Back in 2008 I had a moment of "I've had it" and decided it was time to lose weight.

And I did.

Before all was said and done I'd lost about sixty pounds.

It took more than a year.

I went to Planet Fitness EVERY DAY.

I walked on the treadmill. I put in hours on the elliptical. I did the weight circuit.

I was there religiously. I went to OTHER Planet Fitness gyms when I was on vacation and visiting my mother.

I was committed and it was working.

Here's the problem: my diet was still crap. And this led to two other problems:

First, it was taking forever to lose the weight. Second, It was hard to see a measurable difference in my appearance even though my clothes were all fitting better and I was obviously losing.

I just didn't think I looked very good.

So after a while I started going every other day. Then it was twice a week, then I wound up paying for another six months and never went... but I didn't want to "quit" so I kept paying.

Does this story sound familiar?

I just realized that my frame is now smaller than it was then. I can actually get into clothes I fit into then.

(By "clothes" I mean a pair of jeans I used to be able to pull up over my belly because they got too big and are now too big once again)

Logically speaking, there's no way I've lost over 100 pounds in a couple months.

See, back in 2008 and 2009 I was losing weight but it was mostly water weight.

I wasn't losing fat because I kept eating carbs and unbalanced meals and fast food... I slowed it down a little but I was still eating it.

My estimation (based on a few factors, some of which I've already shared, some of which are more personal) is that I'm probably hovering around the 300 mark right now, maybe a little less.

And yet I'm smaller than I was five years ago at about 255.

This is why we all need to stay off the scale.

Because if I convince myself that I'm 255 and I'm 295... game over, baby. I'll be headed for the nearest pizza and washing it down with the first available beer.

So it doesn't matter. I look now like I did then. It's all good.

I remember Julie talking about two people who had about the same physique but one was 20-30 pounds heavier.

She also talked about two people who were the same weight. One looked to be the right weight for his height, the other looked chubby. Same height, same weight, totally different bodies.

It's not about numbers. It's about looking good and being well.

What number equals "well?"

Precisely.

July 22, 2013

I always wonder what my fellow "losers" eat. New ideas and variety are important and always welcome.

My favorites are:

• Pan-fried pork Loin - Chop coated in cumin or paprika. Cook in preheated pan with little olive oil for 4mins per side..a nice crust forms.
• Soft omelet - 2 eggs + 1 tbsp water. When beginning to set add fresh thyme leaves and one slice of thin Swiss cheese torn into bits.
• 2 hard boiled eggs served warm with some meat.
• Jennie-o frozen turkey burger cooked well enough to be dry like bread.
• Shrimp sauteed with butter and cumin.
• Smoked salmon rolled up over dill frond and capers and dab sour cream.
• Shirred egg - Coat ramekin with butter and chopped fresh herbs...can also add chopped sauteed mushrooms...crack in one egg...pour 1 tbsp evaporated whole milk on top bake til done.
• Bacon - only once in awhile.
• Cube steaks with Worcestershire.
• Veggie omelet.
• Spinach crustless quiche - 3 eggs + 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese + garlic powder or 2-3 garlic cloves + 1 cup grated cheddar only loosely packed and put mixture in pie plate and bake at 350 about 40 minutes.
• Dinner leftovers always good. 

 What do you eat for breakfast??

July 20, 2013

It has been fun to notice nontraditional signs of weight loss. Keep your eye out for yours...some examples...seeing the veins and bones on tops of your feet..narrower fingers...bony shoulders when showering...vertical grooves on outside of thighs...hip bones visible and palpable...smaller armpits when shaving...walking with smoother and longer strides... What are your unexpected weight loss signs?

July 19, 2013

If you are on the fence about Julie or if you're on the waiting list hoping you're not about to waste $600, I have a story that will put all your fears or apprehensions to rest once and for all.

My wife is currently on Julie's wait list.

We couldn't go at the same time owing to work responsibilities and childcare issues, etc.

That and I wanted to see if this was going to work before I shelled out $1200 instead of $600. Let's just be honest about it.

I remember the day my wife came home from the doctor in 2002 sobbing because they'd found sugar in her urine.

34 years old and she had Diabetes. It was inevitable. All her female relatives have had it.

But getting it at 34 is just ridiculous.

I have always been a bit concerned with how she manages it and there have been a couple blood sugar scares along the way.

It's 11 years later now and things are starting to catch up to both of us now that we're in our 40s.

Once I started on the Program, I simply stopped putting things on the table I couldn't eat. I still make mac 'n cheese for my son. He's Autistic and only eats certain foods.

He gets a pass.

I've been serving nothing but meat and vegetables at dinner for the past two months now (I do 90% of the cooking at home). My wife continues to hit the drive-thru and continues drinking diet soda.

She says she's slowed down but I see the empty bags in her car.

I know how she defines "slowing down."

Here's an idea of just how well this program works.

She's eating like I eat for one meal a day.

She has actually been slowing down more than I expected on the fast food. I'll give her props for that. It's still a thing, but it's a smaller thing.

