The Darling Heartbeat Begins!

Life is a constant series of decisions from the moment we enter the world. We give our children choices to help foster independence. We have the opportunity to choose our future spouse, our job, our feelings, our goals, our likes, our dislikes. They are all choices that eventually lead us somewhere. This blog will capture the details of the DECISION I made to focus on my health and happiness.

I am firm believer that God has a purpose and a plan for everyone. I also believe that we are given choices as to how we will execute that plan. I like to think of life as a series of forks in the road. We decide which path we will take, knowing that we will eventually get to the part that was planned for us, but depending on what path we take, we experience different things that challenge us, help us, inspire us and inevitably get us to where we are supposed to be. Sometimes the path we take is much longer, and sometimes we get lucky and experience some incredible things along the way. 

I believe that my path led me to where I needed to be, at exactly the right time. I have spent the last 13 years of my life slowly gaining weight that eventually led me to where I am today. Did I enjoy buying a size bigger in my wedding dress or special ordering pregnancy clothes because I was too big to fit the standard sizes in stores? Not so much. But I learned some really important things along the path I chose that helped shape me as a person, a friend, a mother, a wife, and now... A health coach. 

Let me rewind to January of this year. My husband was given a great opportunity to work in Carson City, only 25 minutes from where my mother and step father live. Since we were about to celebrate our sweet little daughters first birthday, the decision to move closer to one set of our parents became easier as time went on. I wanted my daughter to grow up with a support system other than Ben--and like I did with my grandparents, and I really did want to be with Mackenzie more. I LOVED my job and everything it entailed from mentoring students to gaining a best friend in my coworker Alissa, but a part of me knew where I needed to be and knew that something much bigger was out there for me. I was so excited to be able to forget setting an alarm, making REAL meals instead of quick and easy so I could make more time for DVR recordings and housekeeping duties. I clearly had my priorities straight :). When I moved to Nevada, I remember donating a HUGE pile of clothes, most of which were my pre-pregnancy pants and tops, thinking "how will I ever fit into these again???" I had gained over 60 pounds while pregnant on top of the other 60 I gained after college. Do the math and that is a whole other PERSON! I was able to lose about 45 from childbirth and nursing, but knew I would need to lose more in order to prep my body for more children in the future. Adding pounds, on top of pounds, on top of pounds was not what I wanted to do. 

On May 27th, 2013, I took control of what I thought I couldn't control... My health. I made a decision that will forever impact me. My friend Negin, another former Auburn Volleyball player, had been posting on Facebook about how incredible her nutrition plan was and how she had never been happier and it really sparked my interest. I asked myself "how could someone be so happy from nutrition?" I always thought to myself "I would rather be chubby and actually ENJOY what I'm eating than be thin and eat carrot sticks!" I put those ideas to the side and decided to inquire about this "journey" Negin was on. When I contacted her, all I really wanted was her grocery shopping list, and maybe a few recipes... That's it. She insisted on actually talking to me on the phone, and so I finally said "yes, let's chat." I didn't know it at that time, but that 30 minute chat would forever change my life. And what else I didn't know was that it would change my parents lives, my friends lives, and friends of friends lives. Want to talk about making an impact? Negin did. 

With the support of my amazing husband, I decided to "give it a try" like it had done with so many diets before. I expected a similar outcome: lose some weight, gain it back, and then some. I started my plan the first week of June, lost 4 pounds. What? How? I didn't get it, but I liked it. And for some CRAZY reason I thought about quitting. Almost like I was afraid of my own success, or afraid of the potential of what could happen. Could I actually change my life through this program? The next week, my mom and step dad returned from their cruise and decided to join me in my journey. Negin thought that it might be best to start thinking about coaching since my parents were about to start. She knew that I knew my program in and out by then and had a passion for helping people so she encouraged me to help them since I was so close in proximity. They started their program and haven't looked back. Both have lost almost 15 pounds and feel great. 

Since then I have had the amazing opportunity to begin helping others close to me reach their goals. Some of them want to lose weight, some tone up, some gain more energy. The mind blowing, absolutely incredible thing I learned was that as I started to heal my body, yep, this program literally HEALS your body, I started not only losing weight and gaining sustainable energy but I felt HAPPY. Truly, madly, deeply...happy. I'm not only fueling my body with the right foods, vitamins and nutrients now, but I have trained my mind to make better choices. I have also helped myself by investing more time in ME. I take time for personal development. I was able to find my purpose in the world again other than being a mommy 24/7. I have reconnected with people I haven't talked to in years, and some of them have become my best friends. I surround myself with positive people who want to live the life they deserve and I couldn't ask for more.

I have so far to go in my journey, but I figured it took 13 years to change my mindset, so I will give myself and break and not expect an entire change overnight. I have lost 17 lbs so far, and I am 15 away from my wedding weight, 35 from college weight. I have such a positive outlook on the future, and refuse to let anything get in the way of my success or happiness. An athlete mentality never dies.

With the encouragement of Negin, my health coach and friend, I decided to document my journey so that I could share my experience to enhance my mind, body and soul with anyone who is looking for inspiration. I call this the "Darling Heartbeat" because I want to outlast the Darling family members who I lost way too soon by taking care of my heart by living a healthy and positive lifestyle. I appreciate anyone and everyone that decides to follow me on this journey. My goal is to post stories, successes, challenges, recipes, pictures, etc. here to help people see my journey, understand my passion for helping others be the best versions of themselves and that living a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be boring. 

Thank you again for your support, love and interest... Let the journey begin!
-Tiffany