I have to admit, I never really thought I was
THAT big. Sure I'd look in the mirror and know that I didn't look my best, but I looked okay and felt fine, didn't I? As my weight increased, my thoughts always ran to my family history which is all about heart attacks and strokes. It was always in the back of my mind as I ate all the foods I loved...fried, full of flavor [well, fat] and completely
T - A - S - T - Y. I stupidly used to say,
"at least I'll die happy". My weight gain started around my early 30's and slowly crept up until one day at 40 years of age I found myself having, what I thought to be, a stroke. The symptoms were there but thankfully the stroke wasn't. The one thing that lingered however was
‘the' wake up call.
For you to know me I'll have to digress a bit. Let me introduce myself. I'm an eater. Not so much a sweets person, but a real meat and potatoes girl. Real food. Solid. The problem is portions are hard to control as I tend to go for taste not hunger. When I'm hungry, I crave; and my will power stinks! I'm also an emotional eater but I don't consider myself a typical one... I eat when I'm happy and starve myself when I'm sad. As you can tell from my before pictures, I am normally a very happy person! Oh, yeah, and to top it all off my husband is a real down home cook, learning from his grandmother on the farm! Not a winning combination for keeping the weight off.
I've been a pretty active person up through my 20's but my life as I knew it has been missing for the past 10 years. I rarely wanted to go out in public on social occasions instead electing to stay home and watch TV. Eating became one of my all time favorite things to do and boy, did I do it up right. Life has a way of turning on us sometimes and mine just seemed to slip away until I didn't recognize myself any longer. Everyone goes through tough times and our lives were no exception. My husband and I have been married to each other twice. We were married when I was very young, divorced and then one day 5 years later found each other again. We have now been together for over 18 years. We have always had a very good connection with each other and I love him with everything I am. About 5 years into our second go around we found that he had Leukemia. It took a couple of rounds of chemotherapy but I'm happy to report he has been cancer free going on 8 years. During the last 13 years we have been living like most everyone else - struggling day to day to survive in our busy world. We've gone through lay offs, loss of loved ones, Leukemia, starting our own business and fixing up our house. We also take in shelter and stray animals and give them a family, home and unquestionable love. The last thing I wanted to focus on was my weight so it just slipped by the wayside... that was, until my way ‘side' also became my front side, back side.... well, you get the picture.
I will honestly say, even though my health scare symptoms were the same exact symptoms my grandmother had when she had her multiple strokes, it still didn't immediately push me into action. I was also yo-yoing back and forth with depression about the way I looked and a loss of mental energy. Over my last TV marathon year a show happened to catch my eye and my heart. You may know what I'm talking about...Extreme Makeover. There I met a man. A man that would push me into action and instill in me the belief that I could change my life. I had never before truly believed. The more I watched the more I became enthralled with the changes being made right in front of my eyes. I just HAD to be on this show! Getting my physical self ‘fixed' would get my mental life back and what an exceptional gift to be given. This became a constant dream of mine so when the show came to town I filled out the application and went to try out. I wasn't chosen but the seed had been planted and I intended to do something about it
[Extreme Makeover if you're listening, I'm still available!!!].
In January 2007 I saw an infomercial on TV. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. There was the man I had met, Michael Thurmond, telling me about the Six Week Body Makeover (6WBMO) program and that I couldn't NOT lose weight
[don't you love double negatives!]. I had some pretty high standards though.
Minimal exercise [check!].
All the food I can eat [check!].
Fast results [check!]. I thought this was the next best thing to a chocolate fudge, caramel and pecan turtle sundae diet
[and I knew having Michael Thurmond personally come to my house to set up an exercise and eating program probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon] so I did the next best thing. I made up my mind. No more. No more fat. No more depression about the way I looked and felt. No more health scares.
No more!My start date was January 22, 2007.
Okay, I admit, I was incredibly embarrassed in front of my husband when he was taking my initial measurements and all those before pictures. I don't ever think I truly realized quite how I looked until I saw those pictures. Believe me, if you want motivation, take a picture. Yikes! I was mortified. But I was more determined than ever.
I think there were some challenging things on this plan but for me, really, it wasn't very hard at all. My challenges consisted of going to the grocery store on a frequent basis
[we used to mostly go out to eat], cooking
[I just don't do it], exercising and eating on a regular daily schedule. I'm one of those people that can get so busy with my work I go all day without eating and then eat a huge meal at night. Again, my hunger would cause me to crave foods so I'd just go get it and eat it without really caring about the consequences. I just wanted that food and had to have it right then. I can't remember a day when I didn't crave something at least once a day. The cravings were so overpowering I couldn't control them and this scared me. I truly thought if anything was going to get me, the cravings would. But then I got the 6WBMO program. Oh how wrong I was going to be.
