Friend of Julie: What a Difference a Year Makes…

Today's hero story is from Jill. I met Jill in July of 2012 when she was just a newbie to the program, when a few key friends decided to meet up (see photo of that gathering below).  Jill has come a long way in the year since she started her journey. She's one of my heroes. Here's her story...

Jill in April 2012 (left) in June 2013 (right)

Jill
Started: June 8, 2012
Current size: 8 and working to reach my goal size 6 soon!
Largest size: 18/20W and 1X-2X

This is Jill when I first met her (07/27/12) - wearing purple on right.

A few years ago my mother told me about a friend of hers that had lost all this weight with hypnosis. I filed that information away with all the other self-help advice and didn’t give it much thought. Months later my boss was noticeably losing weight and when I asked her about it, once again hypnosis came up. When I figured out that my mother and my boss were talking about the same person, my interest was piqued and I made the call. Finally, this very kind hygienist told me about her weight loss and of course, she also went to Julie. I’ll never forget her big eyes behind her mask expressively telling me to drop everything and see Julie when I got the call. We all ask for signs or maybe ask a higher power for help. Was I waiting for a choir or neon sign? Meeting Jennifer helped me to know I had made the right choice. I truly feel I was guided to Julie’s door.

May 2012 - size 18/20W

If you graphed my weight gains and losses over the years it would look like a very bad stock market report. I gained and lost weight in college. I gained weight when I started working, then I lost it before I got married. I had two children and gained and gained. I lost significant weight after my second daughter was born only to gain it back and more. My last attempt was around the time my husband turned 40 as I was hosting a huge party for him. Of course I lost it for the event and then gained back more than ever. Waving my white flag of defeat, never wanting to diet again, I’ve spent the last 5 years well over 200 pounds. Feeling unable and uninterested in failing yet again I settled in to my world of 18W and 1X-2X clothes. To make things worse, I know I gained about 20 pounds eating all those “last suppers” during the 5 months while I was waiting to see Julie. I had become a mess.

I saw Julie on June 8, 2012. I was very nervous and really felt like this was my last chance. At 44, I was tired of decades of yo-yo dieting. I was tired of wasting hard-earned money on diet programs and even therapy. I had convinced myself that I’d always be an emotional eater. How could this woman in West Springfield know more about me than I already did? Eventually, I told the mean voice in my head to shut up and I went into the session with an open mind. I enjoyed the sessions with Julie and feverishly scribbled down everything I could remember about the eating plan that first night. How could I go forward without lists and papers? I had a lot of deep-rooted connections with food and the early months after the 3 initial sessions were not as easy for me as others. We went on a family vacation about 2 months after I started and I felt deprived that everyone else was eating ice cream and having snacks. I remember Julie saying not to feel this way, but I often allowed myself to wallow. It truly took me this full year of experiencing all the vacations, holidays and social events to understand that I did not die without those foods. I survived my summer vacation and started getting a better attitude.

August 2012 - size 15W and XL top

I felt like Julie was helping me with the bread and pasta cravings right away, but I still wanted the junk food. Unbelievably, I have not strayed from the program, but I can’t count how many times I was close during those first 6 months. I made it through my birthday in October without cake and Christmas without cookies. I would have never believed those events could exist without sugar. But just like after the Grinch stole all the goodies from the Who’s, life went on without treats!

December 2012 - size 14

Then there was a long and cold winter. My body was very happy right where it was and I accepted a plateau of about 3 months. I had asked Julie to be a size 12 and I had surpassed that!

January 2013 - size 12 (left)  early February 2013 - size 10

Everyone was so kind to me and I was going through clothes sizes like crazy. I understood this way of eating so much better by now, but still struggled with wanting to go back to old habits and old foods. Trying to push it away like Julie taught us helps and I try so hard to remember that nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

These are my latest pictures, which prove that this life-changing way of eating and looking at food truly does work. I am grateful to have met Julie and all the people I have found on support websites.  I am more energetic, optimistic and so much happier than I was a year ago. This week is my one year “Julieversary” and I hope this was informative to anyone who is considering the program or living one day at time on the road to food freedom.

May 2013 - size 8

Congratulations on your incredible success Jill and thanks for sharing your journey with us.

Read more Hero stories... or share your story - send me an email by clicking on my name (Theresa) on the bottom of the list of contributors in the left column of any page.