Part One: A True Tale of Surviving a Lying, Cheating, Pennsylvania Con Man, and a Journey to Good Health

It is always difficult for me to share this first photo because, well, I certainly don’t look my best at 5’4” and 156 pounds. It is the best of the worst photos of me during that time. I can't make myself post the worst. I was wearing slimmers under my clothes then. They were very uncomfortable and hard to get on. They also pissed me off. 

The second photo (white shirt) was the first time I tried on smaller clothes during my weight loss. Oh my God, it felt so good!

The last photo was December 25, 2017 trying on one of my favorite Christmas presents and feeling lean, mean, and bad ass!

In 2004, after having my thyroid removed due to cancer, my weight shot up to 185 pounds (did I just say that out loud 😳) so I know what it is like to be a big girl and I sure didn’t feel my best. Getting on the correct dose of thyroid replacement therapy a few years after helped me to lose some of that weight, but I never felt good and never slept well. My weight was always in an unhealthy state of fluctuation.

In the fall of 2016 when the first photo was taken, I had stress and anxiety due to the two-year relationship I was in. I was ignoring my instincts and intuition, hoping the things I was finding out weren’t true.

THEY WERE ALL TRUE

DO NOT IGNORE THOSE FEELINGS

I’ve always known stress releases Cortisol which makes you gain weight. Nothing was working as far as getting the weight off and I was feeling worse physically and mentally everyday. I had fears of hitting that 185 mark again and surpassing it.

Enter (again) my longtime friend and former coworker Brooke, who introduced me to the products of Plexus Worldwide and something called gut health. She had talked to me about this in the past, but I just was not ready to listen or commit to the consistency required for weight loss and healing my body, specifically the gut. 

What did healing the gut mean anyway? What did an unhealthy gut mean?

I trusted Brooke because I know she has integrity and I had witnessed her journey to better health myself. Finally, I was at the end of my rope and knew it was time to take care of myself and put myself first. Brooke showed me how to purchase the products at the best price and how to use them properly and continues to be a great support system.

Fast forward to now. I’ve consistently used a combo of products called the Triplex for over a year and have stayed at 128 pounds since June 2017. I have never felt healthier or stronger. I can exercise like never before and have the energy to keep up with 5 GrandKids and a huge dog. 

Oh, did I mention I earn a paycheck for ordering from myself as well as others purchasing from me?

So, if this Arkansas girl living in a Texas world, can gather up the balls to make a commitment to her health and continue to stick to it and survive, especially after finding out the lyin’ cheater had failed to mention he had never divorced his current wife (she is the 5th or 6th. We aren’t sure), then you can too.

Hear me when I say this and let it sink in.

1. YOU are worth the time, effort, and expense of getting yourself healthy. Do whatever it takes. Make a commitment to yourself. You’re more important than that new purse or whatever it is that you’re willing to invest in other than your health. Is that new purse, new shoes, new set of wheels for that truck going to take care of your family when you’re dead from a heart attack?

2. Do NOT ignore your gut feelings and intuition. I didn’t want to believe he was cheating. HE WAS. I didn’t want to believe he was still married until I was shown proof. I didn’t want to believe he had taken many women before me for thousands of dollars each. HE DID. I didn’t want to believe his mom and brother, who I thought were going to be family, knew ALL THIS until it was shown to me in black and white.

So come get and stay healthy with me. I will encourage you every step of the way just like Brooke has with me. 

This is not a chance or a risk to be taken. 

It is an opportunity.

Prayers Answered

When we've been here ten thousand years

bright shinging as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise

than when we've first begun.



Work It!

I  am starting a journey into a new career.


Just wanted to let you all know that I did my training at Total Safety on Friday and it went great. I go back tomorrow for all the paperwork and will find out exactly when the job starts and if I will be put at Marathon or Dow. The job may not start for 2 weeks.

