This is a cliche statement but its true: "Moss Wellness changed my life."…read more
Growing up, I used to joke that I had an iron stomach. I could eat anything and never get sick. Sure, I had weight issues all of my life, I was always a "big girl". But when I was in my teens, 20's and early 30's, I would "watch what I ate" or follow the Weight Watchers program and the weight would fall off and stay off.
Then I got older. A back injury limited my gym use (not to mention, constant back pain - putting me in a constant bad mood). The weight stopped falling off. In fact, it seemed to build on quicker. And then all of a sudden, I found myself with tummy issues, indigestion after almost every meal, constipation, gas, and horrible bloat. I went out with friends less and less stating back pain as the culprit - but really I didn't want to have to look in the mirror. And then, at 39, my doctor told me I MIGHT need to get a heart valve replaced. I can't have heart surgery, my back hurts too much! That did it.
I realized I needed to make a change, not only for my physical health but emotional too. I started physical therapy for my back, found Moss Wellness on Yelp, did some research and booked my first consultation with Andrea.
What can I say... she really listened to me and was so enthusiastic that she could help me. She had me believe in myself in the first minutes of the phone call. The second I got off the phone, I knew this was the right one for me and I chose the 6 month Restart program. She paired me up with my coach, Dawn.
I knew before I started that this would be a lot of hard work and I was fully committed (I HAD to be, I paid for it after all). Before each session, you have to fill out a questionnaire which is extremely helpful to steer your meetings with your coach. Speaking of, Dawn and I hit it off immediately. She too really listened to me and was always encouraging and answered my questions. I'll admit, when I saw the description and cookbook for the initial cleanse, I panicked. I'm a take-out/microwave girl, and here I had to stop eating ALL processed foods and COOK my own? Eek. But I did it. Looking back, that cleanse was the best thing and the hardest thing about this process.
Long story short, through the 6-month process, I discovered I have a slight dairy and gluten intolerance. I learned what substitutes I can make. I learned an entirely different way of eating that was nutritious and delicious. My bread, sugar, caffeine cravings went away. I started cooking for myself and learning tricks to make food yummy (ie, eating whole foods meant I could eat AVOCADO which is like dessert to me.). I was losing weight, I had energy without caffeine, I was back at the gym having completed physical therapy. Dawn was with me throughout the process, cheering me on and encouraging me not to give up.
At the end of the six months, I had lost 30 pounds. My back was feeling stronger and I was back at the gym full time. I was grocery shopping and cooking every week and I even planned a four-course meal for my best friends as a thank you for their support! Side note, I also found enough confidence in myself to join some online dating websites and snagged me a boyfriend!
It's now been 3 months since I ended the program and I just turned 40. I lost an additional 7 pounds, I'm still cooking (and cooking for others), I'm still exercising (I started to learn to RUN), I'm still eating healthy. Sure, I cheat and indulge. But I now have the tools to get back on track when necessary. And most importantly, I'm happy. :-)
Another cliche: "If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!"
Thank you, Andrea and Dawn!