Well, I can tell this is going to be a long post! So much I want to say, so much I want to tell.!
This has been a lifelong struggle for me. I would not be so excited to reach my goal “this time” around if it were not for the fact that I really believe I can keep it off this time.
Sometimes, it just takes awhile for things to “click”. I mean, I knew what I had to do to take the weight off, I “knew” my eating habits had to change, I “knew” I needed better nutrition, but I think the biggest difference this time around is although I knew these things, I did not know how to put it all together.
I often wondered how people that were slim and trim did it. I figured they just had a faster better metabolism than I and if we ever had a famine, It would be survival of the fittest, and I would be the one to survive, lol. But what I found is that most of these people were raised differently than I. Most were raised eating different things than I, and they still practice that today. I watch a lot of people when I am out and about, at work etc., and the one thing that people who do not appear to have any weight issues have in common is they choose foods close to what is on this plan. Seriously—watch!
I have been overweight since about the age of 9. It all started when I had my tonsils out, and I thought it gave me the green light to eat all the ice cream I wanted! My parents had a freezer full of different kinds of ice cream—like from 31 flavors or something. I don’t remember where they got it, but I remember I ate it all over the coarse of 3 months. There was like 11 or 12 gallons. Plus, I was sulking because my sister got to spend the summer at Grandma’s house in the country, and I didn’t. So I didn’t do much that summer but eat—and watch TV. By the end of the summer, I was a little chubbo—and it just went up from there. My parents both worked, so family dinners were usually something fast, or high carb. Hamburger helper, chicken and egg noodles, things like that.
Vegetables?? What was that?
I remember when I was 13 My sister and I joined “TOPS” we were in the teen division. We weighed in every Tuesday, and afterwards, we would go to the steak corral and have a salad—topped with just about everything you could think of! We thought we were doing good.
By the time I graduated High school, I weighed 275 pounds. I had no boyfriends, I never went to the prom, or did all that other fun high school stuff. High school for me was not a happy time. My grades were poor, and I thought I was “stupid” because that is how I was treated. I had no ambition.
I applied for a job at Bob’s big boy when I was 18, I drove up for the interview, and sat in the waiting area for the manager to come out for my interview. There was a room full of people waiting to be seated. She came out and in front of all these people she told me “Look honey—I don’t want to waste your time or mine, lets face it- you can’t work here, you are to fat for the uniform” She then turned around and walked off. I was so humiliated, I cried all the way home.
OK, so jump ahead to when I was 25. I had managed to lose down to about 210 pounds by basically starving. I was going to college to earn a degree in psychiatry, and I had a boyfriend. The boyfriend broke up with me, and I was just devastated. I basically didn’t eat—for a long time. Maybe a salad a day, if that. I lost all the way down to 155. All of a sudden a whole new world opened up for me. Let’s face it, there is a lot of prejudice in the world out there against people who are obese. I have seen it, you get treated differently, like a 2nd class citizen. Really makes me mad, lol.
So I managed to keep down around 155-160 for about maybe a year, then on to my upward spiral once again. I could see it happening, but It seemed like I couldn’t do a thing about it! I gained over the coarse of the next 5 years back up to 277 pounds. (must be a set point for my body, I always seemed to end up there)
It was very frustrating. So in 2001 I decided I wanted to have a gastric bypass.
Now I want to speak to all of you even considering this option—DON’T DO IT!!!
I thought—well this is the only way I was going to get the weight off, and keep it off once and for all. I was willing to do anything to get it off—even risk my own life. I couldn’t wait. It took me about 4 or 5 months to get approved, and jump through all the hoops to get it done. I had surgery 9-25-01. I remember I was worried It was going to be cancelled because everything that had gone on in the wake of 9-11. I went in weighing 277 pounds. Over the coarse of the next 2 years (yes, it took that long, I lost very very slowly) I got down to 195.5 pounds. That was as low as I got. Then, I started gaining again. I just couldn’t understand it! WHAT DID I HAVE TO DO? Now here I was, gaining weight, and I just couldn’t seem to do anything to stop it. It didn’t seem like I was eating that much, and I really wasn’t. But the things I was eating in hindsight were all carbs, high fat. So here I was, gaining uncontrollably, and in addition, I had a whole new slew of problems, thank you gastric bypass. The dr. wanted to give me a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin was so low, down to a 9.0. (normal is over 14) I had Iron deficiency anemia, vit B12 deficiency, and who knows what else. My thyroid also burnt out. My tsh was greater than 10. Normal was .4 to 4. I had digestion problems. If I eat certain things, my stomach hurts---really bad. I get a wave of nausea, and I don’t feel good. I feel physically sick after eating a meal with any fat or high carbs. I had “dumping” syndrome where you just go all at once, you get really bad cramps, you go, then you feel better. I would have to go lay down after eating. It is miserable. Well, I did it to myself in my quest for a healthier me. I just thought—well, this is your life now, make the best of it. I would NEVER do it again, and would not do not recommend it to anyone. I mean, the ONLY way you are going to lose weight, and keep it off, is to change your eating habits-- peroid. So if you have a gastric bypass, it forces you to change the amounts you eat, and amount you asorb-- for awhile but if you do not change the things you eat, I can guarentee you-- the weight will come back on. I am not the only one who gained all their weight back. Every person I know has done the same, with the exception of my mother, who gained back about 50 of the 200 she lost. But I know people from work who have gained it all back, and 2 people that are well on their way. And like me, they don't know what to do about it. (well, they do now, what they choose to do with that info is another story, lol) So if changing is the answer-- then you will lose without the bypass, why risk it?
