THE BELIEVER
To say I was a skeptic about obtaining results from this eating program is an understatement. I WAS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SKEPTIC! I watched the two infomercials for three years before I finally ordered the plan. Three years! Three years had passed and I was still morbidly obese. Three years gone from my life and I could have had health.
Thoughts of an early death began to invade my mind. I don't know if there was any one moment or any one thought that led to that state of mind. I believe this was another process of realization of self. I was 100 pounds overweight! I was short of breath and in pain when I took the stairs. My walks with the dogs were nonexistent because my hip joints hurt so badly. Years of ICU nursing and obesity had made necessary three foot surgeries. Morbid obesity was forcing me to think morbid thoughts like: "Will I fit in a casket" and "How many pall bearers will it take?"
So I took a chance and promised myself if this plan didn't work, I would send it back. I was tired of spending money on weight loss plans that didn't work. Well, I didn't have to send it back. THIS WORKS!
I had been a chunky child and a plump teen. I was put on my first diet at age ten. My high school years saw one fad diet after another and my weight problems really took off during those college years. A lifetime of bad eating habits and fad diets led to continued gains. The pounds increased yearly. I tried almost every diet on the market.
On my 41st birthday I weighed 238 pounds. I was in the process of making a career change. On that day, I was officially accepted to begin studies for my new vocation. A few months later I started classes at a low of 220 pounds. I actually believed that I felt good! I maintained that weight during the four year Masters Degree Program and added a
few pounds during my first job in the new profession. Then I held my weight at 230 pounds. Did I mention I'm only 5'1"?
The Six Week Body Makeover arrived at my door a few days before my 52nd birthday. The day after it arrived, April 20th, 2005, I started the eating plan. I lost nine pounds the first week and lost 30 pounds in the first seven weeks. AND I WAS FEELING GREAT.
I began walking during my third week. The first walk was only a block each direction. But I increased a little bit every day and within a month I was walking two miles, three times a week. I began sculpting a few months into the program.
In every aspect of my life there have been changes. And it was so easy! I lost 70 pounds in 6 months, 85 pounds in 10 months, and 95 pounds in 14 months; from 230 to 135 in 14 months! The weight melted off. I also lost 98 inches. I went from a size 26W granny-jeans to a size 10P zip-up jean. My neck size went from 17 inches to 13 inches. And it was so incredibly easy.
My lifestyle, now, is one of activity. The dogs appreciate that I take them for walks. I also walk alone. I do Pilates. I ride my bike. I have joined a gym because I want to incorporate additional sculpting. I love the gym. Believe me when I write, "I had never been a gym and weight lifting type person." I love how I look. I love how I feel. I love how I think. I am active and healthy and I love my life.
During this reduction process I remember some really strange things happening. I was euphoric when I got out of the car and didn't have to raise the tilt steering---because I was so much smaller. The next week I realized it was taking more water to fill the tub. I wasn't displacing as much water when I sat in the bath tub---because I was smaller. One day, I was standing and talking with my secretary. OOPS! My size 14 jeans slid down. A shopping trip occurred that very afternoon. Amusing observations have made life interesting, to say the least.
This process has been a spiritual experience for me. You see, that career change that I mentioned---- I became a Lutheran pastor. (That's why those neck measurements are really important to me.
) Before I started this eating plan, I couldn't stop thinking about the need we have for self care in this profession and how I was unable to obtain it.. I kept asking myself, "How can I be a spiritual leader if my priorities are food and feeding my food addictions?" "How can I be an effective leader of the Youth Group if I can't move and keep up?"
There are days of spiritual battle in controlling my addictions to sugars, salts, and fermented things like bread and cheese. But with this plan, at least I have a fighting chance to overcome them and to eat healthy foods. I am healthy. And I haven't had a morbid thought in two years.
The internet support program of this plan has been the key to my success. The chat forums and my "Getting Fit at 50+" cyber-friends kept me motivated that first year. My thanks go out to Brattyangel, SallyZ, Janet, and Walkdown. And now, my cyber-friends of the "Stop the Bull" thread continue to support and motivate me. "ie909ca" has been my inspiration from afar.
The chat rooms are a place to give and receive motivation. They have inspired me to become resolute and fully embrace the word, "determination." When I had specific questions or concerns, when I had a stall, when the mind was disconnected from what the body wanted, Dolores and Rikki were always available and genuinely concerned about my issues. I thank them, as well.
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia just a few years ago. Dolores has helped me tweak the plan so I can maintain stable blood sugars and insulin levels. We have had to increase the quality of carbs and amounts of protein on Sunday mornings. This way of eating has gotten that disease process under control. I am seldom emotionally volatile. My sugars are level. I don't have shaking, lightheadedness, or sweating as I deliver my sermons. I am thrilled to eat healthy. I am overjoyed that my volatility has become a thing of the past. I am ecstatic that I am a new person.
There are still emotional struggles. My first attempt at Living Lean was not triumphant. I found that I still had problems with portion control and foods that trigger cravings. Living Lean, for me, is a transition of mindset and discovering more about the emotional aspects of eating. It is the beginning of the journey to overcome my fears of unknown possibilities and my undiscovered potentials. I know it will take vigilance and resolve. I know it is a transition to be entered into cautiously and lived with awareness.
Reaching goal has come to mean, not a number on the scale but rather, attaining a wisdom and a level of trust that I indeed do have control of my food choices. Reaching goal is not about the amount of weight lost, but about gaining confidence and health.
It's important to me that you know this: if I stay with a 95 pound reduction and never reach that 100 pound goal, I'm OK with that fact. My well being is not about a magic number that I picked out two years ago, this month. My well being is about being healthy--- physically and emotionally. It's about looking good and feeling good. It's about loving life. My well being is about finally connecting body, mind, and spirit to be the person I was created to be.
This eating plan is a lifestyle change and not just another diet. As a result, every part of my being has changed: physical, emotional, spiritual. I am active. I like who I am and who I have become. I have a new outlook on living the golden years.
Indeed, I regret that I was such a huge skeptic. Just think! I could have enjoyed this journey toward health and wholeness three years sooner. The process of the Six Week Body Makeover, however, has created a very grateful believer.
Thank you, Michael Thurmond, for sharing this gift of life.
Jane K., a.k.a. "plainjane"
PHOTOS BELOW
WHERE I LOST INCHES
Neck --------- 4 in
Shoulders --- 10 in
Chest -------- 11 in
L Bicep ----- 6 ½ in
R Bicep ----- 6 ½ in
L Forearm -- 3 in
R Forearm -- 3 in
Waist -------- 13 in
Hips --------- 12 in
L Thigh ----- 10 ½ in
R Thigh ----- 10 ½ in
L calf -------- 4 in
R calf -------- 3 in
TOTAL 97 inches
*MAINTAINED FOR 9 MONTHS*