Starting My Weight Loss Journey. The Beginning.

Awhile back (before getting pregnant with my first child who is now 4) I got the brilliant idea that I needed to start a fitness program. I needed to exercise and I needed to eat healthy. I was meal prepping and I had planned menus. I was working out and I was feeling great. And then I got pregnant. Which means I stopped working out and eating healthy. (which is not a great idea. I should have stuck with it but I didn't) I weighed 115lbs when I got pregnant. I was 160lbs when I gave birth. Ya, 45lbs gain.

19 weeks pregnant with my 1st, proof that I was looking good (even though I felt huge and thought I was fat back then)

Fast forward 3 years, I got pregnant with my second. I had done nothing to lose my baby weight from my first pregnancy. I weighed 160lbs. I was huge. I ate better but still wasn't that active. With all the complications from my first, and then miscarriage, I was so afraid of pushing myself and losing my little one. So I did nothing. Probably not my best decision but ones made out of fear usually aren't. 

19 Weeks with my 2nd. I was considerably larger (which I know happens with second babies). I felt awful. I was 160lbs when I got pregnant and 175lbs when I gave birth. I left the hospital weighing 160lbs.

I felt good that the baby weight had disappeared when I gave birth but that didn't last long. I was breastfeeding, and starving all the time. So I ate. A lot. I was told that my milk supply would drop if I didn't eat enough, so I ate all the time. Anytime I even thought I was hungry I ate. And we started eating out a lot as it was just easier with a newborn and a 3 year old. 

Fast forward again to present day. I currently fluctuate between 175 and 180. I'm not comfortable in most of my clothes. My youngest is 1 now, and I still wear my maternity clothes on a semi regular basis. I don't own a whole lot that fits me, and I don't want to buy more. I don't like what I see in the mirror. So I decided to do something about it. 

My mom bought me the 21 day fix for my birthday, and I'm doing it. I'm on day 4 of the diet, and day 3 of the workout (I skipped a day due to nasal congestion that made me unable to breathe through my nose at all and general sickness). My husband is doing it with me. I'm determined to not only lose weight, but to start living a healthier lifestyle. We as a family have fallen into some pretty bad habits (too much junk food and eating out). I want more for myself and for my family. So this time I've made a plan, I've found support, and I'm making it happen. I'm fresh out of excuses. 

Its doable, and I know that. I just need to do it. Eventually I don't want to be on a 'diet'. I just want to know how to eat right. Eventually I want to be able to trust myself to make the right choices when it comes to food, but for now I need the structure of a diet plan. This is a starting point. I know that healthy living is a lifelong commitment, and I'm ready to make it. 

I realize that there are going to be days where we eat out, or we have candy and junk food. Someday I will be able to have those things and enjoy them in moderation. But right now I can't have any, because I don't know what moderation is. I over indulge in most things. 

This journey isn't just about losing weight. Its about learning to trust and love myself again. Right now I don't like what I see in the mirror, and I don't trust myself to make healthy choices. But someday I will. And I took that first step. Now its just one day at a time.

Nadine West Review

Nadine West is a clothing subscription service, similar to StitchFix. The main difference is that Nadine West is completely free, unless you keep an item. You only pay for what you keep. There is no subscription fee or anything else. Each month you are sent 1 top, and 3 pieces of jewelry. The prices for each item varies, but I have yet to see something more than $25. Which is pretty affordable.

I have received 3 outfits so far, and I have kept 1 pair of earrings and sent everything else back. I'm actually not sure why I kept the earrings, but they are these cute little black plastic feathers, and at the time it seemed like a good idea.

Now each month they send you a letter telling you what they've sent you, and how much it all costs. Here's mine from my first and third times. (Since I don't seem to have a picture from the second time for some reason)

I was extremely excited to receive my first outfit. I had really high hopes of being able to find some new tops that would look amazing, and possibly even some jewelry, though that was secondary. I don't often wear anything but my rings, so that really didn't matter. Anyways, when I got my pink package I couldn't wait to see what I got. It was seriously exciting. Until I opened that package that is.

I received a top that was super thin, long sleeved and cute, but poorly made. It was obvious that wasn't going to hold up to being worn and washed. Possibly if I had the time to hand wash it, it might have been okay, but with 2 kids I don't have the time for delicates as an everyday occurrence. As I stated on the sheet (which you send back to them) I loved the top. It was a nice style, and it was pretty. But it didn't fit. And the quality was poor. I also received a very cute pair of stud earrings. I loved them. I wanted to keep them. But they were heavy, and the back didn't stay on, which means the earring kept falling out. I wasn't going to pay for something that I could never wear. I tried putting a back from a different earring on it to see if it would be tight enough, but that didn't work. I was really disappointed to send them back. Lastly, I received a bulky flower necklace. It was not my style, and seemed over priced for what it was. I sent it back without a second thought. 

Now, after my first time I emailed them my feedback as well, and was told it was added to my profile and hopefully next month would be better. I was excited with how quickly they responded and couldn't wait for next month.

I got Decembers outfit and was even more disappointed. I got another top that was super thin, and was already falling apart when I pulled it out of the package. It was a very nice deep teal color, but that was the only good thing. I felt that my feedback had been ignored. I got a second top that was super clingy (which doesn't work for me since I has a pooch from my kids and am well endowed), and the quality was still lacking. I did get the previously mentioned pair of plastic feather earrings that I kept. They were very cute and I have worn them a few times. I honestly don't remember what else I got, thats how little of an impression it left on me. I emailed them my feedback yet again, but it took some time before anyone bothered to respond. I actually had to email them a second time before I got a response. 

This brings us to January's outfit. I was so happy when I opened the package. They had sent me this beautiful black and white striped sweater. It was EXACTLY like something that I would have picked for myself. It was soft, and beautiful. I couldn't wait to try it on. I knew that if it fit I was going to keep it. And then I saw the size tag. It was a SMALL. I am a LARGE. The paper stated that they had sent me a large but in my package was a small. I was so disappointed. And frustrated. I immediately emailed them, and a day later received a response that they were sorry for the mistake and yes, my profile states large, and thats what I should have been sent. They offered to send me the same top in my next shipment. That would mean that in February the one top I would get would be the one I should have gotten in January. I declined. I told them that I felt that I was being gipped. That I didn't actually receive a top because of their error. They told me "Don't be sad, we'll make sure that you get a top as cute as the one that we just sent you." This was not the response I was looking for. 

At this moment I'm not impressed with Nadine West. They did nothing to correct an error that they admitted to making, which ended in the customer missing out. I feel that the customer service I have received has been subpar. Emails have gone unanswered, and I have had to contact them more than once in order to get a response. They failed to correct a mistake. The quality of the first 2 tops was lacking, as well as the quality of some of the jewelry. 

For the time being I will continue to receive the shipments, only because it doesn't cost me anything to do so. If I was paying for this service I would cancel right now. I would not pay to receive this subscription. I do hope that as I receive future orders they will be the correct size, and better quality. I also hope they improve their customer service, because right now its lacking. 

I currently would only recommend Nadine West because its free if you don't keep anything. That is the only pro that I have found so far. Everything else I have to say about this company is negative. If that changes in the future I will be sure to say for, but right now I am unimpressed.