Kim's Life as a Migrainer: This Ain't My First Time at the Rodeo

Fun Fact: This ain't my first time at the rodeo! This saying is an idiom that came from the movie Mommy Dearest in which the character Joan Crawford said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmczkkw6OZI

Well I am at over four years into my weight loss journey and it is not my first time at the rodeo.

Over the years I have tried so many diets and not one of them lasted. I think the main reason was I wanted to lose weight to look good. Don't get me wrong, I do want to lose weight to look good and this was the main reason when I started four years ago, but I found this time my journey changed when I decided that I wanted to get healthy. I know the weight loss will be a side effect of this.

Suffering from migraines has led me to try many medications. The only problem with using new meds is that it tanks your metabolism. That with the fact that I am a person who seeks comfort in food is the biggest factor in my weight problem. So you would have thought that getting healthy would have been my first priority. I must admit that I am a bit of a vain person and I do want to look good so I have had to do some heavy thinking on this. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was all the side effects that have cropped up in the last 4 years. Now when I talk about side effects, not only am I talking about the ones that come directly from the medication but I am also talking about the ones that have developed from an unhealthy lifestyle. There is the digestive issues/ irritable bowl, sciatica and pancreatitis to name a few.

Four years ago I joined WW and I lost 50 pounds over a period of a year. When I met Jean-Luc and Nick my weight had started to come back on but they were a big influence in me not quitting and keeping off 25lbs of that initial 50. When they told me about the P3 Weight Loss Experience they had developed with Antonietta and Kiran I got very excited. I was already working with Kiran to change the way I cook and eat, so I was very interested in seeing what it was going to be all about.

Not only has the P3 team built a fantastic program but they also have developed such a positive and supportive group that it has re-invigorated my journey. I love the fact the program has you change your lifestyle at your own pace. It all depends on what you want to do with your journey. You can choose to do part of the program or all of it. That is the beauty of it. You get out of it what you want.

My weak area of my journey is activity. I have to admit that I am not an active person. I try to do my best but a lot of the time the migraines get in the way. I have also thought that exercise has to be strenuous and done for long periods of time for it to do anything for my body. You know the all or nothing mentality. Antoinetta really opened my eyes about this. In her first lecture about exercise she told us of her journey and how she added exercise into her life. All she did was start walking 20 minutes a day. Jean-Luc and Nick started by walking around their house folding laundry one piece at a time . So they showed me by adding small increments it is possible. Antoinetta also told us to find what we love. If you like to dance then put on some tunes when you houseclean and dance around. If you like to garden then do that. You get a really good workout from that and a beautiful garden at the same time. I love her mantra "You do you!" I also like the fact that she is a real person with a real body. When I would go to the gym I would get so intimidated by the either rake thin or buffed out instructor. So I look forward to finding the exercise that I love.

The program called P3WE lasts 12 weeks. With this program I will be working on changing my diet to more plant based, I will be exploring new recipes and ways of cooking. I will continue to work on my mindset and I will be finding fun activities to work into my everyday life. So wish me luck and I will keep you posted.