My Journey Towards a Better Me

If you've been following 4BabyAndMom for any amount of time, you've probably read about my struggles with weight, and know that I'm a plus sized mom. Despite of my size, I still see myself as a "Healthy Mom". Yes, I may not look as cute in spandex and sweat bands as my super-thin-model-esque sister, but I take pride in knowing that I eat well rounded meals, drink a ton of water and exercise- in some way, shape, or form- every day. No matter what I seem to do, losing weight is always a struggle for me.

I love myself, but I do struggle with knowing that I once wore a very small size, with no big ol' belly or cellulite. I think it's important for women everywhere to know that you can still live a healthy life style, and make healthy choices, without being a size 8. With all of the media hype on super-skinny Hollywood celebrities, I try to impart to my kids that you should be comfortable in your skin, no matter what your size or shape is. They know as long as they feed their bodies "the good stuff", it will continue to grow and develop the way it should. I'm proud to say my kids eat almost everything- from salmon, to nuts, to berries, to veggies.

I'm in another wedding this October, and my biggest fear came true. The dress my best friend chose didn't come in my size. The largest size that they carried was four inches too small on my natural waist line. I bought it, with the hope that I could drop the weight, and if not, (as the sales lady assured me), we could buy extra fabric and add it to the dress. (Did I mention the average size of the Bridal Party is a size 8?) I was devastated.

I took that bit of news- either rebuild a dress or lose at least 4 inches- and used it for motivation. I went to a local store and stocked up on some vitamin supplements. I knew I was eating healthy, but I was concerned I wasn't getting 100% of my full amount of daily vitamins. After being introduced to SAM-e supplements last year, I started taking them during my stressful times of the month, so I researched and started taking a daily multi-vitamin to help meet any of my daily requirements that I might be coming up short on. I also bought some CoQ10 to help with my energy, and some Vitamin D. I had from February until October to fit in this dress, and by God, I would!

I eat healthy choices, grilled seafood or fish, dinners that are mostly home-made; I'm a busy mom on the go, but I still take pride in eating a more balanced diet than most of the families I know. We eat veggies, we eat whole grains, and the kids drink mostly milk, and I drink a ton of water. I gave up junk food and fast food almost completely, stuck with the idea of "a little bit in moderation", and started following a daily food craving devotional. I know, that sounds odd, but I figured I could use any help I could get- even from the Big Guy himself. It was free on my Kindle, so I figured the only thing I had to lose were inches, right? I started walking every day, after the kids went to school. I even bought a pair of those toning sneakers.

Since I started this new regiment, I didn't really notice any changes in my physical appearance. I know that I've felt like I've had more energy, and been more active with the kids and around the house, but only one friend mentioned that I started looking a little different. I got the phone call in August that my dress had arrived. I went for my fitting in September, and low and behold- it fit!! I had done it. Little by little, I had accomplished the impossible- I lost at least four inches from my mid section!!

I don't know exactly how many pounds I've lost in total, but I know that it's been at least a few. I made a pact that I wouldn't step on the scale again until my jeans started sliding down on their own. I'm almost to the point now where I need to wear a belt, or they definitely start slipping. I'm proud of myself, for being a role model to local moms that are stuggling with their weight, who are starting to ask if I've been losing weight. It's still hard for me to look in the mirror and see the changes that my body is slowly making, but I know that with the extra vitamins I've been taking, my energy is up, my mood is up, and my body is making progress. Something it hasn't done through the plethora of diet fads I had tried to date. My focus has been on me... me & God, me and my health, and me and my future. For the first time in a long time, I've decided to make time for me again, and start taking care of myself. I have a feeling that I'm starting to balance myself out, little by little, with the supplements I'm taking, and I know that my journey has truly just begun.

Do you struggle with weight issues? Do you use any vitamin supplements? Do you consider yourself a healthy person?

Feel free to send some good thoughts and encouragement, as well.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nature Made and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate. Vote for my entry at www.facebook.com/naturemade between 9/20/11 and noon (PT) 9/26/11.”

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Nature Made 'Give-A-Smile' Campaign Results

I love to follow up on excellent good deeds brought to you by companies that we write about on 4BabyAndMom. A few weeks ago I wrote about our experience with Nature Made SAM-e. In that post, I shared the Give-A-Smile campaign with you, and posted the widget on our sidebar.

