I Have Learned So Much More About Nutrition

I started with St. Josephs's working as a consultant in 2012. The standards project was 90% travel. This meant eating in restaurants. High fat, high sugar, high salt, high calories, long hours, lack of exercise, meaning 35 plus lbs of weight gain and the highest weight I had ever been in my life including pregnancy. I was disgusted with myself. As my life settled down, I started to exercise at a gym, I hired a personal trainer, and started watching my diet. I did lose 25 lbs. I met my now husband, and he disliked the gym, and with happiness and lack of co-activity I put back on 25 lbs, and the 2nd highest weight ever. I knew I had a predisposition for type 2 diabetes because of my DNA(testing I had done previously) so I knew I had to lose this weight and I was not happy with my appearance and my newer wardrobe was tight again. I did not completely understand what this Choose Well program was, so I checked into it, mainly because if St. Joseph was going to give out money for living a healthy life style you would be nuts not to do it. I read about, downloaded the APP in July last year and by December maxed out the points. I am now down 33 lbs and am in pretty good shape again. I exercise on a regular basis. I am on a "whole" food plant-based diet by choice. At the same time I started the choose well program I started to see a weight loss doctor. I am 8 lbs. from my lbs. from my target weight. My biggest accomplishment though is the passion I received from this experience. I started a "Women's Ministry" at my small church in 2016 as well and this year I started a "Healthy Living Series" that I put on every 3rd Tuesday at 7 pm for our Church members and local community. I purchase the food and I purchase the gifts that I give away as incentive to come. They are good gifts, usually one fairly large gift, and some smaller gifts, e.g. one month I gave away a bread maker. In this series I promote a " Whole Food Plant-Based Diet" and exercise. I research topics each month, and I break down the food nutrients and calories. I alter recipes and make them more nutritious, example, once I replaced white flour in a dessert with 20% coconut flour, so there is fiber to offset the glycemic index, as well as using a combo of stevia /whole organic raw sugar cane instead of white sugar, egg replacement instead of eggs, etc. No salt. Pizza's with cauliflower crusts, or spelt flour crusts, no cheese but other options, all the while keeping the flavor, but changing the way you digest the food and not spiking your insulin levels. In the fall I plan on putting on a series call the 42-day challenge for those who want to go through a complete body cleanse and change their palates, clean their systems, and get off of meats, and learn how to fast, at the same time bringing spirituality into it. It will as well use positive self-talk to re-train your sub-conscience with your conscience brain, so that if you hit that plateau you can overcome and maintain. Some people may do this challenge for different reasons, not just to lose weight, so I will establish different categories. when I did the 42 day diet the first time, but did not know what I was doing and the food did not taste good because I did not know how dodo the herbs etc, I do now, so I am in a position to help others, so I will. If they join me, they will weigh in weekly, measure, or just track, bring $2 each, and have the possibly of winning weekly as well as a grand prize at the end of the 42 days! So yes, this whole Choose Well Program inspired me to get going, which Inspired me to Help others in my church and community, which even helped myself and my husband! I have learned so much more about nutrition, mental awareness, sub-conscience, mental illness, diet, exercise, how your body functions, it is incredible, and really I have just scratched the scratch! Thank you St. Joseph for your Inspiration, allowing me to get healthy again and allowing us to participate in this program and caring enough to bring this to us!
Back to November Winners