Hi. I’m Donna.

A few months ago I posted something on my personal page about feeling like myself again for the first time in a long time.

I didn’t go into detail.

But people kept asking.

So here’s the honest answer.

What was actually going on:

I lost my husband eighteen months ago. Suddenly. My girls lost their dad.

That whole first year I just ate and got bigger and felt worse and couldn’t stop it.

I went to my nurse and told her I was going to make a change by spring. She gave me that look and went back to her clipboard.

I drove home and made a decision.

What I had tried before:

Everything.

Apps. Cutting carbs. Walking every morning until life got in the way.

None of it was wrong. None of it stuck. I needed something I could actually do when I had nothing left.

What changed:

A coworker named Sarah had been showing up to work looking brighter for weeks. New clothes. More energy. I finally asked her what she was doing.

She told me about one small thing she does with ice water every morning.

I followed her advice exactly.

What happened after that:

The first thing I noticed was my clothes.

Then I started sleeping better.

Then things started moving in a direction they hadn’t moved in a long time.