While visiting the SAM-e website I came across this article called, "Give A Smile: Thanks for Your Help!" explaining the awesome results of the campaign. I urge you to read the whole article, but the bottom line is that they donated $25,000 to the Dream Foundation, and are also helping two other youngsters. 

It was an honor to work with such a down to earth company, who's willing to give back to their community.

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Nature Made SAM-e Gives Me a Smile!

If you've read my blog for more than a week or two, you know that I go through a lot of emotional ups and downs. I've been feeling like something's been "off" for awhile now. I've written it off as stress from my parent's divorce or the struggle with my weight.. I haven't found a doctor that's willing to help, aside from wanting to prescribe me some really expensive Rx only medication.

It's not that I don't believe in medicines to help people, but I honestly feel that there should be a natural alternative, and if those don't work, then perhaps a prescription. One night, when I was having a late night pity party, I happened to stumble upon a WEDU special called "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, with Dr. Amen".  I started watching it, out of sheer curiosity, and ended up buying the book with the same title from Amazon before the end of the program.

Since I've received this book in the mail, I've been researching a lot of natural supplements that encourage healthy moods that Dr. Amen recommended in his program and in the book. One of these supplements are SAM-e. When I was approached to review Nature Made SAM-e by Mom Central, it felt like a divine appointment, an answer to my prayer.

It takes about a week for you to feel the effects of SAM-e, but I can honestly say that before that week was up, my husband had already begun to notice a difference in my mood. My fuse was getting pretty short.. I was getting to the point that I would 'tweak' out about the littlest things.. and those same things were not bothering me as much. I was still aware that my son and daughter were fighting like cats and dogs, but I wasn't ranting and raving, and 'tweaking out' as much as I was earlier in the week. I was able to take a moment, breathe, and then come up with a solution, instead of barking out orders to head to time out without blinking.

The best part is I didn't feel like I was "on" anything. I tried an anti-depressant when I had post partum depression, and it made me feel spacey. I tried a mild anti-anxiety a few years ago, and that made me feel exhausted. I've tried multi-vitamins, and have never gotten the result my body longed to have. The SAM-e did not make me feel like this at all, in fact, the website claims that "Generally speaking, SAM-e supplements have been shown to be very safe, with no known side effects. One reason for the low level of side effects is that SAM-e is a naturally occurring molecule in your body, and a SAM-e supplement simply replenishes your body’s own natural supply."

Some of the reviews on the site mention that they had experienced better mobility, less joint pain, etc. and I was hoping that I would experience that as well, but as of yet, I have not. I did notice that I felt more "in control" of my environment, and even signed up to go back to college during, which I've been putting off for years. I really feel like taking the SAM-e contributed to the jump start that I needed to truly start taking care of myself again.

I did increase my dosage to two 400mg pills every day, and feel that that is definitely closer to what my body needs. I am still playing with the levels to see what I think works best for my body. Dr. Amen's book suggests that the recommended dose is 200-400mg 2-4x's per day. He also writes that taking SAM-e may be good "For craving and willpower, weight, focus and energy, sleep, ADD, and passion".

I would recommend to my friends and readers that if you have been feeling "off" with your moods or your attitude lately to try SAM-e and see how it is. Keep a journal, if you can, so you really can see the progress.

Nature Made SAM-e has teamed up with The Dream Factory to help put smiles on the faces of kids in need with the Give a Smile campaign. You can help donate $10 RIGHT now by doing the following!

For every image uploaded, Nature Made will donate $2; if you install the widget on social media outlets, they will donate $5; tweet using the hashtag #giveasmile, and they'll donate $1, and if you become a Facebook fan of Nature Made, yep, another dollar, and if you leave a comment or Like a Give a Smile update, another $1 will be donated. That's $10 in total!! I've just completed all of those steps, by publishing this post, so join me and help spread the word. (Our widget is in our sidebar!)

In the mean time, our friends at Nature Made have offered one of our lucky readers a 3 month supply of SAM-e, a journal to record your feelings, and a reusable water bottle!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!!

Please refer to our WINNERS PAGE for more information on how to claim your prize!


This giveaway is open to residents of the US. This giveaway will end on August 15, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Any unclaimed prizes will be redrawn accordingly and at the discretion of 4BabyAndMom. Special thanks to Mom Central and Nature Made for allowing us to review this product. As always, what you have read is strictly the opinion of 4BabyAndMom. Please conduct your own research, contact your doctor, read your own books, and stalk the internet to make your own judgment call before trying any supplement.

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