Are any of you reading this looking at these photos and thinking...that could be me...that could be MY starting photo...could it? Well I am here to tell you...that might be what your starting photo looks like but that does NOT have to be the final photo. 

Starting last January (2013) I finally said enough is enough. Enough of using my PCOS as an excuse. Enough of just not trying. I had tried several times for a few weeks/months at a time but didn't see the progress and finally gave in to temptation again. I remember at some point coming across a blog on pinterest and coming across THIS post (go ahead...go read it...I will be here when you get back). Reading that post by Mama Laughlin was an awakening for me. I could have very easily typed every single word written there. I know EXACTLY how it feels to feel better just by hiding your "rolls", I know what it feels like to put on your "best" outfit and still know you are the biggest girl in the room, I know what it feels like to feel like you look your absolute best & put on the fake smile when you are miserable inside BECAUSE of the way you look on the outside. I KNOW how this feels. I STILL fill this way at times. 

I have come a long way in the past 12 months. I have lost 63 pounds...gained a few back...constantly struggle to stay on track or get BACK on track but the biggest thing I have learned the past year is that it CAN be done. IT CAN. There is no excuse big enough to not live a healthy life. I hope that through my blogging I can encourage someone else out there...DO NOT GIVE UP. 

YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN DESTINY. PERIOD.

HERE ARE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS TO HELP ENCOURAGE YOU.

THERE WILL BE MORE TO COME!

I HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN!

:o) T!ff@ny