For those of you struggling on your weight loss story, here's a story from one of our key friends who overcame the many obstacles in her life and successfully reached her goal size. Melissa shares how she went off program three times and got back on program on her own.
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| It's been an unforgettable four years! |
April 19 was my four-year anniversary since hypnosis. To say the least, it has been an unforgettable four years.
When I began this journey I was 42, weighed 232 pounds, was stuffed into a size 20/22 with high blood pressure, a fatty liver and I was a borderline diabetic with a five-year old daughter. I was the epitome of unhealthy.
I will never forget my doctor appointment in November 2011 when I was told if I didn't change my lifestyle my daughter would grow up without her mother; that's all I needed to hear. I called Julie's office and I was added to the wait list. I finally received my call for April 19, 2012.
That call changed my life.
I went nearly 2 ½ years 100% on plan, cycled through maintenance and I
have had 3 rough patches of screwing up, because I'm human.
When I went
off-program the first time, I chose to disappear and hide instead of owning my
mistakes. Since then I learned a valuable lesson: to make the conscious
decision to do it so I must own it. Being vocal about it seems to have
helped others know that it's OK, shit happens, we're all human, and that by
owning it I became accountable. It's made it easier for me to be honest
and embarrassed in hopes I can give other the motivation to get back on
track.
I'm happy to say that I'm in a really good place now. What I've come to realize is we are never fully happy with our bodies and this is something I am working on now. I totally went off plan, but I also know that it only brought me more sadness, frustration, and sheer fear of never being able to regain control.
But guess what? It's mind over matter...
I've gone off program three times and I've had the mental ability to get right back on track without a refresher to do so.
I went back on-program with this theory: the time is going to pass either way, I can make the best of it and follow what I've learned or be miserable and unhealthy again. Time is not going to stop for me and so I need to commit.
Before I knew it, five months passed, and it was honestly mindless.
It's been since 2012 when I was initially hypnotized by Julie and nearly three years since my last refresher. I've got this on my own. So if your still questioning,
"Can we get back and lose without a refresher?" the answer is absolutely,
positively, 110% yes!
Never give up hope because it's all within you. I will continue this
lifestyle, because it's taught me so much about myself and I'm so much
happier as a smaller me.
My weight loss progression during the last four years:
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| My starting picture taken the night before hypnosis. |
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| April 2012 - November 2012 |
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| At my smallest being a size 4/6. |
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| June 2013 at my fittest |
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| September 2013 |
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| December 2014 |
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| Off-plan from Dec, 2014 back on by May 2015 |
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| February 2016 |
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| February 2016 |
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| Current photo |
I guess my point is this: we will have ups and downs. Just be aware
that your capable of anything you put your mind to because you have all
the power!
I'm looking forward to see what the next 4 years brings!
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| Fitting into one leg of my starting size pants |
The picture above to show the pants I started with and working my butt off to get my body in just one of the legs, to me that is success! That's my last 4 year journey after hypnosis!
Thank you Melissa for sharing your journey with us. For those of us who have been struggling, it's refreshing to hear from others who have been where we are and have made it to their goal size.
You've inspired me in so many ways. One way, is that I will begin to share more about my imperfect year, so I too may help others who are struggling. Another blog contributor is joining me in posting the successful journey back from the side-trip and on-program once more.
We're all in this together, but it is a solo journey as we make each choice to live a healthy life!
Thank you Melissa!! You are doing great, you look GREAT and it is wonderful to hear that we ARE only human!!!! and that it CAN be done!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda! A wise "heathen" once told me, MINDSET is everything & she was right. We can either simplify our journey or create speed bumps along the way and I've done both over the last 4+ years. The truth of it all is we have to be patient, consistent & kind to ourselves :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right on! I've been back and forth a few times myself, but always go back after just a little while. It's the way I live now. I was hypnotized in 2009. Thanks Melissa. Thanks for sharing and the pictures. It's always good to read about what others go through and see the facts in the pictures.
ReplyDeleteTrudy, you too are an inspiration!
DeleteBRAVO Melissa!!!! You were my Cheerleader when I started and I am sooooo proud of you and I am SOOOO Grateful to you for your belief in all of us who start on this journey and dont have any idea where we will end up....I see from what you have shared that we all have wonderful, warm, fuzzy things to look forward to...as long as we BELIEVE!!!!! Believe in the tools we have been given, the gift we have been given and in OURSELVES! Thank you Melissa, for putting yourself out there for all of us to learn from. Hugs!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Melissa and Theresa! It feels that we are all maturing in our bodily journeys. Learning to be kinder with ourselves and others, learning that things don't usually happen smoothly, and that doesn't need to mean doom and despair. I've gone up and down several times - felt that I'd lost it completely, scared that I wouldn't able to get back to sanity, and then found that I could, also without a refresher. What has been stable, since I began with Julie, is that I no longer go unconscious. I know when I'm not eating well, because I know how I feel when I am, and I don't just go into denial while sedating myself with food. It took a lot of courage to write your story Melissa, probably more than most, because so many people rightly see you as a teacher. This is the best teaching you could possibly do. There may be a rare few for whom the journey is easy and one-way, but I think they are the minority. And we all need something new to be ashamed of like a hole in the head! So being able to talk with each other about the struggles is such a gift.
