Transform

That word always seems trite to me. Hokey. Transformation. Am I a robot? Did I undergo surgery? I mean, there are so many implications with that word, and it gets thrown around like confetti.

Synonyms for Transform: alter, reconstruct, convert, mold, mutate...

But I guess it describes what has happened to me over the last 10 years pretty well. And forget about this past year. Transformative.

Ok so I guess that the easiest way to do this is in pictures.

This is who I WAS:

Then.....

And THEN...

This is about the time that I realized that my name had changed. I mean, I've changed my name a few times in my life, but this time was different. This time, I had no choice. This time, I didn't go to the Social Security offices in Hackensack, there were no papers signed. It just happened. I had become

JANE AND EMMA'S MOM

I didn't even know this person. She hid behind 2 adorable toddlers. Her face was often obscured in photos, hidden by adorable little cherub faces that always needed something. Needed a nose wipe. Needed food. Needed new clothing. Needed a bath. Needed. Needed. NEEDED.

What I needed no longer mattered. It didn't RATE.

So when my husband looked at me last year and said, "I know I've gotten the last couple of Mother's Days wrong, so what do you want for Mother's Day this year?" without thinking twice I replied, "I want to be skinny!"

Now, what I didn't realize at that moment was that SKINNY was just a piece of the puzzle.

I wanted to be skinny.

I NEEDED me time.

I NEEDED energy.

I NEEDED clarity.

MY TRANSFORMATION began in that first 30 days. I signed on with a coach and started eating clean. I watched EVERYTHING my coach did, and tried to mimic it. I started my own clean eating group, and invited every woman I knew to join me. I started portioning my meals. I started talking to more people. I researched clean eating and pinned a bunch of recipes and went back into the kitchen, this time with the intention of overhauling my pantry and fridge and feeding my family clean and healthy foods, instead of making baby food.

I was hooked.

Clean eating gave me energy and stamina. It gave me CLARITY. I began drinking Shakeology and didn’t have that afternoon slump like I used to. I used to take a nap every afternoon while my kids slept on the weekends and fell asleep on the couch as soon as we got home during the week. Shakeology also helped me jump start my weight loss and shed even more pounds. I replaced bulky, cumbersome homemade shakes and overnight oatmeal that I couldn't eat one-handed in the car with this delicious superfood shake that I could just dump and run.

Now, I get up at 5:00 am to workout and eat 5 small meals a day plus my daily Shakeology. I feel the best that I have ever felt in my life. I have finished TurboFire, a round of 21 Day Fix, started Core de Force, and completed a round of PiYO. I am down to my goal weight, and planning to keep going. I finally threw out all of my maternity pants and fit into clothes that I wore before the twins were born. It’s an amazing feeling to look in the mirror and love the person that you are!

I also became a Beachbody coach because I love the products and I have had such amazing results that I wanted to share my successes with others and help them to achieve their health and fitness goals, too. I have learned so much over the last year and I want to share it with others! I truly have found my passion! I love exercising and eating clean. My family eats clean and they feel great, too. My husband drinks Shakeology, which helps his IBS symptoms and even his psoriasis, and his cholesterol has dropped dramatically. My mother-in-law reports lower blood sugar levels since starting it, and has even kicked her pre-diabetic diagnosis.

Here I am NOW: