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Diane BEFORE: 178 Lbs. Size 16 |
Diane AFTER: 136 Lbs. Size 8/10 |
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Diane met her goal in time for the wedding!!!!! |
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Over the years the weight started easing on again. Lack of exercise; eight to ten hours at the computer every day; a sluggish metabolism; no energy; and the after effects of back surgery eventfully took their toll. After trying a number of different diets (mostly high protein, low-carb that worked with some degree of success, but were difficult to maintain) just weren't working for me any longer. It was late January of 2001, I was fast approaching the 180-pound mark; my 59th birthday was coming up in a few days, and I had begun to feel a mild panic building up on the inside. My self-esteem had sunk to an all time low. I had promised myself I was going to find a way to get "skinny" before I hit 60, but had no idea how I was going to achieve that! To make matters worse, my son announced that he was getting married the first week of June! Of course that meant having to face a lot of people who hadn't seen me in years and would be surprised at my appearance-a woman's worse nightmare. Right? I began to earnestly pray, "God what am I going to do? This weight is ruining my health and killing my back! I believe your word, and it says, "You satisfy my mouth with good things and my youth is restored like the eagles." So, just what are those good things I need to put in my mouth anyway?" I'm happy to report that God really does answer prayer! At some point, the memory of my long-past Cambridge success dropped into my mind, and I went to the Internet to see if it was still around. The rest is History! I found Ruthann Morris; placed a sample order; signed up as a distributor and was on my way! By April I was losing steadily, but not quite ready to shop for that special dress. However, my future daughter-in-law kept pressing me to find something before the season got to far along and things were really picked over. So I bit the bullet and went shopping-still a little timid from dressing room phobia! I could barely believe my good fortune at finding a perfect "mother-of-the-Groom" number-a study in understated elegance On Sale for $42 down from $168! By this time I was down to a size 14 and satisfied that the simple lines of the dress would make it easy to alter later. As a matter of fact, the next few weeks brought on a frenzy of altering. My clothes were falling off me, and I refused to spend money on new ones before I reached my goal! I soon gave up on that and just gave away everything that I had "out shrunk"! So there could be no turning back! By "wedding weekend", just four months from the start of my diet, I was at 136-only one pound short of my goal! The evening prior to departing was spent really altering that fabulous $42 dress to accommodate my 42 pound weight loss! It had to be taken in four inches! But was it ever worth it! I don't know when I've enjoyed sewing so much! My four offspring (none of whom had seen me since Christmas or before) were duly impressed with their "new mom". They exhibited their pride and satisfaction by teasing me about my missing derriere! One daughter, a busy young professional woman with a fabulous wardrobe, entertained herself-and me-thoroughly by taking me to her hotel room to play "Barbie Mom". She couldn't resist dressing me up in all of her cloths, just to see how I'd look! Imagine my surprise when I discovered those legs I'd been hiding for so long could actually bare the exposure of above the knee dresses again. However, I'm not quite that liberated yet! "My clothes were falling off me, and I refused to spend money on new ones before I reached my goal! I soon gave up on that and just gave away everything that I had "out shrunk"! The next day, as we were shopping, she challenged me to try on a pair of size 6 slacks! I accepted- and won! I was dumbfounded! Believe me, I have a whole new perspective on those new stretchy fabrics. You know, the ones we all dread when everything on our body is drooping! Amazing what they can do when you've trimmed down! Needless to say the wedding was a gratifying occasion! But the real icing on the cake didn't come till a week or so later. When the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, and were showing their photos around, a friend who recognized the family resemblance in one of my pictures asked, "Which one of Tom's sisters is that?" My son's delight was apparent as he reported this in an answering machine message that I may never erase! It's only fair to say, it must have been a very kind camera ( I haven't seen the picture yet)! Now that I'm settling in to a totally new me, I'm scrutinizing my body even more, and I'm determined to stick with this program-For Life! For me it is the answer! I really love the products! They taste great! They're satisfying! They give me plenty of renewed energy, and I know that I'm doing something really good for my body nutritionally. Even my husband (who's never been fat in his life) loves to steal a chocolate shake or a bar for a quick lunch or satisfying snack! Aside from the obvious satisfaction of appearance and self-esteem, I am enjoying a whole new outlook on life health-wise. My orthopedic surgeon told me years ago that every pound of weight lost takes ten pounds of pressure off your spine. For me, that equates to a loss of four hundred and thirty pounds of pressure to a spine that was giving me no end of misery. Needless to say, my doctor and my spine are delighted!" Diane Stared February, 2001, she reached her goal in four months! "My orthopedic surgeon told me years ago that every pound of weight lost , takes ten pounds of pressure off your spine. For me, that equates to a loss of 420 pounds of pressure to a spine that was giving me no end of misery." No more BIG$BUCKS coffee treats for me! Cappuccino shakes are the backbone of my diet! I find it a thicker richer product without being too sweet. I like to blend it a few seconds then let it sit for three or four minutes before blending it again on "frappe". This gives the powder an opportunity to expand and it whips up really thick! If I let it stand too long, I have to eat it with a spoon! YUM! I also like to use 1 1/2 scoops of Cappuccino and 1/2 scoop of Chocolate or Vanilla for a Mocha or Vanilla Frappe. Now if I can just find a "Fat free" "sugar free" caramel syrup, I can make my own Viente Cambridge Carmel whatchamajigger (Macchiato)! Oops! That's probably a Starbucks trademark. With my very busy schedule, I don't have time to do a lot of meal planning and shopping. So, with Cambridge I just whip it up and go! It takes all the stress out of figuring out what to eat. With three servings a day, I still have plenty of calories to spare if I feel like having a regular, healthy meal of protein and veggies! And, I don't crave sweets anymore! |
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The wedding!! | |