Following the diet one meal a day, she went to our doctor today and I got this text from her afterward:

"In just over 3 months, my blood sugar A1C has gone from a 10 to 7.5. Goal is below 7. Dr Johnson is THRILLED...Turns out she went to key a few months ago and looks it."

She's been following my lead at dinner and that's what has happened. I can only imagine what's going to happen when she's All In.

And... bonus! Our doctor is also a friend of Julie now so she can keep our weight a secret and help us succeed AND we know that our doctor not only gets it but endorses it. That's a huge deal to me.

July 18, 2013

I thought some folks would like to see an even more dramatic "Before and During" pic. This one is from earlier this year. The one from 2011 had me at about...340. The "Before" was this past April at the beginning of a paranormal investigation out in Wachusett (yep, I hunt ghosts...it's how I roll). I was about 365-375 pounds. Truth be told, I never took my final weight before going to Julie but it was at least 365 (and I know it was higher). You can REALLY see the difference in the "during" picture which was taken this past Saturday. Enjoy!

 

July 17, 2013

Today's hero story comes from Meaghan. Her story is controversial, but such controversy does not negate Meaghan's success and her truth. She owns her program, which is what each of have to do for ourselves. I share her story to provide support to those of you who are on this journey in a different way than the rest of us, so you too may celebrate your successes.

Here's a photo story...top solo photo is me summer 2011, right before Julie. Photo of my husband and I is June 2010, one year after having my daughter. Bottom photo is one year ago at dh's (dear husband's) cousins wedding. And the last photo is me and my kids, November 4, 2012, after I ran my first (last!), half marathon.

If I can do it...yes...anyone can! It's all a mind set. Honestly. Trust me. I'll be honest...I'm not on plan a lot. I'm maintaining in the way that works for me. I work out now, on a good week, 5 to 6 times a week. I don't want people to think I'm perfect, because I'm not. Hardly! Lol! I thought everything was all over when I did x y or z. I stick around here, to tell you it's not. That you CAN and WILL still be successful. I've wanted to drop this (Facebook) group many, many times due to the stress or guilt it causes me. Lol! Oh the guilt! Even now, two years later.

But it works. And I still use A LOT of what I have learned. I would pay the price again just to learn everything she taught us, even without weight loss. So, today is a new day. Get up and OWN IT.

BECAUSE YOU CAN!!!

Oh, and that last photo at the half marathon? I am obese in that photo, and well, the one with my husband at the wedding too (according to the BMI). I was around 170 lbs.

You can do it. I did it. I continue to do it. And you can too.

You just have to believe....

09/24/13 Update

This "before" photo (below) really hit home and struck a chord with me. I would never take a side view photo. This photo is actually of two of my kids in a sandbox and somehow I got in the camera frame...ha! But now, what a great comparison. And my sister said it would make a great weight loss ad. I got a good chuckle out of that -- you know, the ones you see on TV and say, "that is SO not the same person!" But it is. I swear. And I will now post it on my fridge and pillow...and mirrors...and cabinets...lol!

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.

July 15, 2013

Today's Hero story is from Joseph, whose life has changed after seven weeks of following Julie's program. Joseph was excited to tell his story and to become a blog contributor.

Left: Before (2011) | Right: A few weeks ago

365 pounds. I couldn't believe it.

I was at the doctor because I was in the middle of the worst bout of Asthma I had experienced in about five years. The inhaler wasn't going to cut it. I needed some Prednisone and I needed it NOW.

As always, they put me on the scale.

I HATE that part.

This time, though, I was about to hate it a whole lot more than normal.

I have always been overweight, but I spent years justifying my poor eating habits by telling myself that I may not be losing but I'm also not gaining.

Then I turned 40 and it was like someone flipped a switch inside me.

My grandmother had died only a couple months earlier and, like with every other problem in my life, I turned to food the way some people turn to alcohol or drugs.

I had a moderately successful weight loss about a year before but when I gained back every pound I told myself that it wouldn't get any worse.

I continued to grieve and I continued to eat. Within six months I had gained another 50 pounds.

I could not believe what had happened to me or that I had allowed it to happen.

Something had to change and it had to change now.

The problem is I had no direction and had no clue what that "something" was going to be.

Then someone on Facebook told me about a hypnotist in West Springfield who helps people lose weight.

It would be nearly another year before I acted on that information.

During that year, my body started shutting down.

I developed arthritis in my left ankle and could barely walk. I still wear a brace.

I couldn't perform simple housework without extreme pain in my ankle and back. I could not stand to cook a meal.

I couldn't get off my couch without a struggle.

To stand up from any sitting position I needed something to hang onto.

If I was on my knees I was staying there unless someone helped me up.

I couldn't drive for more than 10 minutes without pain.

I couldn't walk more than a quarter mile.

I was always tired and routinely fell asleep at the wheel.

In February 2013 I finally decided I'd had enough.

I was dying. It was obvious. If I still had six months I would have been VERY surprised.

