A
Body Type:
A
Smart Behavior:
Emotional Eater
Start Weight:
315
Current Weight:
209
Goal Weight:
150
Posts: 14
Joined: 5/20/2005
Status:
offline
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JANA'S STORY:
To say that I have always had a weight problem is an understatement! I was born the "smallest" of my mom's three children at 8 pounds 4 ounces, but quickly ballooned to her largest child within a few years' time. By the time I started to elementary school, I was a giant compared to the other first graders because of my height and my weight. (My folks tell me that I kicked a fellow first grade girl for accusing me of "flunking!") By the time I was in third grade I weighed 130+ pounds and hit 200 pounds by the seventh grade. By high school I was between 225 and 250 most of the time. My whole adult life has only once been below 200 pounds, and that was a brief stay at 188 in the late 70's. Since 1981 I have gone up and down between 200 and 315 pounds. Needless to say, my metabolism was null and void after all the yo-yoing!
At the beginning of 2005, I kept experiencing an overwhelming "excitement" in my spirit. I had no idea what it was for or what it meant. Then, on Sunday morning, January 23rd, Roger and I were surfing through TV channels and came upon an infomercial for Michael Thurmond's "Six Week Body Makeover." The infomercial promised a money-back guarantee if you did not lose 30 pounds in six weeks. The plan appealed to us because it felt "do-able" and because it was perfect for my diabetic "eating schedule" of eating a small portion of food every two-to-three hours. It appealed to Roger because it was designed to increase one's metabolism AND (being the accountant he is) it promised our money back if it did not work. We felt we had nothing to lose (besides the weight). Well, within the six weeks' time, we BOTH had lost 30 pounds and were feeling better than ever. Roger reached his goal of 100 pounds lost in six months' time. I was at 75 pounds lost in six months' time. I had many challenges, and lots of plateaus, but I kept right on plugging away at it, all with a desired (short-term) goal to reach 100 pounds lost by Christmas! Well, praise God, I exceeded my goal and reached it BEFORE THANKSGIVING!
I can't begin to tell you how exciting it is to have the "outer" part of me lining-up with the "inner" part of me that has been set free! For so many years I used food as my comfort! I built a wall of fat around me in an attempt to keep HURT out! Over the past ten years, God has done an incredible work in my inner person, setting me free from addictions and negative, painful memories of my past. I was bewildered, however, as to why my outer person wasn't showing the same! BUT GOD! He began to change my thoughts about food, and He gave me a deep longing to trust Him regarding my outer person! As I began to trust Him and believe that He was, indeed, doing a work on the OUTSIDE of me as well, He began to do that work! In addition to the weight loss, I am down from a size 32 to a size 18. Unfortunately, we misplaced our original measurements so I don't know an exact loss in inches, but it is significant! My husband's arms more than reach around me now!
I never knew how much the guilt of my being overweight affected me-especially in the area of music ministry-until I lost the weight and started allowing God to use me again! I was honored to lead the music for the national First Place seminars for seven years. (First Place is a Christian weight loss program geared to the "whole" person.) During that time, however, I was not committed to my weight loss and became more and more overcome with guilt and condemnation for myself. My effectiveness as a minister decreased as my hatred for myself increased. I am so grateful for the freedom He has brought to my life and to the ministry He has called me to.
I would never have expected that eating more and exercising less would be the recipe for my success. I will forever be grateful to Michael Thurmond and the Six Week Body Makeover plan for revolutionizing my life. For the first time in a long, long while I am enjoying:
• crossing my legs;
• sitting comfortably in airplane seats and not having to ask for a seatbelt extension;
• putting my hose/socks on without keeling over in exhaustion;
• walking around the air-conditioned grocery store and not being drenched with sweat, looking like I've just stepped out of the shower, when I'm checking out. (Before I lost the weight, I had a cashier say to me, "You sure do sweat a lot." Talk about humiliation!);
• not having to shop at "fat-lady stores" (as my friend calls them);
• closer intimacy with my husband (you get my drift!);
• not having to rest 15 minutes out of the hour every weekend while cooking and cleaning;
• having a lap on which to hold my grandchildren when they come for a visit;
• bending over with ease to pick something up off of the floor; and
• my newfound energy.
When I first began this program, I would sit and watch the 6WBM infomercial over and over again. The testimonies of the individuals inspired me to keep going and to believe that I could do it. I pray that my story will give hope to someone who has no hope of ever being the person they long to be. I am so grateful that because of this plan I will never be the same!
