Stacy Schmidt-Shaver grew up on good old macaroni and cheese from the box and hot dogs. She didn’t try a vegetable until she was in her early 20s. A food having a shelf life of 100-plus years sounded delicious to her, and what was that you said—10 boxes for $2? What a bargain! In her cart it went.
Bad habits have a tendency to sneak up on you. One moment she was a voluptuous teenager enjoying a beer and a hamburger, and then before she knew it, she was married and had four beautiful girls. After having her fourth child, she weighed 280 pounds. But she was happy, or at least that’s what she told herself.
When her youngest daughter was just a few weeks old, Schmidt-Shaver’s would wake up numb, gasping for breath and in a cold sweat. This prompted a much-needed physical. Well, to say that her insides were screaming for help is an understatement. Schmidt-Shaver’s cholesterol was through the roof, and she had sleep apnea, high blood pressure, anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations and depression. She was just 36 years old. Schmidt-Shaver says she will never forget what her doctor told her that day: “These conditions can be reversed.” The doctor told her she had two choices: Go on a list of medications or change her diet and start moving her body. “I needed to use food as nutrition and fuel, not as entertainment,” says Schmidt-Shaver. The right foods have the power to heal the body. The idea that food could be medicine was so foreign to her, but she was not ready to give up. She knew that this was not how her story was going to end.
She started walking that night. Just around the block. Her body ached and her heart pounded, but she knew she had to keep going. Schmidt-Shaver did her research, read books, spoke to her doctor, and came up with a plan. First was to cut out the soda, junk food and fast food. With these changes, along with walking every night for 30 minutes, she lost 50 pounds. Then the dreaded plateau hit. She had to shake up her routine. She set a goal for herself, which was to run a 5K. Schmidt-Shaver trained for this race using an app on her phone called Couch Potato to 5K. She started running for 30 seconds and walking for four minutes and 30 seconds. Every week, she added 30 seconds to her run. She ended up running her first 5K and finishing in 40 minutes. “I ran the entire time,” she says. “Not fast, but I ran.” She continued her training, setting new goals, and never looked back. Today, Schmidt-Shaver has lost 125 pounds. She is now working on her Beachbody coach certification, and looking forward to taking holistic nutrition classes in the summer.
“I am no longer a passive participant in life,” says Schmidt-Shaver. “They say when you find your passion in life, this is what your calling is. I think I have found my calling. That is to help others on their fitness journeys. It’s really a life-or-death situation, but people don’t see it that way. People thing things like, ‘Oh, what’s this cheeseburger going to do? Soda is everywhere, so it can’t be that bad for you.’” Schmidt-Shaver is living proof that not only can these things kill you—a long slow death for some, but also you have a choice. You can choose life. She wants to help others realize this.
Schmidt-Shaver’s diet consists of lean proteins, vegetables and fruits that are in season, and no white carbs or simple sugars. Everything in moderation. If she wants a brownie, she eats a brownie. “But I will bake it myself, using substitutions that are healthier, and I may eat half of it, not three,” she says. “I don’t deprive myself.”
Her exercise plan consists of weightlifting, running and pushing play on her workout DVDs. Being a mom of four busy little girls, she can’t always get to the gym, which is why working out at home is key.
Schmidt-Shaver’s advice to others out there that are struggling with their weight or health is to not think of this journey as a diet. “Don’t think about what you can’t eat, but instead think of all the good things you can eat,” she says. “Do your research.” When she realized all of the health benefits of the new food she was eating, it made her want to eat more. “When you know better, you do better,” she explains. “I would say to myself as I ate my homemade baked kale chips that this vegetable is helping my body fight off potential cancer cells; it’s helping fight against autoimmune diseases; it’s lowering my cholesterol; and it’s detoxifying my body. This would help me keep my focus on why I’m doing what I’m doing.” You do not have to eat less and go on a “diet.” What you need to do is eat correctly, do something that makes you sweat every day, and don’t ever diet. Schmidt-Shaver has made this a lifestyle change.
“So, for everyone out there, my only question to them is: If not now, when?”
