Y'all! Where have I been??

I haven’t really been on here since 2019 which is crazy to me! So much has happened, but the one constant is that I continue to try to live my #bestlife each and every day.

So let’s do a little catch up. I won’t get into the nitty gritty, but I do want to talk a bit about my current situation. For those of you that have been following my health journey for awhile, you know that my weight has been up and down most of my adult life. When COVID hit, and we all went in quarantine, I started and stopped with so many different things and ultimately gained about 20 lbs. Part of this, if I am being honest, had to do with a relationship I wasn’t completely secure in. So……last May I decided that maybe it was time to really think about doing a gastric sleeve surgery. I have gone back and forth on this for years, always going back to this idea that I needed to figure out why I was overweight and change the patterns and behaviors that got me to this point and that a gastric sleeve surgery probably wouldn’t give me the lasting results I wanted unless I really changed these behaviors.

Fast forward to spring of 2021. I made an appointment with one of the best bariatric surgeons in the Miami area and was set to start the process. June 7th was my initial appointment and the office ended up canceling that day. For whatever reason, this pushed me to take action and I decided that the appointment cancelation was a sign. A sign that I had the tools necessary to do the work to overcome unhealthy habits and to finally put my overall health at the forefront for once and for all.

So where am I now? It’s January, about 7 months later, and I can honestly say that I feel healthier than I have in a really long time. In terms of weight loss, I’ve lost about 38 lbs since last June (42 lbs since my January 21 weight) and I am finally looking at my health from a holistic lens. So much of my focus over the last 10-15 years has been on weight loss by way of exercise. I am trying to focus more on the mental and emotional aspect of my health; therapy, journaling, practicing gratitude, etc. I am also working with a health coach, shout out to Tracy Segal, who is helping me to hold myself accountable and dig deep.

I can’t promise that I will keep this blog up and running every week, but my goal is to provide monthly updates and share some things that have worked for me along the way. A few things:

Journaling every day. Tracy sent me a Well Journal where I record what I eat, exercise, three things I am grateful for, etc.
NOT following a diet. I’ve done Whole30 (which I loved. It showed me how to love veggies), no gluten, etc. and ultimately they failed. I am now trying to eat in more, and stay away from processed foods as much as possible. That doesn’t mean that I won’t have a cheeseburger and fries or pizza on occasion, but sticking mostly to food that will fuel my body.
Accountability. I am working with a health coach, but beyond that I have Apple watch competitions with friends. I started an instagram (@saritaen360, follow me!) to share my journey, gym workout buddies, morning Peloton rides (shout out to HL and Steve!) whatever it takes! My people know that I am on this and that helps to stay on track and provide encouragement.

I am still very much in the building good habits part of my story. That being said, I think I am finally in a space where the anxiety of returning to old habits it dying down. I have taken one step forward, two steps back so many times over the last several years, that when I recommitted to my health back in June, this underlying anxiety and fear of failure was very much present.

If you are still reading, thank you! Thank you for being part of my community. Cheers to a 2022 filled with consistency, growth, and living our #bestlife!

Sara