ROGER'S STORY:
The Six Week Body Makeover Plan took me by complete surprise! When we took the six week challenge, I never expected the weight would peel off so quickly. I lost 11 pounds the first week and averaged around five pounds a week for the next four months. It was simply amazing to me. The last time I rented a tuxedo it was a size 54 and my waist had ballooned to 52 inches. I now wear a size 44 tuxedo comfortably and my waist is down 14 inches. I went from 308 pounds at the start to 208 pounds in only six months on this amazing plan! I really did eat more and exercise less than I ever had on any other diet plan attempted in my entire 53 years on this planet. I am completely sold on the effectiveness of the 6WBM plan.
Probably more than anything else, I was astonished to continue to lose weight at a rapid pace after the first six weeks. I really thought that six weeks would be the plateau and it would all be over, but that was not the case. Jana did a terrific job of planning meals and cooking on the weekends so that we could take our plan with us in a cooler every day to work. Since, we were both on the plan and eating approximately the same foods (Jana was a Body Type "A" and I was a "B"), there was NO food in this house that would tempt us, and that was a BIG help. We also work together and commute together, so we were a constant encouragement to one another.
Jana did get discouraged at times initially when she compared her progress with mine. I lost so fast and everyone noticed. She was losing, too, but no one said a thing until she'd lost over 55 pounds. The good thing is that I went on maintenance after six months and she lost an additional 25 pounds in the ensuing four months after that time. Everyone noticed then . . . especially when she was requested to sing a duet with her long-time favorite Gospel singer, Cynthia Clawson, on November 4th (my birthday) at Baptist Temple in Houston, Texas. What a night that was! She looked so gorgeous wearing her smaller wardrobe and singing in front of people who had enjoyed her voice for 40 years - and who were witnessing the new down-sized Jana on the stage. Even her dad didn't recognize her from the auditorium on the stage at one point. We both have enjoyed the experience repeatedly of people not recognizing us because of our weight loss. This week I saw a gentleman I hadn't seen for several years. Now, I'm getting used to my present size and don't think about it anymore, but he was amazed, and it made me appreciative again for the transformation that 6WBM has made in my appearance.
Gratefully, not only has our appearance improved, but our entire health. Jana takes NO medication for her diabetes and controls it entirely with diet now. (Her Type II diabetic mother has also joined us on the 6WBM Plan and has just recently had her diabetes medication reduced by her doctor. He told her that if she continues to lose weight, she will not ever have to worry about diabetes again.) We both appreciate little things like being able to tie our shoes easily AND, since we live in the tropics of Houston where it is often 100 degrees and muggy, it is so nice not to sweat profusely like we did when we were heavier. I had gotten to the point at 308 pounds that I almost fell asleep at the wheel of my vehicle every day. It was scary. I'd have to drink Red Bull or eat constantly to stay awake. Since losing my weight, I rarely have that sensation. Also, prior to losing weight, I was gasping for air in my sleep at night; Jana reports that I no longer struggle to maintain regular breathing. She sleeps better, too, knowing that my breathing is no longer in jeopardy!
Our pastor, Joel Osteen, always talks about New Beginnings. What a wonderful New Beginning 2005 was for us! We drive a small Ford Focus and, being an accountant, I always track the mileage. I was commenting to Jana that our mileage was continuing to improve on our vehicle and I couldn't identify why. When we had gone up three miles a gallon on every tank, it finally dawned on me that between us we'd lost a large 200-pound person and that was the reason for our improved mileage. So, if you want to improve your appearance, your energy level, your health and your car's gas mileage - TRY THE 6WBM PLAN! The IRS gives a tax credit if you buy a hybrid car. Wouldn't it be delightful if we could convince them to give a tax credit for the cost of our plans, because we're helping the environment with our improved miles per gallon as the pounds melt away?!
I THANK GOD FOR GUIDING US TO THE SIX WEEK BODY MAKEOVER PLAN; I THANK JANA FOR HER FAITHFUL MEAL PREPARATION AND PLANNING; I THANK JOEL OSTEEN FOR ENCOURAGING US TO BELIEVE WE COULD CHANGE; AND I THANK MICHAEL THURMAN FOR MAKING THIS PLAN AFFORDABLE TO ALL WHO SO DESPERATELY NEED A NEW LEASE ON LIFE!
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