Shaklee 180: THE FINAL REVEAL

My final post as a Shaklee 180 blogger on a journey to get fit and healthy…

Oh, how I didn’t want this day to come. This is my last post as part of the Shaklee Blogger program. It’s been an amazing 6 months that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Not even a large pizza with extra cheese… wait a minute… nope, not even for that.

If you missed it, yesterday I did a video about the top 10 things I learned from Shaklee 180. And I said “from” instead of “about” because this program hasn’t been about the products as much as it’s been about me. I’ve learned a lot of things about myself like…

You need to care. You need to care about yourself more than anyone because you have the highest stakes and the highest vested interest.

The right road isn’t always the easiest. That’s true for just about everything in life. It’s easier to steal something than pay for it but we don’t do that because it’s not right. Neither is cheating our body of what it needs.

Yup, you gotta exercise. Man does not live by bread alone. Or smoothees. Or meal bars. Or cheese pizza. It’s not exercise for me. It’s activity and now I actually crave it. No, I’m still not a marathon runner and I don’t plan to be. But my body tells me when I’ve been sitting around for too long and thanks me when I actually do something about it.

I said this yesterday in my video and I’ll say it again today. It’s not a diet or a lifestyle change. It’s an evolution. I’m becoming a better me. And the journey isn’t over yet.

Drumroll please

Here are my FINAL results comparing the before at the beginning of March and the happily ever after taken just today*:

*When in doubt of your weight, put a flower in your hair as a distraction!

My final numbers:

People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

Why I’m glad I didn’t meet my goal

I actually didn’t come right out with a public weight loss goal. I’m not tied to numbers. I was more interested in looking better by losing the love handles and feeling comfortable in my clothes again. But I did have some numbers in the back of my mind.

For the longest period of time, my weight hovered around 122 pounds. I felt good. I was younger so I admittedly ate what I wanted and I didn’t really exercise. I was probably more active but I didn’t do anything to consciously keep my weight down. And that’s how it creeps up on you. You think everything will stay the same and it doesn’t!

So I thought that it would be awesome if I could get to 122 pounds. Better yet, let’s make it 120 because I like nice even numbers. And as long as I’m dreaming about 120, how about stretching all the way down to 115 pounds. Surely I could lose 20 pounds or so in 6 months, right?

I never considered it NOT a possibility but I don’t think I wanted it bad enough. After the first two months when I started feeling good and the scale dropped below 130 and shirts stopped clinging to my rolls, I felt good which was all I really wanted in the first place. And so I didn’t adhere strictly to the program. Sure, I did shakes and bars most days but I’d lose it at dinner time because I thought I had done so well during the day.

And this is the reason why I’m glad I didn’t meet my secret goal weight. Because if I had, the program would have been over and done. I would have lost the weight and gone out and celebrated with that cheese pizza and probably gone right back to the way things were before, slowly but eventually piling the weight back on.

Instead, I’ve been living real life: a busy mom, working from home, managing a house, raising a child, traveling for work, dealing with pet emergencies, and squeezing in workouts at the gym or home when I don’t feel too tired to simply collapse. I’ve been losing weight and getting in shape slowly and I still have a ways to go. In other words, you’re never done.

It’s hard taking care of yourself. I won’t lie. But I’m evolving. I had a high fiber, low calorie breakfast and a shake for lunch. I could be done. The photos are shot. This is my last post. I could eat a box of Twinkies right now and not stress over it. But I’m not because I don’t want to.

I want to take care of my body and myself. And because of life getting in the way, I still have about six weeks worth of smoothee mix left which I plan to use. And I plan to buy more of the meal bars as well.

More than anything, this program has taught me to take the focus off of food as a reward or as fulfillment for my emotions. And it’s taught me that when I eat better and move more, I feel better and want to keep doing it.

And finally…

You look better than you think you do. We are our biggest critics. It’s why we take before and after pictures in this program. Even if you’re not a blogger and you’re considering this journey, take a before picture even if it’s only for you to see. So many times you don’t see the difference as you slowly progress but what an amazing feeling to look back on it all.

Thank you, Shaklee for giving me this opportunity to find that my body doesn’t define me. It’s up to me to define my body!

This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating in the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. My opinions are my own.

Want to see how my 6 month journey was? You’ll have to go back and read all my Shaklee 180 posts!