I finally made the call to Julie and got on the waiting list.

In the meantime I tried to get motivated. I tried to cut down on carbs and eat better, but when the call came in that there was a spot for me, I was eating lunch in the parking lot at Subway.

I wanted to live but I just couldn't stand being in this body anymore.

I was depressed and angry and I just wanted to find someplace to hole up until it was time to start my hypnotherapy.

When the day came I approached it with mixed feelings.

Could this really work? Did I have the strength of will to accept the suggestions and act on them?

I was NOT prepared to be put on a restrictive diet.

I was naive enough to think that Julie would just hypnotize me into not wanting carbs and that would be that.

After my first session I came home and collapsed.

I could NEVER see myself following this diet.

The emotions that manifested that night were identical to going through a breakup, and I was.

I was ending a years-long abusive relationship that was literally killing me and it HURT.

Lots of people in abusive relationships miss their abusers when they break things off with them. They want them back knowing full well what would happen.

Then something amazing happened.

I made it through the first night.

I didn't eat any bread or pasta or anything else that would normally be on the menu.

Then I woke up the second day and I made my breakfast. Again, I kept the diet, and I kept it all day.

Then I woke up on day three. I was alert. I didn't hurt. I didn't feel sick. I didn't have any reflux.

That night I noticed that I was able to get off the couch with minimal difficulty.

I kept the diet the whole first week. I let nothing sweet touch my tongue. I ate no nuts. I didn't get on the scale.

I was doing this. It was working.

By the end of week one I was working in my garden and it occurred to me that I had stood up from a kneel with no aid.

I thought I'd imagined it… so I tried it again, consciously this time.

And I did it again.

I kept the diet the entire second week and had my second session in between.

My wife and I went out for dinner for our 20th anniversary.

I kept the diet.

By the time I had my last session with Julie I had not once deviated from the diet even under circumstances where at any other time in my life I would have caved.

But I kept it 100 percent.

But now the cord was being cut. How would I deal with that?

There would be no more "recharging the battery." Now it was up to me.

During week five my wife and I went away for a long weekend at a resort in the Poconos. I kept the diet in the midst of buffet dinners with pasta and bread and sweets of every description. I even made the kitchen fix me some steamed vegetables with my breakfast.

Later in the week our son joined us and we spent a few more days in Pennsylvania. I kept the diet in the middle of an amusement park where I spent the day smelling caramel corn and funnel cakes and watched people downing soda by the quart and inhaling soft serve, cheeseburgers, candy apples and everything in between.

I'm now in week #7 and today I tried on the shirt I wore to my grandmother's funeral. It was too big. I tried on another shirt I bought last year after I gained all the weight and… well, I'll let you have a look at the picture.

July 7, 2013 (week 7)

Now, I know that we're not supposed to get on the scale but there's no rule against estimating.

The shirt I wore to my grandmother's funeral at 315 pounds was too big on me. Logically that means I've lost anywhere between 50 and 70 pounds in SEVEN WEEKS.

I can now mow my entire lawn, front and back yards, without taking a single break and with NO back pain.

I can stand up from almost any sitting position unaided.

I can cook and do housework without losing my breath and without back pain.

The best part? This is just the beginning. I have a lot of weight to lose and I see it as an adventure now. I can't wait until the "after" picture below is the new "before" picture.

It'll happen…

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.

July 15, 2013

As some of you know I am a grandmother of now 4 little ones. Our 4th was born June 12th. Such excitement to welcome a new little life again!

Except this time was different. I was going to be able to witness the birth of this little boy, my daughter wanted me in there with her and her husband and others. I was VERY excited but nervous, how would I be, watching my daughter in pain...

I got to the hospital when she was nearing transition. She was probably an hour away from having this little one. I sat in a corner away from the excitement, quietly observing and praying.

All of a sudden things took a turn for the worst and instead of witnessing a birth, I was waiting while my daughter and grandson were fighting for their lives.

To make a long story short, they are fine, a long long recovery is still ahead of us, but they are alive and with us today, by the Grace of God. Placenta Abruption is VERY serious.

Anyway, the reason for my story is that during all this stress, all this anxiousness, all this extra work for me, all this loss of sleep, I realized that I have not gone off program at all or even considered it!

I am a mood eater, an emotional eater, I binged when I was happy, sad, angry, frustrated, sick, stressed and so on. Especially stressed, I could eat the house when I was stressed.

As I sit back and contemplate the last 3 months of my life, it has been extremely stressful and the stress won't be leaving any time soon. And yet, without thinking about it, I have stuck to Julie's program. I don't need to start over again, I am still on my journey.

AGAIN, WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT, I HAVE STUCK TO JULIE'S PROGRAM!!

Automatic!! Part of my life now without having to give it a second thought!

HOW GREAT IS THAT!!!

For me, this is one of the GREATEST AHA moments I could ask for!!

By the way, my little grandson was 9 lbs, 1 ounce and 20 1/2" long and is named Dawsyn!! A beautiful Italian looking baby!!!

July 09, 2013