So I had basically given up on any hopes of ever being at a reasonable weight. I would have been happy to hang out at 200 for the rest of my life, but nope—I managed to get up to 267 pounds. So all in all the gastric bypass helped me lose 10 pounds. Hmmm hardly worth it- especially since I now had other health issues to go with it. I gave up on losing. Then…..
The Dr. had started me on thyroid. But she never got my levels below 5, and I still couldn’t lose. My Dr. had quit, and I needed a new one. The first thing the new one did was up my thyroid. I thought—hmmmm good, maybe I can get some of this weight off! I lost about 10 pounds right off the bat, and then put it right back on. That was Nov. of 07, and by feb. I was back to 267. I saw the infomercial for Michael Thrumonds 6 week body makeover in feb. I thought to myself—hmmmm, maybe this will work now that I have my thyroid in check. So I ordered. Got my kit Feb. 19th, 2008. I was all excited until I opened it up. I had ordered this program probably 5 years earlier, opened it, and seald it back up, got a refund without ever looking thru the kit. It all came flooding back to me when I got it the 2nd time, lol. I was so overwhelmed, and I thought—no freaken way. I can NOT do this. Looking back, I guess I thought the only thing I would be eating was dry chicken, and lots of veggies and rice. I had decided without even pulling out all the information, I was sending it back for my money back--for the 2nd time. So I packed it all back up, and it was ready to mail. March 7th, 2008 one of my co-workers knew I had ordered the kit, and asked me if she could look at it before I sent it back. She said “maybe I will just buy it off you if I like it, and you won’t have to send it back” ok—so on march 8th, I brought it into work. She went through, sorting it all out, watching the dvd’s and everything during breaks the entire shift. By the end of the shift, she had my book together-=- for me. (she had maybe 30 pounds to lose) She says to me—ok, we are going on this, starting tomorrow. WHAT? NO FREAKEN WAY, MAYBE YOU ARE, I’M NOT! She tells me—nope—we work the next 5 nights together, and you. Are going to do it with me! If I didn’t she wasn’t going to let me eat anything. So I agreed, and went to the store to get supplies for the next 5 nights. I thought, I am only doing this for 5 nights, and that is it!! My first 5 nights were pretty basic. Followed my card, and ate accordingly. My food wasn’t very tasteful—I missed all the fat and salt, lol. But…I dropped a whole size that first week. I felt great! I wasn’t experiencing all the symptoms related to my bypass. I thought—well this isn’t that bad! So on my days off, I really dug into my little blue book. I watched the videos, and planned better meals. I decided I really was never hungry, and I felt so much better, I was going to give the plan a fair chance. I never looked back. I joined the forums here, I found a thread that is so full of supportive friends, it really helped keep me on track! (Hi girls) (my thread is in the 100 or more pounds to lose, and usually the one at the top of the board—daily posters) I have learned so much from these ladies, and it really kept me motivated when I felt like I didn’t want to continue. I learned how to cook! I thought I knew how to cook, but when all you know is butter and salt to season—it can be a challenge, lol. I learned how to use spices I never heard of. I know which ones I actually like, lol. As a result, my husband and son have been eating healthier too. This plan now became a challenge to me. I sought out recipes of old favorites, and found new ways to prepare them that were on plan. You can make almost anything plan friendly—did you know that? I would take a recipe, find the ingredients that were off plan, and make subs—sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. But I have a whole new list of favorites now. So I got the food part down, I think the biggest challenge for me—because I was or am so unorganized was to plan. So this is what I did.
I picked one day to cook. I prepared 5 to 7 different entrees. One thing you will find is you have to change it up if you want to stay focused, and not get bored. your old eating habits I am sure you didn't eat the same thing day in and day out, so don't start doing that now.
