My heart throbs with painful memories when I look at this picture. It was taken Dec. 2006. I have a few pictures of me, waist up, weighing over 250 lbs. This isn’t the most horrible, visibly speaking, nor is it my highest weight ever. But what’s going on that you cannot see?
Remember, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and a couple weeks of Christmas baking preceded this event and I had gotten too large for my clothes. I felt so sorry for myself that I cried all the way to this dinner. When I walked in, I sat down and didn’t get up again until it was time to leave. I cried all the way home. I wanted, desperately, to feel pretty for a night and no matter how much money I spent on new makeup, new hair styles, new jeans, new necklace, SPANKS… nothing helped. I just could not be happy in my own skin.
This photo is on my refrigerator today because as I go through this Holiday season, bombarded with insane temptations and traditions, I look at that photo and remember how I felt that night 5 years ago and think about how I feel now. What I’ve overcame, what I’ve accomplished, the adventures I’ve been on… and the hundreds of people I have had the humble pleasure of assisting.
If you feel tempted this holiday, remember what overeating feels like. Remember what it feels like to not be able to button up your jeans without leaving a red mark around your waist. Look at the people around you. Pay attention to how tired they are, how poorly they’re sleeping, who’s complaining of heartburn and who can’t keep up with you at them mall….. and then be proud (yet remain humble ;) ) and stick to it. You only have 10 more days then everyone around you will be starting ‘diets’ and joining gyms and you’ll be in good company-yet ahead of the game.If you have joined others in the junk-food-fest, its not too late to turn it around right now. Please call me today so we can talk. If you haven't ever had the experience of personalized behavioral support, I'd love to explain to you what it is that I do and how I can help! It is proven that 'diets' attempted without behavioral support have an 85% failure rate!
Please feel free to go back on this blog and read my posts from 2008 and my first few months changing my lifestyle. The posts are unedited and written from a whiny obese lady who didn't know what she wanted. See the transformation! And call me to so we can get you started!
From HERE until the End of the month, to help you get started, I'm offering the following AWESOME deal!
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And Here is a brief timeline of my life since that Christmas dinner in 2006:
January 2007: Second attempt at deal-a-meal and sweating to the oldies. Lasted until February. Spent months feeling like a failure but not quite ready to give up.
April 2007: Weight Watchers. Lost 24 lbs in 16 weeks. I figured out how to manipulate those points so I could squeeze in Snickers bars every week. I didn’t change how I ate. Hated vegetables, so I didn’t waste any money or points on those. Then I figured out how to eat chicken McNuggets. (1 pt each nugget.) I did not change one habit those 4 months. I just figured out how to manipulate the system for a while.
January 2008: Joined a gym. Soon learned you cannot out exercise over eating.
February 2008: Placed my first order with a prepackaged food -highly commericalized- company. Cost me a fortune. No behavioral support. Food just barely tasted better than what I fed my cat. Lost 20 lbs at first, but then nothing, actually got sick from the food. Ask me in person about that experience if you dare.
March 2008: Walking program. Just to feel better. No weight loss results, but I did feel a little better.
June 2008: Had to ask for extension belt on airplane. Got kicked off a roller coaster at 6 Flags (too fat to buckle the safety bar.) Paid extra for first class flight on the way home so I’d fit in my seat. Also dehydrated myself so I wouldn’t have to use the bathroom on the airplane.
July 2008: Depression-overeating.-Deciding I was born for nothing more than obesity and I had better get used to it.
September 2008: Started hearing about “health coaches” and wondered what on earth that was all about. Learned more about Take Shape For Life and decided I was NOT going to try another ‘prepackaged food’ diet and recalled how I’m destined for obesity so abandoned hope once again.
October 2008: I heard many more success stories from people on the program I heard about the previous month. Started researching and pondering. Then abandoned hope again.
Started to think at length “What if?” What if this would be the ONE time I’d be able to really lose weight and I was letting it pass me by?
Went to my doctor and said that limiting my calories to 1500 a day and working out was helping me lose about 2 lbs a month. She said that was normal and there was nothing else she could do to help me. But I did need to lose weight or I’d have to be on diabetic meds, bp meds and the prescription strength Zantac I was taking wouldn’t be enough. She just knew I needed to lose weight.
THEN: On a Friday. A lady called me. She heard I was interested in learning more about what a health coach had to offer and how she could help me. The phone call came at an inconvenient time for me and I was in a hurry and I can’t tell people ‘NO’ so when she asked me if I wanted to place my first order and get some food coming, I just said “yeah, just do it” and then I took off. Was just out to prove it wouldn't work.
October 21, 2008: I opened my first box of food. I weighed 299 lbs. It was a good day. I actually had seen the dreaded 300 lb number at one point.
Oct 21, 2008 to Present: I have lost 116 lbs. There was a time in 2010 that I actually struggled a little bit with my old self and used food to medicate and get me through some hard stuff and I had some medical issues that prevented me from staying on program, but I never spiraled so far away that I couldn’t stop the spin and I have recovered from that nicely with the help of my beloved and most trusted, free for life, health coach. The lady who reached out to me in Oct. 2008. I am still in contact with her almost daily!
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