How to Make IT WORK for You

As an ItWorks! Global distributor, I am talking to people about our products and the business on a daily basis. Whether it's finding a vitamin for metabolism boost or ordering an awesome wrinkle cream, I'm loving to talking to all sorts of new people.

However, I hear this line a lot: "It didn't work for me."

And it's usually concerning our weight loss products, especially our wraps. So, I thought that today I would share a few more details about how I first used our products and about how I use them now to get the results that I'm getting!

I first got my triple threat package (ThermoFit, Fat Fighters, and Greens) in late April of 2015. I began using them right away, but I totally had this I'm not really gonna have to do any work mentality. A lot of my friends were using the products, and the weight seemed to fall off effortlessly, so I just knew it would for me too.

I was still drinking Coke and sugary Starbucks drinks almost daily. I was working out, but eating like crap. I have always been a carb lover, so I was eating up to 250 grams of carbs each day and popping a couple Fat Fighters vitamins like it was no big deal.

I was taking ThermoFit and could feel its effects, and I was definitely seeing some awesome benefits to Greens, but after a couple weeks, I hadn't really lost any weight. Sure, I had more energy, but wasn't I supposed to be skinny by now??

At the end of May, I'd all but given up on ItWorks. Had I not admitted to myself that I was the one screwing it up, I'd probably still be thirty pounds heavier wondering how I would ever get out of this plateau!

I'm not sure what made me get serious about my weight and the way I was using these products on May 31st, but I did. I began drinking tons of water. I cut down on the Starbucks drinks and carb-y foods I was constantly eating. I woke up each morning and drank my Greens in a big glass of ice water. I took a ThermoFit vitamin with breakfast and sometimes one with lunch. I was almost out of Fat Fighters, but I used the ones I had left after dinner for several days.

In six days, I lost five pounds and rid my body of SO much nastiness and bloat! The picture below is all the proof you need of what this did for me!

And that was just the beginning! I continued making progress for the rest of the summer and ended up losing nearly twenty pounds by August! I'm not saying I couldn't have done it without ItWorks... I'm saying I wouldn't have done it without ItWorks!

So here are my best tried and true tips for making ItWorks! WORK for you!

1. Drink water. And after that drink more water. And when you're done doing that, you should probably drink more water. Did I mention you should drink water? People underestimate how vital water is to weight loss! Water keeps you hydrated, keeps you fuller longer, aids in circulation of the blood and digestion, is delicious... I could go on. If you don't like it alone, add some lemon or lime or cucumber to it. Still don't like it? Sorry, you're gonna have to suck it up. Water is key.

2. Exercise. Yep, I said it. You're gonna have to get out there and sweat a little. Not for hours. Not every day. I aim for 4-5 workouts per week, whether it's at my gym or just some yoga at home or a run around my neighborhood. If you're brand new to exercise and don't have a gym membership, I recommend starting with a twenty minute walk a few times a week! Work from there. Get a few fitness DVDs (Jillian Michael's are great) and work out in your living room!

Nine pounds down last June!

3. Find the "enemies" in your diet... and get rid of them. This is the part you really don't like. Who wants to cut their favorite food from their diet? Well, you don't have to, not completely at least, but find what foods you struggle with and aim to reduce them by at least two thirds. When I did away with Coca Cola and Starbucks, weight fell off of me, and still does. My thing right now is keeping my body in ketosis by eating a diet very low in carbohydrates (less than 50 grams daily). I feel so much better and have so much more energy. Combined with my ItWorks vitamins, I am loving my results!

4. Read the directions on your products... and follow them. Do not eat like crap and think that ThermoFit and Fat Fighters will carry the bulk of your weight loss on their shoulders. Do not try one wrap and expect to get skinny, though that does occasionally happen. Follow the directions. Use the products as directed. Have a question? Ask your distributor. Ask me. I make myself available to my customers at all hours of the day and am always happy to answer their questions!

5. Switch it up. If you feel that your progress with ThermoFit and Fat Fighters has stalled, try something new! That's probably my favorite part of the loyal customer program; you can try so many products at great prices! Try New You, which works to build your endurance and promote lean muscle mass! Or try It's Vital Core Nutrition, which supplies your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs for a full 12 hours. Don't give up; give your body a break!