I cooked 5 to 7 different things, and I cooked enough to last me for 2 weeks if I broke it down to 2 oz. protein servings. Then I portioned it out in 2 oz. servings. (used alot of little freezer zip locks) Then I put each type of entree (all portioned out) into one big ziplock freezer bag, and labeled it. In the freezer it went, except for a couple of servings for the next couple of days or so. I did this will all 7 entrees.
The next week, I did my cooking, same thing. I still had plenty of servings left from the previous week, so I made 5-7 different entrees, packaged them up. Now I had lots of choices druing the weeks to come. I did some of my veggies that way. Like summer squash, I love yellow summer squash, and zuchiini, and onions sauteed in chicken broth. I would make a huge pan, and portion it out. Same with other veggies, cooked veggies freeze pretty well.
Every day I would pack my lunch bag. I would put in 5 servings of protein (different ones, just grab a baggie and put it in the lunch bag from all my entree choices) Then I would pack 2 carbs, 3 fruits. I usually made an egg white omelette with veggies, and oatmeal in the morning. Then ate out of the lunch bag thru the day. I always had my meals with me that way.
The trick is just to be prepared! the only real work was my one day a week, the rest was easy. I tried lots of different recipes, and I have a spice cabinet any chef would be envious of, lol. Use that recipe fourm!
my freezer is actually full still of different things-- I have sticky chicken, green bean chili, chicken fajitas, diet coke chicken, trout, tilipia, and a couple of other entree concocotions still. I have a huge choice on what to eat, and I don't get bored with my food that way. I know the failures (stuff I didn't like) and wont cook those again, and I know my favorites, that I make when I start running low.
sometimes I would eat out of my lunch bag all day except for dinner, then I would cook a on plan meal for the family- they added bread, butter, salt, etc. at the table. I have been doing this for almost a year now, and it is just 2nd nature now.
So here it is, less than a year later, and I am at goal. I just can’t believe it! A way to eat where you actually eat- and you feel great, you feel healthy, you have lots of energy, and you don’t have to starve! And it is funny because I prefer-- no even crave on plan foods. Well, maybe because it is real food, and not prepackaged processed food, it is all a "home cooked" meal. Now that I can cook (ok, I am still learning, lol, and probably will be forever) I like that I know what goes into my food, and I know it is good for me, and my family.
I didn’t incorporate exercise into my plan at all until probably the end of may. I bought a treadmill, and I would use the one at work on my lunch. Brisk walking, that was about it. Then the bands. (blush) I still have to pull out the dvd every time I do them. :D
I get a kick out of seeing people around work. I have people introducing theirselves to me that I had not seen for awhile, them thinking I was a new employee. That was pretty funny. (I work as a supervisor in a big hospital, night shift) I worked days for a week last month, and I loved seeing the reactions of some of the people that I had not seen for a bit. And somehow, I seem to get treated with a bit more respect—nothing you can put your finger on—just the subtle ways you are treated I think. I can tell a difference. My interactions with some of the Dr's are different—like what I have to say has a bit more credibility now, instead of being dismissed before I even start. It is strange. I like it, but at the same time it makes me mad.
So, now I have my mom, sister, and a ton of their friends on plan. They meet once a week at my mom’s, and support each other. I have quite a few people at work on 6wbmo too. I tell them, if you need help, I am here to support you. Some try it, and then don’t want to do it, but there are 5 women right now that have had some pretty amazing results. They love it, and I am excited for them!
So here I am. Today is my birthday, and that is what I wanted for my birthday. To reach goal. I made it 2 days before my birthday, and exactly one year after I recieved the plan in the mail. (note--not started the plan, but got it in the mail, lol). I have been beaming for the last 2 days. But, I know I am not done. I have been preparing as to how I am going to live lean. I have decided to just add things back in slowly, and watch how my body reacts to it. (well, actually I have been trying this for a couple of months—that is why the last 5 pounds took me forever to get off) I have learned what I can and can’t add for the most part, and I will be sticking mostly to the reduction phase of this plan, with maybe a little variation in a meal or 2 during the week. We will see how it goes, but at any rate, I will still be a presence here—this is my support, and I know if you leave, then you probably are not doing so hot. ;D
Thank you Michael Thurmond 6wbmo, special thanks to Delores BMOS, and Gail recipe consultant. You both have been such a big help to me more than you know, just by your presence here on the boards, and in answering forum questions—some of the same ones I had. Well, this a book, going to need to get it published if I don’t quit, so I will just stop and say—You CAN do this! And it gets easier, challenging, and even fun if you commit yourself. The program is really not hard once you actually read the information, and don't just "thumb" thru it. (I was always looking for short cuts I guess) Try it for the 6 weeks-- heck try it for 5 days, if your like me at all, you will be here very soon writing your own story! Thanks Provida!! Shellie