BY FAR the most progress I’ve ever made in my roller coaster weight loss journey which began in 2011 was in 2016. Before finding out I was pregnant again in September I had lost 13kg and had lost count of the centimetres I’d lost and the clothes I could no longer fit in to.
My 2014 weightloss attempts were also halted when I found out I was pregnant with my son. I have since seen a number of women who maintain healthy active lifestyles during their pregnancies and just simply watch with envy because I do believe when it comes to how we behave in certain chapters of our lives is our perogative, we have to make decisions that we a comfortable with. Sometimes those decisions are influenced by your level of enlightenment and if you aren’t at that level yet you cannot fake it. And in as much as I love the benefits of a healthy active lifestyle, I am probably contradicting myself but I will say for me during my pregnancies my focus has always automatically switched to mental and emotional health over and above physical health, even though I know very well that they are all linked. By that I do not mean I don’t take care of myself physically, but my focus shifts from a selfish view to a more nurturing one.
I learnt some grand lessons last year during my journey. This is what I am actually wanting to address here. I am an Independent Herbalife Member which loosely translated means I use and sell Herbalife, but more than that enjoy the luxury of watching and assisting others transform their lives and achieve their goals as a wellness coach. I however have chosen to put this last part of things on ice. Why you may ask, since I sound like I love it so much? It became a huge distraction for me, I got hooked on helping others and generating income that I lost sight of why I had gone down this path. Here’s what has remained true though, Herbalife is by far the best network marketing company I have ever come across and the perfect weight management programme I’ve known in the past six years. A lot of my family members and loved ones use it now and from time to time I myself (again personal choice and not recommendation) still use some of the products during my pregnancy.
But what I was doing last year began to take away from me. I’m classified as obese. People may have a lot to say about Western measures of health, but I do believe these measures are guidelines even for Africans. My ideal weight is 70-75kg and I did weigh this once upon a time when there were no smart phones to capture my fabulousity. When I found out about my current pregnancy my weight was around 108/107kg down from 120kg post partum from my son.
Here’s a link to my postpartum weight loss journey and other details around my weight posted last January.
I think as a big person, male and female, trying to motivate yourself and others to lose weight, the first step is to focus on you. I’ve taken time out to focus on me for as long as is necessary to achieve my results. I want to be able to approach potential consumers with an intriguing, genuine personal story and not selling someone elses success while looking like the opposite of what I’m selling. I also don’t want to rush my process. I want to learn the lessons so I am able to teach them and sustain their impact on my own life. In a way I want to make this journey about me once again to flip it back to its normal side and allow the pain, hardship, and process to take place before I can graduate to guiding others.
I’ve also learnt that weight loss is a heart issue over and above it being a physical one. You grapple with so many emotions, memories, hurts and pain during this process, that if you do not take the time out to care for your soul as a whole you will lose the fight, if not now then definitely later. I am taking time out to work on myself.
This is not a competition, it’s not about who loses the weight faster or who looks sexier than who when it’s all said and done. This is an extreme life change for me which will benefit not only me but my children as well. I may not currently be practicing everything I have learnt, but I have not forgotten and I refresh my memory daily for when it is okay for me to pick up on this journey once again post partum.
What I will also say about choosing Herbalife is how easy and amazing it was to learn good food choices and lifetime lifestyle adjustments that now come as second nature. I’m truly doubtful that this brand and its ethics will ever stop being a part of my life and I’m highly certain my babies will forever hold it as part of theirs as well … as it is when I have a shake my son grabs the straw first, so I’m learning to share with him, LOL. I think when you find something like this, that speaks to you now and in the long run, hold fast to it and test its viability and longevity. I’ve been with about four other weightloss brands/associations in my journey and none have ever quite felt like this. With Herbalife I found a home for both my inner and outer health and I’ve literally begun a countdown on when I can refocus on my outer health, but in the meanwhile all things learnt about my inner health are being practiced.
It isn’t unusual in life to find that when we want to improve certain areas of our lives, we ourselves need to improve first.
I’m busy improving.
That’s all.
XOXO
P.S. follow my weight loss journey on Instagram @vee_healthmate