To combat the store issue, we go every weekend to replenish the fresh items such as apples, bananas and snow peas. Being a body type B, the foods I have to choose from are foods I normally ate anyway
[except fruit] so there wasn't a big change in the types of foods I ate, just had to cut out some of the other foods I loved that didn't love my body back... Rotel and Velveeta is usually the first thing that comes to mind, followed by pastas and breads. To combat the cooking, I have a secret weapon I feel everyone should have....a support system. My success is directly attributed to my husband and his unyielding support and love. He has always been the cook in our family and he jumped right in with both feet without hesitation. We cook every weekend and make at least two weeks of food, portion it out then wrap it, bag it and tag it with the date. Whatever I don't need right away we freeze. Eating on a regular schedule was a little tougher, but I take a lunch bag with my food portions for the day
[and my huge water glass] and head out for work. I keep an electronic calendar on my computer at work where I have set an alarm and pop up message to go off every 3 hours to remind me to eat. It works like a charm! To my amazement, from the moment I started this program I was not overly hungry, nor did I ever... and really, it was
NEVER, crave anything. To say I was shocked is quite an understatement.
Okay, okay, I know. You're saying, "Patti, what about the exercise?" I want to preface the following by saying, don't do what I did, do what the plan tells you to do. I will admit I didn't do too well here. I know it's only 18 minutes and I'll use the excuse that we live in an older house and the doors don't shut well so I popped myself with the band a few times. I did work out on the treadmill for a couple of weeks and liked it okay, it's just my time is soooo limited.... I know, I know...excuses. But there is a bright side to this. I can tell each and every one of you without hesitation,
THIS FOOD PLAN WORKS all by itself. I've put my stats below for everyone to see. I started at 210.5 lb and to date have lost 55 lb and 49" cumulative inches. ALL WITHOUT EXERCISING
[don't swat me 6WBMO, I know the error of my ways]. While I am proof positive that this food plan works all on its' own, I'm also here to tell you to exercise. My failure on this plan was not toning during my weight loss. I know I would be in even better shape if I had possessed the smarts to keep toning. I am starting now and I figure it's better late than never. After all, I am going out on a boat soon and need to look my bathing beauty best
[never thought I'd say that in MY lifetime].
I remember when finding out about the 6WBMO it was stated several times that everyone will be asking you what you are doing to lose weight so quickly. I never really believed I'd have a bunch of people asking but it has been astounding! One of the best things about this plan is the way people look when they see you for the first time. I own Shipping Solutions Plus, a retail business and mailing center and banner/sign shop. My husband and I started this business about 4-1/2 years ago in our small town. We have a great bunch of customers, who I also consider friends, who have seen us through from the very day we opened our doors so they have a good idea of my weight increase over the years. About 1 month into this plan the comments about my weight started coming up - but the influx of questions and comments started coming after about 2-1/2 months of being on the plan. Today I still get people that come in that don't recognize me [I've had 4 this week alone]. They sort of have a confused look on their faces sometimes that they think they might know me but they're not quite sure. Others just have a total look of shock. Either way, it is a bunch of fun for me and gives me a great feeling on the inside that I've been able to make such a dramatic change in my life. I always tell them about the plan and where to read all about it. As one of my customers said,
"This program doesn't need to be sold.. just looking at you sells it.". That is probably one of the nicest things I've been told in a long time about my appearance. There are several of my friends/customers that have recently purchased the plan and are working toward their own personal goals for better health. I'm proud to be a source of inspiration for others and being in the public eye gives me the opportunity to show everyone what you can do within a VERY short period of time. I've taken 10 years fluctuating my weight up and down to get to 210.5 lb. It took me 5 months to take it off.
I've always known that if I know and believe in a product, I could sell it but just like my customer said, this program does sell itself by proof positive results. I've found more confidence in myself and have gained my mental strength as well as my physical well being back. I can't say that I believed in myself in the beginning but I truly believed in the program and had a great support system at home. Seeing people at various stages in my weight loss and hearing their comments really boosted my resolve. Everyone helped in my success and I thank each and every one of you: Provida, Michael Thurmond, BMOS Dolores, my soul mate Jeff, my family and friends/customers.
I have one more thing to say. I found a quote that I've been carrying around with me since the first of the year. I hope it inspires others as it did me.
"Everything depends upon execution; having just a vision is no solution." If I can do it, I know you can. I'll be there for anyone that needs the extra support. Just keep at it and you will succeed. My name online is Jimihndrks, but now you can just sign me....
Proof Positive PattiStats:Weight = Before 210.5 lb - After 155.5 lb -
LOSS=55 lbNeck = Before 14.5" - After 12.5" -
LOSS=2"Shoulders = Before 45" - After 40" -
LOSS=5"Upper Arms = Before 14.75" - After 11.75" -
LOSS=3" each armLower Arms = Before 11" - After 9.75" -
LOSS=1.25" each armBust = Before 46" - After 38" -
LOSS=8"Waist = Before 40" - After 33" -
LOSS=7"Hips = Before 47" - After 39.5" -
LOSS=7.5"Thighs = Before 28.25" - After 24" -
LOSS=4.25" each thighCalves = Before 17.25" - After 16" -
LOSS=1.25" each calveTotal Loss: 55 lb and 49 cumulative inches