6. I really want to launch into a lecture about how to get the BEST results with our Ultimate Body Applicator (skinny wraps)... But I'm saving that for another blog post :)

If you're interested in ordering any of our products or have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! Email Kate at keepingpacekate@gmail.com

You can also visit my ItWorks! website by clicking HERE.

I quit my job today.

I walked right into the building, marched into my principal's office, slammed my resignation letter on his desk and shouted, "I AM DONE!" before stomping out, back to the warmth of my car and the comfort of my bed at home.

Okay, so it didn't exactly go like that. It was more like... Well, I guess you should first know a little about my experience in education. 

I sailed through my University program like it was nothing. For the most part, I had great professors and amazing clinical instructors. They made it look so easy and so much fun. Sure, I knew there would be challenges, but I just knew that teaching is what I was meant to do. 

I got my first job in the fall of 2012, and whoa… This shit was much harder than I'd anticipated. Kids were crazy. I couldn't keep up with anything. I didn't know how to handle certain things or who to go to with questions. I was likable and definitely had good moments in the classroom, but there was obstacle after obstacle. It was a tough year full of learning experiences, but after that initial year, I thought "Okay, here we go! I'm no longer the new girl! I can do this!"

Year two happens and not much changes. I started to realize maybe I really don't enjoy teaching. I guess I shouldn't have been so devastated when I lost my job at the end of that second year, but it definitely put a dent in my and my husband's financial security (teaching doesn't pay much, but hey--it's a job).

March of 2015 I get a gig at Oxford High School, and I enjoyed it because I took the place of a special education teacher who simply babysat his students. I went into work every day and watched Netflix or played games with my kids because that's what the one before me had done all year.

I can't make this stuff up.

I still got the feeling that I didn't want to teach another year. I just don't know if this is for me, I told my friends and family. But at the urging of my husband, I decided to give it another try. Plus, I needed a job.

October 2015… Once again, there I was. Unhappy, unsure, dissatisfied, anxious. Was my job supposed to make me feel this way? Maybe I shouldn't share this, but since I talk about health on my blog often, I will. By November, I was having menstruation cycles that lasted anywhere from 10 to 20 days. Then there would be an "off" week, and then it would come back. I'd been regular again for a while not long after having Vaught, so I didn't understand what was going on... until Christmas break, when I finally called my doctor and the nurse told me it was likely stress-related.

A few days before Christmas break, my principal came to me. He could see an enormous difference in my persona. I was wearing my struggles and stresses like heavy, rusty chains around my neck.

That was the same day I called my mom squawling like a child.

"I am a walking definition of a failure," I cried to her. "I have never been this unhappy in my life… I am so disappointed in myself. I am miserable. I hate myself!"

I let it all out to her during my planning period. I remember two of my students coming in to give me a Christmas gift, and I didn't let up. I pointed to a desk for them to set the gifts on, and I continued boo-hooing. To this day, they haven't mentioned the incident to me. Bless them.

And like any mother of a twenty-five-year-old grown, crying woman would do, my mother said sternly, "Calm down. Get a grip. When you're calm, then we can talk."

I called her back a few minutes later after taking a breather.

"Okay," I told her, "I can't continue to complain about how much I hate my job and continue going to it each day. Next thing I know, I'll be five years deep, hating it even more. I've got to change something. Right now."

"Okay then," my mom said. "Get out of this. Find something else."

And so began my search. I honestly hadn't planned on returning after Christmas break. I was mentally and physically exhausted, but let me tell you that those seventeen days away from education were just what I needed. Although I applied to several jobs during the break, I hadn't heard back from anyone, so I returned to my job in January and for a short time things were going okay.

I also have to add here that just a few days before break was over, I joined ItWorks! Global. Goodness, how it began to bless me so quickly. I was waking up excited to go to work because I knew that at some point during the day I would also be talking to someone about ItWorks. I grew to love meeting and talking to new people about how these products have shaped my fitness journey. I loved helping people choose products that would help them as well.

It wasn't long though until the woes of teaching began wearing down on me again. And then came that Wednesday, when I was having a pretty rough day already, but my principal came in for an informal observation. Think of everything that can go wrong when your principal is in your classroom... It all happened. I'd forgotten to distribute the materials my kids needed, so when I asked them to look at the handout, they looked back at me in confusion, and I was all WHAT IS WRONG WITH Y'ALL? and they were all Whoa, Ms. Pace.

I'm fairly certain that was the day I officially lost it. I was done.

