before
I have been asked to blog about my recent weight loss success with the 17 Day Diet. This, in itself, is somewhat miraculous. I say this because less than a year ago I was trying to come to terms with the fact I was never going to be that petite girl of my youth again. I was trying to accept and like this larger version of myself. See, while most overweight people will say, “I have been overweight my whole life,” or ”I am a big girl with a skinny girl trying to get out,” I had been the skinny girl for most of my youth. This changed as I went through the ups and downs of life and living by the motto, “There is a food for every mood.” Slowly and surely I let the fat girl out. At 5 feet tall I was rocking (or not) the size 12/14 mom jeans, suffering with terrible acid reflux, and avoiding mirrors (not to mention bathing suit shopping). Suddenly the wildly social girl was avoiding seeing people who had not seen her in a while. I was afraid they would be shocked at my weight. Damn, I was unhappy. Yet, despite this, the old skinny girl from my youth could not accept that I could not eat the way I always had. I still had the palette of a 5 year old girl (Fruit Loops and Mallomars anyone?) now combined with a taste for the finer food and good drinks in life. This, combined with the metabolism of an almost 50 year old woman, well, let’s just say things were not going to end well.
[Image]While the denial was strong, I could not deny changing the vision in the mirror (when I did look) and so began the many millions of runs at some sort of weight loss success. First came the exercise videos…Kathy Smith, Richard Simmons, Slim in 6, Windsor Pilates, Tae Bo…all sitting, some still in packages, in VHS and DVD form. Then came the “join the gym years.” At any point in time I have been a member of every aerobic studio or gym in the county. I use the term “member” loosely because I am the queen of joining for the longest contract (it’s cheapest that way after all) and then NEVER going. I am pretty sure HealthQuest’s success in Hunterdon County is partly due to my three year “donation.” Let’s talk about the diets over the years. I tried Atkins (which as a health professional I had a hard time buying into the idea that eating all the bacon you wanted could be healthy), South Beach (Did I mention that I hate to cook and this diet requires more chopping and dicing then I ever wanted to do?), Weight Watchers (multiple attempts at this… I could wallpaper a room with the books.) I also “donated” to this company. I did this by joining, then sticking to it for a week, then being too embarrassed to face the woman at the weigh-in again and never returning. The theory that, “if I paid for something I would use it,” clearly did not work for me. My husband said with all the money I have spent over the years on these things, he could have sent me to one of those expensive “fat farms” (his words...he slept on the couch that night). The sad thing about this… he was right. While I have had some 5, even 10 lb. successes, I never made it anywhere near a goal. The fat girl in denial went back to her old ways (McDonald supersize anyone?). I began to think there was something wrong with me, that I could not even go a day sticking to a food plan. The bottom line: I was unhappy with my weight and the way it made me feel. My weight was something that bothered me each and every day. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life but if you asked me what could make me Nirvana happy?? Being the skinny girl again...well, that and a million dollars...but that’s another blog…. My weight unhappiness was bearing down on me. I avoided seeing people I had not seen in a while because I knew they would be shocked. Being a social butterfly, I hated that I felt this way, but I truly felt powerless to change it.So what changed? To be honest, I have no idea. While there was no epiphany and definitely no history of being successful in this arena, I think it might have been a perfect storm. This year there were two looming reunions: my 30th high school reunion and a large family reunion. This meant seeing relatives I had not seen in 20 years. This in itself normally would not be enough, as I even skipped my 20th class reunion because of my weight. This was my MO: avoidance.The second incentive was being a part of the Wellness Committee at Chapin. This put me in the center of a few people who really, really loved fitness and health. They talked about it with a glee that I wish I felt. I also felt a certain amount of shame that I was a health professional who knew what to do; I just could not implement it. However, the wellness committee began a series of exercise programs right here at work. No more excuses, I just can’t go home till I exercise. There were also Biggest Loser programs through this committee that I helped with by weighing in others. I discovered that that there was nothing wrong with me because a lot of women my age struggled with this same relationship with food.The final side to this perfect storm was my sister who also struggled with her weight and had lost 20 lbs. in a short period of time with a new diet. It was called the 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno. I picked up a copy of the book, not feeling hopeful. However, this diet just clicked for me. These are the reasons I think it worked for me, where so many others had failed:It promised a 10 lb. weight loss in 17 days. I figured if I could get results quickly, I could do anything for 17 days.The foods looked healthy (unlike Atkins), chicken, veggies, fruit, AND I recognized them.The recipes were easy, five-ingredient deals, which appealed to the busy working mom who hates to cook.It consisted of four cycles of 17 days with each cycle adding more foods to keep me from getting bored.Facebook support. (Okay, besides being a junk food junkie, I also LOVE Facebook.) The group for the 17 Day Diet was full of success stories and real time answers to questions.However, the clincher for me was the maintenance: Cycle Four. It promised you would maintain your weight loss by eating on plan during the week and enjoy three meals “off” on the weekend. To me this was HUGE. Knowing I could eventually have “pizza night” back or go for a drink with the girls meant that unlike other diets, I would not have to give up some favorite treats forever or be so limited (One slice of pizza? Really? Who can do that?!) It would not be worth eating.So began my journey. The first 17 days are the hardest, as you come “off” sugar and get used to thinking about what you are going to eat. However, with this diet the results are almost immediate; within three days the sweet craving lessened and the scale was already down 2 lbs! This was very motivating to say the least. When I felt a weakening in my resolve, my mantra was, as is Dr. Moreno’s, “Just give it 17 days.” At the end of 17 days I had lost exactly what was promised! TEN POUNDS! More weight than I had ever lost, especially in that amount of time. Talk about motivation.On the second cycle the weight loss slowed to a more normal pace (1-2 lbs a week) but, hey, I was already ahead of the game! People already noticed I was losing, and I just felt better. I think another reason this continued to work for me is that by taking out the sugar and carbs from my diet, it did help to curb the craving for it. Now I could have some new foods.Cycle Three allowed some wine and some Skinny Cow ice cream. I mean, really, what more do you need? The crazy thing was that I suddenly liked fruit and yogurt.[Image]I lost a total of 28 lbs. on this diet and dropped from a size 12/14 to a size 6/8. Currently I have maintained the total of 28 lbs. lost, and that was through vacations over the summer (including a cruise) and all the meals involved at work with the start-up of school. I am basically doing maintenance from the diet, but I hope to soon go back to Cycle One and make a run at the final 7 lbs. I feel like the skinny girl has a second chance to quiet the fat girl. I hope forever this time. I do liken it to someone with addictions. I work every day to fight old habits and cravings, but I do feel I can succeed this time. It is true what they say, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” The skills I learned from the 17 Day Diet, Chapin’s Wellness Committee, and the positive feedback from co-workers and family gives me high hopes that will be enough to quiet the fat girl for good.
