To my friends and family, it is not surprise that I have taken my new role as a BeachBody coach and ran with it, talking about it all the time and urging my friends to take control of their health and their life. But those of you that haven’t known me as long might be thinking that my advocacy of their products has only to do with the fact that I’m now representing them. The truth is, I spent a large part of my life sick and unwell. So I’m sharing this tidbit below with any of you that are interested…. just some musings of mine about better nutrition and health and wellness from March of 2008….
So I have finally reached the end of the UltraMetabolism 8-week program. And the results are in – I’ve lost 12.8 pounds. This translates into 4 inches off of my waist and 3 inches off of my hips. I’ve gone from a slightly big size 12 to a “fits pretty good” size 6. I’ve gone from a score of 95 to a score of 15 on a list of symptoms representing toxicity in the body. And I’ve gone from feeling overly tired and, honestly, not in a very good mood most of the time, to most days having enough energy to actually do things at home after work and being in a good mood.
I have to admit that I had no idea I could change my body so much in the span of 2 short months. A part of me was sad that it took me so long. But a part of me is glad I did it now, while I’m still young enough to actually FEEL young again. But I realize now that I truly had to hit “rock bottom” as it was before I could make such drastic changes in my lifestyle. This happened right around Valentine’s Day in 2007. It was really a wake up call to me that I needed to take better care of myself or I would suffer forever. I found myself in a panic attack that lasted for days – I was so panicked that I was nauseous and couldn’t eat – but I could tell my low blood sugar was making the panic worse – but I could only manage to choke down vitamin water, bananas, and applesauce for nearly a week. I missed more than three full days of work. I was a mess. It was then, as I stared at the midday reruns of Dharma and Greg because I lacked the attention to even play on myspace or do ANYTHING, that I realized something had to change.
Even after that, it took about a month for me to be able to eat again without feeling like I was choking it down. My doc told me that it would be ok – it’s just the time of year – lots of people have a lot of mental issues in February and March every year. That advice from her prompted me to pull out my diary and poems from high school (hence why some of my blogs have entertained you with old love poems I wrote). And I found that every year, without fail, I could find that I would either write tons in my diary during this time or it would just be a blank time for months before I wrote something again. But the poems were the worst. So dark. So depressing. Tomes describing how I felt I was constantly trying to fight against my own body – feeling like it was all in my head and that I should be able to CONTROL this. Verses describing how I couldn’t tell ANYONE about this awful character flaw that I had and how I must hide it from everyone.
And it was in December of last year, as my doc was telling me to just take more Prozac cuz it’s winter and that will control my aches and pains and anxiety, that I realized that just popping pills wasn’t going to make me better. And I’m so glad I made the commitment to myself to get healthy. I don’t know if it was the fear of having another Valentine’s day breakdown (this year the day passed uneventfully, thankfully) or that I was just fed up with being unwell, but it doesn’t matter. I feel encouraged that I am on my way to better health.
I almost feel as if it’s my duty to share this story with everyone. Anyone who’s my friend knows I can talk forever about health stuff, but amazingly, now I’m telling the story of how I took my life back. I feel like I should be writing a book about my journey, my difficulties, and my victories. Not that I’m going to say I think this is “my calling” in life. But I will forever be an advocate.
Obviously since this time, I gained some, but not all, of that weight back and also started having digestive issues and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I still value so much of what I learned from this book and recommend it to anyone having health issues. And it did wonders for me. My advocacy for BeachBody is a result of me finding them when I really needed them. Since starting on Shakeology, I have been able to drop some weight (along with exercise) and discontinue many of my drugs (as detailed in this Shakeology review). As an update to that post, I’ve been completely off of my prozac for a month now. And while I have a cold right now, I’m not depressed. 
I keep telling my friends about BeachBody products because I believe they will HELP them. Why would I recommend something that didn’t work for me? The proof is there for everyone to see. And not just for me but in the stories of all of the people I have met since joining this business. Why are people surprised when they hear that better nutrition has a huge impact on someone’s health and wellness? It makes perfect sense to me. If you put crappy fuel in, you get crap out.
Great job, Jessica! I’m so glad you’re on a better path now. Beachbody has helped me in similar ways. In my late 30s, I feel better now than I ever have in my life. There are many ways to skin a cat, but Beachbody definitely has a great system in place for those who want to take advantage of it!
Thank you SO much for sharing your story. It’s amazing how quickly we run to medicine sometimes, I too have done this, and it wasn’t until I took charge of my health with nutrition and exercise that I stopped getting sick. It works and I feel much better when I feel like I’m in control of my health. Congratulations for your accomplishment, you rock!
Wow, Jessica! This is a true testimonial of overcoming hurdles in life and what proper nutrition and exercise can do for those problems in life. I feel blessed even getting to read it and privileged that you’re willing to share it with me! God bless you!
Rock bottom is often the best place to be. When we’re out of options, we are forced to focus on improving our situation. Great post! You’re truly an inspiration!
I completely understand about that wake up call. My sister gave me Brazil Butt Lift for my birthday one year before I even knew what BB was. I couldn’t get through 13 minutes. Huge Wake up call. Now I do it, not with total ease, but pretty darn well and with a lot of confidence. Because of BB I am able to run longer than I ever have because I am in much better cardiovascular shape. Awesome programs! Good for you!
I really enjoy reading the benefits that people have with Shakeology!! My husband dropped 90 points in his cholestrol.
Great story Jessica. It’s wonderful that you have your health back. Keep telling the world. People need to know that a healthy way of life is the answer to many of the issues that face our society today.
Jessica, I was diagnosd with UC at age 10 and had it untill age 44 when they removed my entire colon and I had j-pouch surgery. 7 years later and thanks to Beachbody I’m in the best shape ever! Never quit! Never give up! We rock!
I’ve only had it for a couple years (well, I’ve been diagnosed for a couple of years but started having trouble 2 years before that) but I’m hoping to keep my colon and keep it under control with diet and exercise. I’ve been doing so well that my doc talks about taking me off of my Asacol. We can only hope!
Hi Jessica,
Loved the story. I too am a sufferer of the Insanity. I have PMDD, PTSD, Depression, Panic & Anxiety Disorder. It’s always nice to bump into someone that has experience with it as well! I no longer take prescriptions to control it all, though i would like to sometimes.. the times when it all hits really hard at once, but i just have to tell myself it’s temporary it’ll pass. I use proper nutrition and exercise as a means to control it as well. Congrats to you for controlling it, and keep up the great work! If you want you can read my journey at girl-panic.blogspot.com. I look forward to more great posts!
Your Friend in Fitness,
~T
I wish more people would believe that they would feel better if they would eat right and exercise. It’s not a quick fix and it is work. In the end it’s the only thing that REALLY works.
Congrats on your success… Shakeology is Amazing addition to my diet also!… Its a great healthy Shake that taste Yummy… You are doing Great!…
Inspirational stuff!! Thanks for sharing this personal story.
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Your blοg provіdеd uѕ usеful infοrmаtion tо work
on. Yοu hаve done а extraordinaгy job!
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded
this onto a co-worker who has been conducting a little research on this.
And he in fact ordered me lunch simply because I discovered
it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this….
Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending
some time to discuss this issue here on your blog.