Inspire! Day 21- Nannette

From Madelynn: Today we have Nannette joining us for Inspire! Day 21. Nannette sounds like kind of woman you can sit in a coffee shop all day with and talk! She has definitely done all she can to be healthier and is proof that we can’t quit! I hope this story encourages YOU! Meet Nannette…

Hello WSWE- I’m Nannette Santiago, I’m married, a momma of 3 strapping young men, working full-time and just turned “38”! I HATE ROLLER COASTERS – but I’ve been riding this BLASTED one all my life!

FACTS:

5’ 3-1/2” (I was taller but time & gravity are cruel!)
At my “thinnest”, I was at least 20 lbs overweight.
I married young, packed on pounds then had babies! Pregnant FIVE years straight! Yes, you read that right & yes I am an over-achiever! After my last baby, I was 242lbs!
I AM AN EMOTIONAL EATER and also I just LOVE food and celebrating everything with lovely treats to eat!

FLASHBACK 2002-2005: It took 3 YEARS to loose 97lbs bringing me to 149lbs at 29. Careful to eat only when I was truly “hungry” and stop when I was politely full – not STUFFED to the point of unbuttoning my pants!

I did the “WEIGH-DOWN DIET” (ring a bell anyone?). I worked out vigorously 5 days a week doing 1 hour of TAE BO (loved Billy) followed by a 5 mile power-walk. RI-DONK-U-LOUS, I know, but I was in my twenties and I was happy with it. *Please note – lots of working out and VERY SLOW weight loss!

As a wife and mom (3 in school, homework, sports, recitals etc.) with a full-time job I had little time or motivation to continue to work so hard physically and so began my 6 year weight climb back up to 224lbs.

May 2013: I became very ill with stomach issues and vomiting. After a couple of weeks, I went to the MD and began a battery of CT Scans, blood work and ultrasounds. MY DIAGNOSIS: The lining of my stomach was extremely ANGRY and reacting to the constant GARBAGE I was forcing it to digest. OH, and let’s not forget the moment my Doctor so lovingly called me “OBESE”! MY TREATMENT: LOOSE WEIGHT AND EAT RIGHT.

February 28, 2014: 9 months later – I’M STILL STRUGGLING in my Journey! My 38yr old body is much different from my 29yr old body! My Metabolism is much slower now – and it was already slow back then. (Refer to my *note above!) MY GOAL is to loose 64lbs. My Mini-Goals are to get to 200lbs = ACCOMPLISHED, lose ½ the weight I gained (32lbs) = ACCOMPLISHED (I’m down 34lbs) & Don’t give up…My current status is- STUCK but Still Trying!!!!!! My goal to Reach 175lbs is still Pending….

I have seen a nutritionist, I went to a weight loss clinic, counted calories, changed foods and started working at home. I lost about 10 lbs in the first 8 weeks. But the scale stopped moving so we tweaked calories and workouts which helped lose a few more lbs. Life didn’t stop though and I got bogged down with my boys, school, baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, flag football and band! Just when I got in a groove a new schedule change was necessary. Holidays, parents visiting, vacation!!! I was getting back in a groove then BAM…2 sick children, medical specialists, scheduling follow-up appointments during all the sports and band schedules! MAMA MIA!!! I am CONSTANTLY forced to adjust the workout schedule and eating healthy also becomes a struggle to plan, prepare and accomplish. I find not being able to keep a steady work-out schedule really sabotages my progress. I become angry, stressed out and unpleasant to be around. This makes me & my family miserable. Through much time in prayer and laying my struggle before the Lord, this is God’s message to me on MY journey:

“This is only for a season…This season of my life, belongs to my children – that is where my heart is! Remember you only have your children for a short time before they leave the nest –treasure this time of hustle & bustle with them. Do not be-grudge it because you can’t “work-out” today! Treat your body with respect and take care of it; it is the Temple of Christ! However, be very careful not to make YOUR BODY = YOUR Temple! Release YOUR image of a beautiful “skinny” Nannette (THANK YOU WORLD)& EMBRACE what I (God), determine is the HEALTHY & OBEDIENT Nannette that I want you to become.”

I believe each of one of us has our own UNIQUE path to walk through life. If what God has spoken to me encourages you than Praise the Lord!!!! But I encourage you to be in PRAYER and bring your struggle to Him. He will give you your own personal message to hold on to! This will allow you to STAY on HIS path and not YOUR own! I believe my success in this battle is in surrendering my images, expectations and desires to Him; then allowing Him to FIX those images, expectations and desires. Learning to be patient, obedient and embracing the life He has for me today! Taking one day at a time – making the BEST choices today – and not harping on what I couldn’t do today. Receiving the JOY He has for me TODAY in the precious blessings he has given me – my children, with their crazy schedules and all!

In HIS TIME, not mine will my journey be made whole.

Blessings- Nannette