We’ve got an amazing success story to share with you today! I saw Leonor’s amazing before and after photos on the new WW connect feature and reached out, asking her to share her story with us here on Simple Nourished Living. I’m so glad she did.
I think her story is one many of us can relate to. I know I can. She and her fiancé are lovers of life and fine food and drink, with a passion for craft beers and burgers, not exactly SmartPoints friendly foods. Reading her tell about her food focused approach to life took me back to when I first moved to California back in the early 1990s. It was the most food-obsessed period of my life. I loved it all. The burritos. The Chinese food. The fancy restaurants. The weekends in the wine country. Like Leonor, I was oblivious to the amount of calories and fat I was consuming. A serious wake-up call caused them to commit to getting healthy for each other and they set out to change their ways. Continue reading and prepare to be inspired!
Tell Us A Little Bit About Your Weight Struggle My fiancé and I proudly proclaim we are lovers of life! We love the finer things in life… fine food and drink and quite often in excess!
He and I found a common interest in Craft Beer and Burgers – in fact, our first “date” was at Eureka Burger, a restaurant known for its great selection of craft beer and delicious burgers!
Our love of Craft Beer and Burgers became so much a part of our relationship many of our friends even urged us to start a blog about it since we would take road trips in search of these types of establishments. After being together about a year we moved in together and continued eating and drinking what we wanted, when we wanted. With the added pounds came the aches and pains. My doctor told me my blood pressure was way too high for a person my age and that although I may be feeling fine now, my heart may not be able to handle this lifestyle in my 40s and I would be looking at a life of limitations. What Was Your Wake-Up Call Or “A-Ha Moment” That Caused You To Sign Up With Weight Watchers? My fiancé and I started our journey on Weight Watchers in July 2014. The catalyst for our joining Weight Watchers was his mom going into the hospital a month prior due to an infection caused by a fistula used for dialysis. The initial hospitalization came with high hopes of recovery; however as weeks continued to pass, soon it became a month, our hopes for recovery started dwindling. It soon became apparent that the complications from diabetes was taking my fiancé’s mother quite quickly and she never recovered. It was my doctor’s stern words, coupled with the hospitalization of my fiancé’s mother and realizing this too could be our reality forced us to make the decision and commitment that we would get healthy for each other.
How Have Your Eating Habits Changed Since Weight Watchers? What Did You Eat Before And What Are You Eating Now? Burgers, pizza, Chinese food, Mexican food, Truffle fries, Truffle Mac and Cheese, craft beer, wine… we gave in to every craving we had! After joining Weight Watchers it was such a huge eye opener as to just how many calories we were consuming in a day!
Our habits have changed in that we do not give into our every craving. Our diet consists of a lot more fruits and veggies and lean proteins. We still have our pizza, burgers and beer but only less frequently. What Is The Difference In Your Fitness Before Weight Watchers And Now? Fitness was pretty much non-existent for us. Since joining Weight Watchers we have been walking fools!!!! 10,000 steps for us is considered a less active day now that we have been averaging at least 22,000 steps. What Has Been The Biggest Change/Payoff For You So Far? The biggest payoff for us has been our improved health. No more aches and pains, no more huffing and puffing from a short walk. We enjoy walking adventures and road trips to the beach and attending music festivals! I think one of our biggest visual accomplishments was going to Disneyland in August and not having any embarrassing cumbersome moments with those pesky turnstiles at the entrance!
Do You Have A Favorite Recipe You’d Like To Share? No How Much Weight Have You Lost? How Long Did It Take You To Lose It? My fiancé Abe Lopez has lost 92 lbs and I have lost 77 lbs. Advice and/or Words of Wisdom to Others Who Are Struggling? Track, drink plenty of water, pay attention to how your body responds to a more healthier lifestyle. Focus on Non-Scale Victories instead of the number on the scale. Don’t beat yourself up! It is a journey not a race!
