"I Believe the Power Foods Lifestyle Helped Save My Life."

bodbuds
Sep 10, 2014
3 min read

Dear Body Buds,

I am so honored to share with you the End of Challenge form I received from who I have named as the WINNER of the Power Foods Lifestyle 8-Week Challenge Round 6. This submission was so heart-felt and so real . . . I hope you come away as inspired as I did and even more resolute in your own determination to live the Power Foods Lifestyle. Here is our winner, Jerica Shaw, and her story.

Please share how you have grown and changed through the 8-week Challenge:

"I have struggled with depression most of my life and have used food as an emotional tool. I didn't understand how I could work out so much and still be so unfit. Food was my crutch. Over the course of the 8-week challenge, I was able to overcome that need for food to be an emotional crutch instead of fuel as it is supposed to be.

During the 8-week challenge, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and spent a few nights in the hospital after attempting to take my life twice. I had just suffered through two more miscarriages and the depression raged out of control. I found that my food choices my entire life were based on the borderline personality disorder, and through the structure of meal planning/prepping and having my meals all ready to go that helped curb the appetite that the borderline personality disorder controlled until now. My body physically handled the miscarriages a lot better than the miscarriage I had had in 2011 and I believe it was because of the Power Foods Lifestyle and eating nutritiously that helped my body physically heal itself.

After having my baby, I struggled with losing the extra baby weight as well as exercising and finding a routine both from having a baby to take care of and a body that was physically as out of shape as I had ever been. I tried a few fad diets but nothing really worked. I found that through the Power Foods Lifestyle, I had the energy to exercise, a structured routine to help me exercise, and a lot of the stomach issues I had had simply went away because I was drinking more water. I believe the Power Foods Lifestyle helped save my life."

What was the most important principle you learned?

"How good drinking that much water feels! Also the meal prepping/planning ahead of time helped curb my desire to splurge on meals or avoid eating all together if my baby kept me too busy to eat. Having meals prepped and ready to go made my day so much easier! I also loved the substitution sheet as I am a very picky eater and that allowed me to substitute or come up with my own meals at various times."

WOW. Isn't her story inspiring, Body Buds? The fact is--all of us as human beings are in this fight together. YOU are not alone in feeling like this is tough. Depression and other deep feelings are a real part of our society, and I have seen miracles like Jerica's happen through people starting to fuel their bodies according to the Power Foods Lifestyle. I encourage you to not only begin it, but continue it.

Become an active Body Buddy in order to keep yourself motivated--like, comment, share the posts that trigger something or motivate you on Facebook or Instagram. Encourage your friends and family to join our ranks fo people who will FIGHT the battles against the unhealthy lifestyles, disease, and disheartened environment in which too many live. There IS hope. There IS help. You CAN take those steps--baby steps are what Body Buddies is all about. Small, maintainable changes.

Jerica and I will be cheering YOU on. Let's do it.

Love your bud,