A couple months ago I finally reached a point where I had had enough! When I looked in the mirror I didn’t recognize myself…bloated, no energy, muffin top. The seam down my pant leg (the ones I could still get my leg into) were pulled and practically sweating as they struggled to stay closed.  And I just had this overall “thick” feeling. I was tracking what I was eating (sort of) and was working out (kind of), but I continued to gain weight.  I was quickly approaching my “scary weight” and starting to feel kind of helpless. I had lost all my inner strength and determination to stay motivated.  I also realized that I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this because most would just say “What are you worried about? You’re fine.” I’m not one to strive for “fine.” I tried going back to my old tried and true favorite, Weight Watchers, for some inspiration and structure as I thought they would be able to help me pull it together like they had all those years ago.  And truthfully, I love Oprah and was inspired by her recent belief in the program.  I also started shopping exclusively at Whole Foods (it has to be good for me – it’s Whole Foods).  I even bought a new copy of The South Beach Diet…it worked for me 20 years ago and it’s working for Kim Kardashian now – so why not?
Well, I paid for a 3-month online subscription to Weight Watchers and have only logged in once. After one day of tracking I knew my heart wasn’t in it. There was nothing new and exciting about the program. In hindsight, I should have just mailed my $60 to Oprah directly. I also realized that just because I’m shopping at Whole Foods, doesn’t mean the food is actually good for me. Especially when I fill my cart with the same food and drink that put me in the position that I am in – cheese, crackers, crusty Italian bread, beer. The only difference is that at Whole Foods it now costs me an (organic) arm and a leg.  And as far as South Beach, I didn’t even crack the book open. I used Amex points on Amazon, and I have Amazon Prime, so it literally cost me nothing. That made it easy to just throw it on a bookshelf and forget about it. At this point I had succumbed to the fact that maybe this is just me now, this is what I look like and it can’t be changed. I kept thinking, “people” say that once you are in your 40’s it is damn near impossible to lose weight, so maybe this is it. In reality, I knew deep down that I wasn’t trying very hard, and I was just letting myself off the hook, but I didn’t know how to fix it.
Coincidentally, around the same time I was having these feelings, I overheard several women in my office raving about a new doctor that had opened up an office in our building.  They had attended a “lunch-n-learn” seminar that he had hosted, where he talked about his approach to nutrition and long-term health, and apparently to drum up some new business.  After his seminar, these women had immediately signed up for his program and were simply giddy as they talked about how well it was working. When I overheard them talking, I immediately barged into the conversation to find out more. “Who are you talking about? Tell me about the program? Are you starving? How do you feel?” They all told me about how the fat was melting off their bodies like a popsicle on a hot day, their energy was through the roof, and they were never hungry. I could feel their excitement, and I wanted to feel that excitement too! This was just the motivation I needed! I immediately went back to my office and called to make an appointment.
When I met with “Dr. M” for my initial consult he immediately started to talk to me about how the notion of “calories in vs. calories out” is ridiculous. He explained how foods affect our bodies in different ways as it goes through different “metabolic pathways,” and how the foods we eat can directly affect the hormones that regulate when and how much we eat (I’m in finance not an endocrinologist, slow down there, Doc). Simply put, the type of foods we eat are just as important as the calorie count of the food we are eating. So his approach is to create a personalized program for each patient (there is no one size fits all plan) based on their hormone levels, which is determined through their blood work. He focuses on balancing hormone levels, improving lifestyle habits, losing excess weight and teaching all the strategies I will need to maintain my new and healthy body. And doing all of this will dramatically reduce my risk of certain diseases and raise my chances of a healthy and long life.
After listening to him, I was just as giddy as the women in my office. I felt like I had finally found a resource that was going to help me decode all of the contradictory nutritional information out there – whole milk or non-fat? Coffee or no coffee? Any fruit you want, no fruit at all? Coconut oil – for cooking or to shave my legs? Or both? And I would be able to share my new found wisdom with my husband and kids, because if I was going to be living a long healthy life, I wanted them to be there with me. This wasn’t just a temporary program, because I know those never work. This time was going to be different, it’s going to be my new way of life. So as I always do, I jumped in with both feet. It had all the elements of everything I was looking for. How could I argue with him, how could I argue with science?  “Sounds great! Where do I sign and when can I start????
Next up – 2-Week Detox…stay tuned…
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