Mixed Bag Of Rant

I have made some major decisions in my life over the last week. Of course the main one being the start of a new job. For maybe the first time ever, and possibly the only time (and I hope he enjoyed it), I asked my husband to play devil’s advocate when it came to accepting, countering or declining a job offer. For the first time ever, my changing jobs impacts more than just me. It impacts this whole little family we have created. He asked some typical questions such as how much is the offer for, what future opportunities exist, will I have flexible hours, can I start at the beginning of July and will I still be able to take our Disney vacation in August. All questions that were answered at some point during the interview process. It came down to the commute. Savage to Minneapolis is no easy task (for those out of state or country just plug Savage, MN into Google Maps and get directions to Downtown Minneapolis). If that was THE only thing that was holding you back, would you let it? My answer to that was a resounding NO. It is a great opportunity with a great company and I am BOUNCING off the walls with excitement.

Announcing my departure at my current company is what really calmed my nerves over my decision. I think anyone who has spent 5 solid, loyal years with a company would wonder if they are making the right choice in walking away, but it wasn’t a big deal around here and frankly it seems as though everyone was expecting it. As with any job, there were things that I couldn’t stand (drama, no flexibility) but there were also things I loved (location, the people). The one thing they couldn’t offer is career advancement and for me, that is a deal breaker. Of course it would have been easy to keep the same job and do the same thing year after year, but that just isn’t in me. I am driven and need to have change in my environment to keep my mind and my skills fresh. I was ready for a change. I’m proud of the work I have done and the relationships I have cultivated. I am happy to say I can walk away with my head held high.

It’s weird cleaning out 5 years of work. Old memos and projects that you wonder how they ever got signed off on because they look so terrible. Old e-mails with friends. Ultrasound pictures. Jack’s birth announcement. The last 5 years have been a massive life change for me. This job has seen me through infertility, building and moving to a new home, the miracle of my child, the miracle of my dear friend’s child and two of my bestest friends getting married. That girl who started here 5 years ago? I don’t even recognize her. After my resignation was announced today, a colleague came in to give me a hug and said, “Wow. You are really like a whole different person.” I even look entirely different than I did when I started here.

TODAY

May 2008 (I was 4.5 months preggo here…)

Me in the cream sweater- November 2007. Eating. Shocking.

That is me on the lower left. November 2008- 2 months postpartum.

Is change kind of scary? It sure is. I know I’m not going to like being the new kid on the block all over again. It has been 5 years since I’ve worked in large, matrix environment and I’m nervous I won’t remember how to maneuver. I’m scared of mass transit (almost as much as I’m afraid of Wal Mart).

But you know what? I am definitely more excited than I am scared. I’m excited to work in the big city. I’m excited to go to the Farmer’s Market on Nicollet Mall. I’m excited to take on a new challenge and knock it out of the park. I’m excited to start new relationships. I’m excited to have a clean slate. I’m excited to work for an employer that isn’t requiring me to “punch a time clock” but simply expect me to do my job. I am… EXCITED.

I am also happy that I am taking some time out for me. I will have a glorious week and a half off between jobs and am looking forward to having some true ME time. Pretty sure I earned it!

That’s right.

I smell it.

Change is in the air.

In a week and a half, my husband is starting a new job. He is excited and I am excited for him. It is a smaller company, better pay and NO MORE PAGERS. If you are a techie wife, you get where I am coming from. No more calls at 2:30 in the morning because his system went down. Despite these awesome things to come for him, there is always that transition period when starting a new job though where you feel like you are walking a little on thin ice. He won’t be able to be home with Jack if he gets sick again (90 day no vacation policy after starting) and will probably be a little while until we see the flexible schedule for him again.

I have also made some decisions as far as my career versus being a SAHM. More to come on that front but there are exciting things cooking for me as well.

Probably the most important change that has happened for me is the change in my body. I’ve hesitated to talk about my Medifast experience as I got FLAMED pretty hard for jumping off the Weight Watchers wagon. Probably the most distressing comment I got was that the Medifast food was disgusting and I would just gain all the weight back anyway. Wow. Thanks for the support. Therefore, I have been a little shy about sharing my journey.

I am done justifying my reasons for changing programs. I will say this: it is the only weight loss program I have been on that keeps me completely honest. It is one of THE hardest programs I have ever done. Do I get hungry sometimes? Yes. Do I like all the food? Nope. Do I miss real food? Hell yes.

DOES IT WORK? YES.

Since I started Medifast on January 11:

• I have lost 14.3 lbs for a total loss of 34.3 lbs since starting my healthiness journey in January 2011
• I went from a BMI of 32 to 29 and am no longer considered “obese”
• I went from a size 14 to a size 10 (12 depending on the designer…)

I have just 24 lbs left to lose. Compared to the daunting 60 to lose that was staring me down a year ago, my motivation to reach my goal is absolutely soaring.

Like any other program, I have had to get creative with the food I am able to eat. There are ways to modify the Medifast meals to taste a little better and even be a little more filling. There are also a ton of options for Lean and Green meals beyond a piece of meat and a salad. No matter how badly or how powerful the temptation is to cheat, I refuse to give in. This is just a short period of my life to sacrifice for the long term good of my health. No, that doesn’t mean I’ll run the Buffalo Wild Wings the first chance I get when I am done with the program. I will always have to watch what I eat. I will always have to exercise. Those things won’t change. The only difference is: I will be at my healthy goal weight.

So yes, my friends. I smell change. Good change. Positive change. Happy change.