Hi everyone!
Thank you for your birthday wishes! I’m 53 today and feeling amazing!
Last year at this time, I had just been featured on the Seattle Refined TV show beginning my own personal weight loss journey to re-lose 100 lbs. I’d re-gained after Ideal Protein. I was armed with our amazing new protocol and a ton of motivation. By June 2019, I’d lost 26 lbs. and was going strong. But suddenly, life happened.
You all know the story. Great intentions meet difficult circumstances… Without boring you with too many details, suffice to say that July kicked off one of the most challenging 12-month periods I’ve ever faced in my life. It all turned out well and for the best in the end. But over the last year, it felt like I was whitewater rafting without a paddle.
Now, a year later and floating in calmer waters, I can reflect on my choices with self-compassion. I dropped every single thing I didn’t absolutely have to focus on in order to survive each next day. One of the things I dropped was my weight loss journey. I’m just like all of the rest of you out there. Sometimes I just… can’t… even…
I know all of the statistics that say it’s optimal for those, like me, with Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Type B and Reactive Hypoglycemia to lose weight in one steady journey — staying in ketosis the whole time. I realize that when you stop part-way to your goal, it’s WAAAAAY harder to maintain that weight loss than it would be if you went all the way to your ideal body fat percentage. Heck, I literally wrote the handout on that topic. But just like all of our clients who start with a clear goal and get interrupted by (fill-in-the-blank), I just couldn’t make myself stick to it. And I honestly don’t blame myself because I know from the depths of my being that I tried my best.
But here comes the good part.
Today — despite everything that happened — I AM STILL WITHIN 1 POUND OF WHERE I LEFT OFF!
I find this miraculous for several reasons — not the least of which is my tendency to stress-eat when times are tough. I’ve regained lost weight so many times in the past that it just kind of felt inevitable. And to be honest, I didn’t work that hard at maintaining, so I didn’t really expect to. It just happened from following a few simple, easy guidelines. I get the science of why having lost using the Evolve protocol makes maintenance easier — I wrote that handout, too. But I always secretly worry that I’ll be the one person for whom the science doesn’t work.
Happiness Goal No. 1 would’ve been getting all the way back to my goal. But Happiness Goal No. 2 — EASILY keeping off the weight I did lose — feels pretty great, too. It’s a major confidence booster for me. I can let myself off the hook for pausing because I didn’t go backwards. I just put a pin in it. I didn’t lose ground — just time. And now I’m feeling renewed motivation to continue my journey. The fact that I can write ‘continue’ instead of ‘restart’ is wonderful.
This is one of the things I love most about my beloved Evolve180 (the protocol and the team!). We know that if you lose it correctly — meaning you actually restore your metabolism along the way — it will be easier to maintain that loss. And then if you follow some simple, flexible guidelines (a.k.a. Evolve180’s famous Maintenance Plan), you can keep it off with ease! I’m so proud of our entire team for developing, refining, and delivering this program to the world! I’m so grateful to also be able to personally benefit from this approach. It’s truly a whole new movement. It’s a totally different approach. It’s an attitude!
None of us have to remain slaves to an endless lose/gain cycle! We CAN lose weight and KEEP IT OFF — simply, healthfully, sustainably.