Let me tell you a little about my experience at TS on Friday. The class started at 8 and many of us showed up well before 8. People were still straggling into class at 9! The instructor was very frustrated with so many coming in late, but he still allowed them in class. We wound up with 21 in class. Throughout the day, I wondered why many of them showed up at all. I noticed them doing nothing but looking at the floor or sitting with their eyes closed, and many complaining how boring class was and asking repeatedly how much longer until they could leave.

There were TS supervisors that work exclusively for the different plants in class with us all day and told us various things about working for them. I noticed several times the supervisors consulting with one another throughout the day and they would look over at us when they were talking.

At the end of the day, these supervisors said they were going to call out a list of names and the ones called were to stay and they said they would contact the ones they didn't call at a later date.

So, after the ones left whose names were not called, the supervisors told us they watched us all closely and chose us to stay because we showed up early, did not complain, paid attention, and asked questions. None of the ones who showed up after 8, complained, etc. were chosen to stay. They said they felt confident that we all had a good work ethic, would show up on time for work, and take pride in what we were doing.

To make a very long story, short, this just goes to show that appearances and behavior do matter.

Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and kind words regarding my journey into this business!

Emotions

I was recently asked why I have not blogged in so long and why I have never blogged about my grandchildren. My answer is for the same reason I have yet to blog about my mom...

I cannot string together any words to express the appropriate, intense feelings and emotions. So, until I come up with some way to express these feelings, there will be no blog about the 3G's or the loss of my Mom.

Since You've Been Gone - May 21, 2005

Angel Gail Buckner
1990 -2005

Since You've Been Gone we have missed you, loved you, cried because your are gone, been angry at the unfairness, been furious because CF didnt stand for CURE FOUND in 2005 or sooner.

We have tattooed memorials to you in our skin.

We have worked hard to raise thousands of dollars for CF research and awareness.

We will NEVER forget the beautiful, redheaded ANGEL that I believe was sent here to make us better people, to show us how to deal with adversity head on and with Grace. You NEVER complained even when you could barely take a breath. You always comforted us, wanted to make sure we were ok.

I will never forget my honorary daugher. The little girl playing with Brats dolls and watching the Rugrats. The teenager Sarah and I took to see NSYNC at War Memorial Stadium who looked up at me with those big beautiful eyes and said, 'this is the best day of my life,' when Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance exploded onto the stage.

Your parents gave you the perfect name. You are and were an Angel in every sense of the word.

National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

This picture represents Sunday afternoons and the occasional Saturday night "under the lights" in the Lucheck household during every NASCAR racing season for the past 20 years. Since August 10, 2009, I have not been able to hear or see anything remotely related to racing without feeling that all too familiar kick in the stomach. But I could NOT let the first day of the 2010 NASCAR racing season, especially the revered Daytona 500, go by without notice...without a tribute to BJ and his favorite pasttime. So today I placed BJ's phone, his usual can of Tab (minus the shot of something special he would add), and his race watching attire of pajama pants and Tshirt (and no they never matched) in the living room and turned on the race, then Sarah and I left for the afternoon to attend a baby shower. It would have been too painful to stay home and not hear him yell the occasional "you dumb son-of-a-bitch" or "what the hell are you thinking pitting now?"

So here's to you, BJ. Where ever you are, I know you're in the driver's seat.

Chick-fil-A Birthday

It is my 49th birthday (yikes!). It started out with a visit from Olivia and Layla while Jody did errands. As usual Olivia was very entertaining and Layla smiled the entire time. In the afternoon Sarah and I went to Conway to the mothers-to-be Rhea Lana sale.
Then it was on to dinner. Sarah wanted to take me to Chili's or TGI Friday's but the wait was going to be so long that we opted for fast food in order to still have a little shopping time before the stores closed. Sarah felt bad about our choice of restaurant for my birthday dinner, but I heart Chick-fil-A and didn't mind at all. Anyway, its not where you are, but who you're with!