Jouleen Dering.Photo:Courtesy of Jouleen Dering;Elizabeth LavinOne day five years ago, as she was staring at her closet, Jouleen Dering nearly gave up on her hopes for a healthier life.“In a fit of rage and frustration, I bagged up all of my skinny clothes,” she recalls. “Tears were streaming down my face. I thought, ‘Why have them in my closet taunting me when I’m never going to fit into them?’ ”Dering threw the bag into the trunk of her car and donated the lot. “I lost belief in myself,” she says of the low moment.At the time, she was still reeling from another loss. Her mother had died suddenly a few months earlier, and Dering, who weighed 163 lbs., had a 4-month-old son of her own.“I was left with the memories of the adventures my mom and I had together and the joy she brought me,” Dering says. “I looked at my own life and thought. ‘Was I being the mom I wanted to be for my son?’ At that point I wasn’t. I was couch parenting. I wouldn’t play with him on the floor because getting up was hard.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Jouleen Dering.Elizabeth LavinDetermined to change, Dering signed on with Optavia, and in her first three and a half months on the program, she lost 35 lbs. through better eating habits.Before long she began working out “for the first time in my whole life. I had never done physical activity!” says Dering. Now she works full-time as a coach for the company.This year she entered a bodybuilding competition — and took home a trophy — but her real win is being able to slide and swing on the playground with her two sons, ages 6 and 3 (“We do all the things together”), while still having energy left over.“Even if it’s been a crazy day, I can still sit down with my husband, and I don’t have mush brain from being exhausted,” she says. “Getting to be my best for each person I come across has been the biggest victory.”For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.
Jouleen Dering.Photo:Courtesy of Jouleen Dering;Elizabeth Lavin
Courtesy of Jouleen Dering;Elizabeth Lavin
One day five years ago, as she was staring at her closet, Jouleen Dering nearly gave up on her hopes for a healthier life.“In a fit of rage and frustration, I bagged up all of my skinny clothes,” she recalls. “Tears were streaming down my face. I thought, ‘Why have them in my closet taunting me when I’m never going to fit into them?’ ”Dering threw the bag into the trunk of her car and donated the lot. “I lost belief in myself,” she says of the low moment.At the time, she was still reeling from another loss. Her mother had died suddenly a few months earlier, and Dering, who weighed 163 lbs., had a 4-month-old son of her own.“I was left with the memories of the adventures my mom and I had together and the joy she brought me,” Dering says. “I looked at my own life and thought. ‘Was I being the mom I wanted to be for my son?’ At that point I wasn’t. I was couch parenting. I wouldn’t play with him on the floor because getting up was hard.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Jouleen Dering.Elizabeth LavinDetermined to change, Dering signed on with Optavia, and in her first three and a half months on the program, she lost 35 lbs. through better eating habits.Before long she began working out “for the first time in my whole life. I had never done physical activity!” says Dering. Now she works full-time as a coach for the company.This year she entered a bodybuilding competition — and took home a trophy — but her real win is being able to slide and swing on the playground with her two sons, ages 6 and 3 (“We do all the things together”), while still having energy left over.“Even if it’s been a crazy day, I can still sit down with my husband, and I don’t have mush brain from being exhausted,” she says. “Getting to be my best for each person I come across has been the biggest victory.”For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.
One day five years ago, as she was staring at her closet, Jouleen Dering nearly gave up on her hopes for a healthier life.
“In a fit of rage and frustration, I bagged up all of my skinny clothes,” she recalls. “Tears were streaming down my face. I thought, ‘Why have them in my closet taunting me when I’m never going to fit into them?’ ”
Dering threw the bag into the trunk of her car and donated the lot. “I lost belief in myself,” she says of the low moment.
At the time, she was still reeling from another loss. Her mother had died suddenly a few months earlier, and Dering, who weighed 163 lbs., had a 4-month-old son of her own.
“I was left with the memories of the adventures my mom and I had together and the joy she brought me,” Dering says. “I looked at my own life and thought. ‘Was I being the mom I wanted to be for my son?’ At that point I wasn’t. I was couch parenting. I wouldn’t play with him on the floor because getting up was hard.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Jouleen Dering.Elizabeth Lavin
Elizabeth Lavin
Determined to change, Dering signed on with Optavia, and in her first three and a half months on the program, she lost 35 lbs. through better eating habits.
Before long she began working out “for the first time in my whole life. I had never done physical activity!” says Dering. Now she works full-time as a coach for the company.
This year she entered a bodybuilding competition — and took home a trophy — but her real win is being able to slide and swing on the playground with her two sons, ages 6 and 3 (“We do all the things together”), while still having energy left over.
“Even if it’s been a crazy day, I can still sit down with my husband, and I don’t have mush brain from being exhausted,” she says. “Getting to be my best for each person I come across has been the biggest victory.”
For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.
source: people.com
