It was in September when Joseph and I tried our first
Advocare Challenge. To put it simply, we were both depressed, overweight and
feeling lost, so when our box held a challenge, we jumped in. Speaking for
myself, I lost 12 pounds, 10 inches, was feeling good, happy, and focused and
looking great, all in the span of 24 days. So, when Joseph decided he wanted to
take this on in a more professional capacity, I felt good about it because I
saw firsthand how wonderful this company changed my life.
This past weekend, we went to Advocare’s Atlanta Advonation.
It was a day long conference with training, stories and giveaways (where that
sucker brother of mine, Stephen won a year’s worth of spark. No, I’m not
jealous at all…. ). We learned a lot of interesting things that we didn’t know
before. One portion of the day had Dr. Dudrick (the man credited with creating
feeding IV) doing a question and answer, and he was a spicy man with a fun
sense of humor. He did a great job of representing the science and knowledge
that goes behind the different products Advocare creates.
But, what really hit home for me were the stories of the individuals
whose lives have been changed by Advocare. One woman, who found the product at
250 pounds, who has lost half her body weight and is super gorgeous just
resonated with me. Then there was the man, who on his vacation, left the same
day he arrived when he couldn’t fit in the rides, but then a year later, after
using the product, went back and rode all the rides. The wife, who felt
unlovable and unattractive and lost until she trusted the product and lost
30lbs, found her intimacy with her husband again and created a stronger
marriage. These people, their stories, they resonated with me, they made me cry
and I saw myself in them, and I understood the hope they had found, and the
hope they had held onto.
And what I love about the first woman I mentioned, Ann, was
what she said at the end of sharing her story when she had first started. Because
she had a lot of weight to lose, and clearly her story wasn’t over after 1
challenge, or 2 challenges was “While I am still on my journey, come see me
next year and I bet you won’t recognize me.” And that hit home so hard. Because
for the first time in my life, I feel confident in that statement. Because,
Joseph and I have been doing this for a few months now and we haven’t gained
all the weight back, in fact during the holiday’s he lost and I held steady.
I know the struggle to lose weight, to not feel comfortable
in your own skin, to feel like a failure, to not understand why food has to be
such a fight every single meal. I understand. It’s hard. It’s an addiction you
cannot avoid. It can beat you down and it can make you feel worthless, this
inability to just eat right and be healthy.
So Saturday was great. We learned a lot. We had fun. Some of
us won prizes. But, I was reminded that I’m not alone in this struggle to be
healthy and that I am using the best tools and surrounded by some of the best
people possible.
You will not recognize me in a year.
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