ReplyDeleteEva
Eva,
ReplyDeleteYes, learning to be kinder to ourselves is key on our weight loss journey, as is staying conscious! Your journey has also been a great inspiration for me and other! Thanks for sharing your stories with us too!
Thank you Penny & Eva for your kind words, we have all been in this for years now and have definitely learned and supported eachorger throughout the process. Though life gets hectic at times I will always remember those whom I started this journey with! You have also been an inspiration to me!! Hugs to you both!xo
ReplyDeleteYou look great Melissa! Wondering how you got your arms to look so good? Even when I am at goal, my arms look the same as before. How can that be?
ReplyDeleteI am totally tardy to the party, but tonight I discovered that you can order plain patties at McDonalds, and have them with a salad!!! Completely PLAIN!!! No Bun, No Cheese!! But also no pickles or onions or condiments!!! So much MUCH less salt! And far, FAR cheaper! I did not know. I had been ordering a double quarter pounder - no bun, no cheese; and trying to scrape off all the salty condiments that were FORBIDDEN by my doc... come to find out that we can get patties - regular or quarter pounder - in any quantity - for like $.70 0r $1.40 each - with no salty/greasy condiments. And add a side salad! So I had lovely meat patties, with a fabulously crisp salad and no cheese or condiments to interrupt!!! The lovely "not-so-young" man at the headset explained that I didn't need to order the whole sandwich, since people regularly ordered just the patties FOR THIER DOGS!!!!!! It took me very little time to conclude that I am almost as important as most people's dogs...
ReplyDeleteWent to my OB/GYN for my annual today (ugh)! Of course, I was weighed against my will... I mentioned that I was working on my weight, and she was oh-so-very-key-friendly! Please eat lean protein! In abundance! With some Veg - but not a lot! No carbs. Thank you. And move. A little. or more. or a lot. just MOVE, damn it....But, first, PROTEIN!!!! and then some veg... and movement...
ReplyDeleteThank you Momomig!!! A laugh before bedtime my reward for a good key day!
ReplyDeleteGlad to provide some humor, Angela. And glad to know I am not the only one to see how truly funny this was! It was like the Voice of Julie was being channelled through this unsuspecting woman to deliver to me a Free Refresher!!! I felt as though the Universe decided to kick me in the butt, and let me know that all the things I had learned, and knew to be effective, were still the best option for me. And to let me know that I didn't need a Refresher - I just needed to listen to what I ALREADY KNEW!!!!! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteAnother news bulletin from The One Who Is Tardy to the Party - I have been using MyFitnessPal to monitor my sodium intake, as I must restrict my salt. In navigating through their site, I noticed that they have a place to enter your measurements and then view graphs of your progress. Because we are not supposed to weigh ourselves (I must do do on doctor's orders to monitor my fluid retention and calibrate my medication, but I try to view this as weighing my "water") it is sometimes hard to realize that we are getting smaller. This feature may be extremely helpful for those of us who feel like we are not making any progress. The graphs are visual proof that progress is being made!
ReplyDeleteI was om the program also and lost tons of weight but after a visit to the obgyn I seen the # on the scale I would like to do the refresher but after the holidays it's just too much right now... do you think I should do the refresher cause I weighed myself or it isn't all over yet I've gained alot of weight il say 20 lbs and I really need to loose it :-(
ReplyDeleteYajaira,
DeleteThere are many of us who lost weight on the key weight loss program and, for a wide range of reasons, have gained some of our weight back. The story above about Melissa's journey of losing and gaining a few times is inspirational. She did not go in for a refresher, but "rebooted" on her own. I've heard stories from others who were also able to do this on their own and from people who went for a refresher to turn things around. This is a solo journey and only you can decide which direction to go.
The fact that you saw your weight at the doctors office may have been for a trigger for you. I've heard from people who saw their weight and stayed on program because they remembered Julie indicated that if this was not something they did intentionally, they can continue on without feeling guilty or going off program. Others felt felt discouraged because the number wasn't as low as they wanted and went off program. Again, each of us get to choose how to respond.
My advice to you is to make a decision one way or another and make it soon. Choose to start again today, right now and stay the course or call the office for a refresher. The longer we put off making the decision, the more weight we can gain.
Don't give up on yourself. My decision to start again today has failed every day for the past four days, but today I'm starting again. I don't count past my first day, as this is a journey and my "failures" are all a party of my journey.
Thank you so much Teresa your words are very inspiring I did start the program on my own today and hope to continue doing good I will continue to try my best if I can't or it seems too dificil I will contact the key and schedule a refresher
DeleteGood for you Yajaira! You've got this!
ReplyDelete