- The Grace and Strength Lifestyle
- Success Stories
Bonny's Story
They say "Third times a charm" but I'm praying that I only need twice to be a charm. This is my second time going through Grace and Strength and while I love the program, I'm hoping to not have to do it again at any future point in my life.
After the first time around, I maintained my goal weight for about a year and then my first-born got married and moved away. The wedding was 10 hours away from where we lived and I remember eating cake at the reception for the first time in a year...more than 1 piece. I think that moment started the downhill spiral that led to gaining almost 40 lbs back of the original 60 lbs I had taken off the first time. After gaining the 40 lbs back in a record 8 months, my daughter got engaged and wanted a short 5 month engagement. I tried to take what I had learned at Grace and Strength the first time around and lose it on my own but after a month of not doing very well on my own I decided to go back to Grace and Strength. The clincher for me was GNS was running a promotion for a new coach, April, who had done GNS three times (third times a charm!). I knew that April would be able to relate to my struggles and be able to encourage me in a place that another coach might not be able to relate to so I went back. I'm so glad that I did. It took me longer this time around than it should have to lose the weight and I didn't hit goal before my daughter's wedding but I had lost enough that I enjoyed her wedding day and had no regrets about my weight. After the wedding I kept going and took another month to hit goal but I'm so glad that I kept going even though the big event was over. My daughter's wedding was the catalyst to go back to GNS but what I was re-learning and feeling was the motivation to keep going until I hit goal.
I think the most important thing that I learned this time around was being aware of my emotions and emotional eating. Eating multiple slices of cake at my son's reception that started the downhill spiral and weight gain was an emotional response to the change that was taking place. Our family was changing and change isn't always easy. That lesson has been good for me since in the course of 16 months from my son's wedding, our oldest daughter got engaged, married, and moved away, and our youngest daughter graduated from high school and moved away to college. While I'm not excited about empty nesting, I am excited that God has helped me not to fall in the repeated pattern of emotional eating and learn better ways to deal with change. I'm also excited that I started a new chapter in life less 40 extra lbs!
* Individual results may vary.
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