The first time I realized I was overweight I was in 2nd grade.
My parents were divorced and I had visitation with my dad and it was the early 80′s and my dad not trying to be well meaning offered me a rabbit fur coat to lose 5 lbs and my sister a coat to gain a lb. as she was a very thin kindergartner. The next time it came up I was 12 and commented at the end of the summer that I had only gained one lb that summer I went from 125 lbs to 126 lbs and my uncle told me “you are supposed to lose weight not gain it.” I still didn’t know I was heavy unless they had mentioned it.
As I got older I started gaining more weight and I did realize that I was bigger than my friends. When I graduated from high school I was in plus sized clothes and had reached over 200 lbs. I kept gaining until I was 24 years old when I had my first child I was over 250 lbs. I just kept gaining. I tried low fat diets in the 90′s and lost weight but after that I gained even more. I was not good at losing weight. I love sweets and never wanted to try that hard. I even tried low carb once for a week or two. But giving up sweets was not easy for me. I remember once my mom took me to a doctor who gave me diet pills as a teenager.
I came to The Weigh Station after my Mom died. Her cardiologist recommended it after he told her that she was not going to live if she did not lose weight. She had her first heart attack at age 45. She is now 65 and larger than she has ever been. Unfortunately she has not stayed on the program and needs prayer. I was inspired by her initial weight loss and I tried two weeks of Weight Watchers quick start plan and thought if it does not work I will go to The Weigh Station ( I was concerned about the price) I did the Weight Watchers plan to the letter no cheating….and lost not one lb! So Weigh Station here I came!
I have followed the plan every day without cheating… not always coming in for visits because life has gotten in the way but I have stayed involved with patients on Facebook and had not cheated and not gone off the plan. ..I started at 280 lbs and I have gone down 90 lbs in 14 months. I am smaller now than I was when I was in middle school. I have never been this size in my adult life. I feel great! I see the changes in my mirror and I sometimes don’t believe it. I sometimes still see a “fat” girl staring back at me. Photos are where it really comes to life for me.
I don’t like to talk about my story much except to help others get started so they can lose weight. I started the plan in Feb 2014 and my husband started it in April 2014… He has lost 104 lbs! He has completely gotten his diabetes under control. Our lives are completely changed. We are so blessed by The Weigh Station! I can’t say thank you enough!!
-Michelle