Guest Post: by Becca

Seems to be a lot of people feeling discouraged on the boards lately.

Was thinking all morning while doing various tasks around the house, trying to find something encouraging to say because I really want to pay it forward.  I have been tremendously blessed by those who shared EM2WL with me.  I’m not sure I have anything that’s hugely encouraging to say…but I will say this:

I have struggled with my weight my whole life.  Struggled more with eating disorders from the time I was 15.  Truth be told, I still struggle.  EM2WL was a breath of fresh air for me, and has brought tremendous balance into my life.  I know I can never go back, no matter what lies the scale is telling me.  Our mental and emotional state is critical in this journey, and sometimes we have to fix that or we will just keep yo-yoing between this diet and that diet and never getting anywhere.  Trust me, I know this one, and I ended up fatter than I ever thought possible (check out my pics if you need further clarification).  Right before Christmas, I was nearing the 100 lb loss mark and I decided it was gonna happen no matter what, and I pushed my body to its limit, and I made it.  I was starving, cranky and irritable.  But I was able to say I lost 100 lbs in a year.

Whoopdedoo.

In the meantime, my poor family suffered with a cranky mother, I was spending 3 hours a day working out when my kids needed their mommy, my hair fell out in huge clumps, I was always freezing, always weak, and prided myself on not ever being hungry. 

I freaked out if I was invited to a get-together because I couldn’t possibly imagine how I was going to handle eating like a normal person.  After Christmas and multiple conversations with Kiki (bless her patient heart), I decided to give it a shot.  On my first reset, I gained about 12 lbs in 4 weeks.  Crazy.  When given the opportunity to eat, I did.  Too much.  Then I went back to cut and lost the weight I regained.  Multiple resets later, I am cutting once again.  My weight has gone up and down over these months, but you know what my weight was that Christmas morning?  173.  Can’t really give a completely accurate weight because I haven’t weighed for 2 weeks.  But my last weigh in I was 167.5.

Oh and I was a size 8 at Christmas, size 4 or 6 now. I was 33% bf then, now I’m around 26.

I have seen huge strength gains since eating more, am longer going bald, and feel like I have my life back.  I am not always happy that my progress is slower and I often feel like I am spinning my wheels but the truth is that while the scale is barely moving, I am losing body fat, gaining muscle and losing sizes.  I am making progress even if it is slow.  I am eating double or more calories than I was before Christmas.  I have more energy and my health is better.  It has taken time, but I damaged my metabolism for a long time and realize I must be patient, and it may not be a 4, 6, or 8 week fix.  This is life, and I have to be able to live it.

If you are feeling discouraged, and want to give up, please take an honest assessment of your life before and after EM2WL and compare more than just the scale.  Going back to VLCD may work for a few weeks, but it is simply not a long term solution and is not worth the poor quality of life that goes with the territory.

Have an EM2WL word of encouragement to share?  Have you encountered bumps in the road on your journey?  Are you tempted to only think negative thoughts, even though you are further along than you previously were? Are you eating 100, 300, 600 cals MORE than you were before and NOT gaining weight? Are you seeing changes, whether on the scale, the tape measure, definition, more energy, better sleep, not losing hair anymore, not being grumpy at your family all the time, etc? Leave a comment or submit your post to Success@EM2WL.com

Becca is a busy wife and homeschooling mother to five children ages 5 to 13. About three years ago, she embarked on a journey to health and fitness that resulted in the loss of approximately 100 pounds. Today, she is a competitive powerlifter and strongwoman who loves ice cream and deadlifts.  As an ISSA certified personal trainer, she is passionate about helping women to get started on a lifestyle of strength and fitness.