My principal wanted to meet with me the next day, despite my best attempts at avoiding him all morning. There was another administrator in the meeting, a woman I really respected and loved at our school. She moment I sat down, my principal asked me if I wanted to "be here."

I was shaking my head no before he could even finish his sentence. And we go from there.

I'm so glad I was able to be honest with him. He was kind and understanding and helpful. He'd seen teachers struggle and succumb to the stress that this job often brings. It's not pretty.

I put in my two weeks notice the next Monday, with an anticipated last day of Friday, February 12th.

I was nervous and a little scared; I had not found another job. Isn't that the first rule of quitting your job? Make sure you have something else to hang on to? Well, I broke the rule. And I'd never felt so confident or sure in my decision.

So here I am on the afternoon of Friday, February 12th. Today was my last day with my sixth graders; however, I only spent the morning with them. I talked to my first period class only. We laughed together, cried together, and then there was that enormous group hug that captivated my heart. They were confused and upset at first, as they should be, but by the time I left I think they understood.

For the first time in a while, I made a decision that was solely about me, and I know what some of you may be thinking: it's not about you. But if you knew where I've been, where I've come from, what I'd been feeling in my heart, in every vein in my body, you'd probably say to yourself, Oh, okay. You go, girl.

It was something I needed to do, and I've never felt better. I decided to say YES to a really great adventure. For the first time in my life, I'm winging it. I can't wait to see what's next for me. Can I really make ItWorks my full time job? Maybe I'll pursue something in finance or banking? Maybe I'll sell insurance or cars? (HA). Maybe I'll just breathe for a while and take care of me and my family.

I don't know what my future holds, but I know who holds my future.

Thank you, as always, for your endless love and support. You're all amazing!

What Can I Blog About?

I have totally slacked in the blogging department of my life, and I'd be lying if I said that part of the reason has nothing to do with my new "career adventure" with ItWorks! Global!

Since making the decision to join just over a month ago, my business has really boomed. I'm so thankful! If you want to know more about the company, please ask me or shoot me an email at keepingpacekate@gmail.com!

So... What have I been up to? What can I share with you?

Last weekend was crazy-busy! I spent the entire weekend in Tupelo with my cousin, getting wedding things accomplished and planned. That Friday night we attended an engagement party for my sweet friend/sorority sister, Tyler, and her fiancé Cory. Audrey Anna and I are both honorary bridesmaids in their wedding in August.

Last Saturday we ran around Tupelo all day, literally all day, getting cakes ordered, reception and rehearsal planned, getting ready for a shower at her church the next day... I'm Matron of Honor in her March 19th wedding, and we are SO close! Less than two months away!

This weekend was exceptionally good as well. I took a personal day Friday (more on that to be disclosed very soon) and had lunch with Eric in Memphis that day at 11. He showed me his classrooms at Moore Tech and introduced me to a few coworkers and students there.

Friday afternoon I had coffee with my friend Courtney. She's trying ItWorks!, and I hope she'll become a distributor someday soon :)

Saturday I got up early and went to class in Oxford at 9. I thought we met two Saturdays a month for three or four hours. Um, no. It's one Saturday each months from 9-7:30.

This is so unlike me (okay, maybe it isn't), but I left before noon. I just could not do the all-day thing. We had big plans later on!

I got home around one, and my older sister and two nieces were there playing with Vaught. My mom, aunt, and Grandmother had come to attend a funeral and dropped them off so they could do that.

Eric and I got ready and left around 3:45 to attend a marriage conference at Longview Heights Baptist Church featuring Kirk Cameron! Yes, that guy from Growing Pains!

Eric's mother got us VIP tickets, so we got to enter an hour early, attend a Q&A session with Kirk (yes, I sure did ask him a question!), and get his autograph! I got him to sign my tub of Greens I carry in my purse, and he was very interested! He told me he'd be checking the website out because he definitely needs some energy and balance... Day made!

We slept in Sunday morning then had breakfast. Vaught went down for a nap, and I left to do gym, Starbucks, and lesson planning.

Speaking of lesson planning, I forgot to mention that I've returned to my graduate classes at The University of Mississippi--better known as Ole Miss. I am SO close to graduating! Hoping I can make it before the end of this year!

I know this post is a little empty, but hopefully I can get more creative in the coming days! I will say that there are a lot of changes and adjustments taking part in my life... I really wish I could talk more about it with you all, but I'm saving it for a later post :)

Happy Monday!