Committed…

I started this blog back at the very end of 2016. I was ~300 lbs. and struggling to walk, let alone walk upstairs in my house without needing an inhaler. Putting on my socks and shoes was a challenge, and I could no longer wear a bracelet that was special to me. My wrists had far exceeded the clasp of that tennis bracelet. I was desperate to get back to the person I once was. Fit, athletic, fun, energetic, whole.

In 2017 I embarked on a weight loss journey that reached its crescendo with WLS and losing just over 100 pounds. I was on a roll. And then….

I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

That didn’t derail things. It inspired me to push harder. I continued working out and fueling my body right up to the day before surgery. And then, the day of surgery, I experienced a procedure that was so barbaric, so traumatic, that in the moment and all the moments after, I detached from my body and literally crawled inside my mind and sat down on the couch. (If you are curious, you can read about the procedure here, but I warn you, it is not for the faint of heart).

That was eight years ago. Sitting on the couch, and taking myself out of the game has caused me to gain back 35 pounds. And, though I am nowhere near my former all-time high weight, and I can still make it up and down the stairs, I am tired, sluggish, and well, let’s face it, not getting any younger.

I am so thankful I started this blog when I did. That I captured every part of both of those journeys (weight loss and fighting cancer). Rereading my story over the past few weeks has ignited in me a new determination. A determination to get back in the game and take control of my life again. I embarked on a healthy journey the first time to give myself a fighting chance to not end up like my parents, both of whom died in their 60’s. Since that time, I have only become more educated about how the choices I make play into the genetic crapshoot I have been dealt. Genetics certainly has its role, but it acts as a light switch. Choices (such as the food we eat, the movement we do, the lifestyle we choose to live) are more often than not what flips the switch to “on”.

Back in 2007, I decided to go “green” for one year. Vegetarian, that is. That led to a five-year journey (mostly of pasta and potatoes) of no-meat eating. I didn’t understand much about eating healthy, or “plant-based” as we tend to call it today. I just abstained from meat and fish. But, once we had kiddos in school, it became more difficult to support them and making lunches, so, we returned to our carnivorous ways around 2012.

Then cancer happened, and I started taking some ownership over my choices and I started reading, and watching documentaries, and researching the internet to understand the health benefits of plant-based living more. In early 2024, I bought a few cookbooks and ordered some Forks Over Knives magazines (the BEST resource for flavorful cooking I have found) and started to eat less meat. I was on a roll. Without much exercise, I started to lose weight. And not because I was starving…mostly because I started eating a balanced, healthy mix of protein, complex grains, and plants. I was eating more food than normal, and I felt really good.

And then I got a promotion at work.

A serious promotion. One that required me to double my monthly travel and be in the office more often. Which I love in all honesty. I like the people I work with, and I’m super social, so an office setting works great for me. Being on the road, being part of the executive team, offers some unique challenges.

Besides the long days I experience on the road (I will often clock 10-12 hours a day when I’m in office), there’s the eating generally, combined with navigating eating out.

When I travel, I stay at a suites hotel that offers a kitchenette. For the most part, I can control my breakfast and lunch, preparing ahead. And then there’s dinner. We tend to eat out as a group – and to be honest, we lean towards bougie restaurants. Upscale, fine dining, which generally equals a steakhouse. And at the end of a long day, or series of days, I’m tired, and everyone else is selecting whatever dish from the menu suggestions easily, and I sometimes, often times, find myself caving in and just going along for ease and comfort. And then I return to my room feeling bloated, more tired, and less inclined to get up and put on my exercise shoes the next morning. It has become a vicious cycle.

Then by the time I get home, I think I should “get back on the wagon” and eat clean, but then I realize I’m about to turn around and travel again, so really, what’s the point? And the cycle of unhealthy choices continues.

And that brings me to the point where I am sitting and writing this here now. I am tired, overweight (again), disappointed in myself, and I can see the road ahead paved with bad choices and health issues. Then it occurs to me, I am not a victim. Period. I am not a victim of my circumstances or my life choices. I am, in fact, an owner of those choices. And if I can choose to make undesireable choices, I can also choose to make healthy choices.

And sure, being on the road is hard. But I also get to choose my hard. I think it will be much harder to get sick, struggle, be a health burden to my family, and die too young, missing out on the best years of life. The years when I see my children get married, and maybe start families of their own. I want THAT. I want to be like my friend Denise’s mom – 92 and heading off to Ireland with friends for another adventure.

So, I did a thing. I stumbled upon a health coaching group called Vegan Superheros Academy.

The program has a doctor on staff, a dietician, health/lifestyle coaches, and a huge community for support.

I have been trying to walk this journey alone. Always alone. I tend to be a type-A, overachieving, all-in, competitive person. I go full-throttle from day 1, and by day 20 I’m feeling burned out, and I give in. I want it to be different. I want a healthy lifestyle to be sustainable, and I want support for when it feels like it’s not.

I committed to a four-month program last night. It’s a time, choices, and financial commitment. I woke up this morning thinking both “what have I done?” and “I’m cautiously optimistic that this will be exactly what I need to get back in the groove.”

I spent some time reviewing the resources available through the app and website this morning. I read some posts and dug into some of the “master classes” they have presented to the participants. And so far, I like what I am seeing. And what I’m mainly seeing is success for those who are most accountable to the group. That will be new for me, but I’m willing. I am so tired of the way things are that I am willing to try something new to change the trajectory of the path I’m currently following.

So, buckle up and follow along. We officially dive into the academy fully on December 20, 2025.