Starting Monday…a journey to the finish…

So, I was thinking about this endless journey of mine, and decided that I would share with all of you the story of my weight loss, the partial gain, and where I am today. Sit back and relax…this is going to be a long one. (A lot of you have been asking me how I’ve come this far, so here it is.)
After many years of trying a diet here and there, my mother stumbled upon a commercial for a new weight loss facility in our area by the name of LA Weight Loss. After doing some initial calls, she told me all about the place, and suggested that I go check it out. I was a bit aprehensive at first, but decided to give it a try. So, I went to the local center, had an inital consultation with one of their “councelors,” (I’ll get to the reasoning for putting councelor in quotes a bit later) and decided to sign up. Now before anybody gets any brilliant ideas, I’m going to tell you, it’s expensive. In fact, it’s highway robbery. The way they calulated it was this. They charge you $7.00 a lb (sounds like I’m selling really expensive steak, doesn’t it?) and assure you a loss of 2lbs a week…therefore $14.00 a week. Unfortunately, you don’t get the luxury of paying as you go, (which would be much much more cost effective for people, and I guarantee you their sales would skyrocket…but hey…logic truly evaded these people.)…you had to pay upfront. So, when I first started, I weighed in at 326.9lbs. (Ouch, I know). My goal was 150lbs…so at 2lbs a week, it would have taken me 88 weeks to get to my goal, totalling to over $1,200. Yes, $1,200 up front. Here’s the catch. They promise to give you half of your money back if you reach your goal within a 5lb range by your goal date, if, and this is a big if, you purchase their “protein” bars. (People…these “protein” bars as they loved to call them were nothing more than a candy bar. I seem to remember 18g of sugar per bar…and you were required to eat 2 a day.) Well, I was desperate, so I signed up. (My mother told me that if I was serious about it, she would pay for it.) So they had me.

Once you sign up (and sell your soul to them) they try to get you to purchase EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEIR USELESS PRODUCTS. Soups, smoothie mixes, snacks, vitamins…you name it, they tried (relentlessly, might I add) to get you to buy them. Sometimes I would, but more times than not, I said no. (These “councelors,” as I mentioned earlier, are nothing more than used car salesman working on commission. Evil, pure, unadulterated evil, I say) On the plus side, they did teach me how to eat eat an extremely healthy manner…and what true portion sizes should be. And did I lose weight? Yes. Absolutely. Despite everything that happened in my life, I did. Some weeks better than others, but I was generally around 2lbs a week. In addition, I had also signed up for Curves, and was working out there 3x a week. And that was it for me, no other form of exercise. I started this whole “new life,” in April of 2004. Things were going well for me…and I was seeing results. By NYE of 2004, I had lost 55lbs, and I was exstatic. Then life took a turn for the worse.

On February 21st, 2005, my mother passed away. After more than a decade of health problems, she finally succumed to heart failure at the age of 50. I was only 23. Needless to say, my life was turned completely and totally upside down. I didn’t know day from night…I was a shell of myself walking around without any real reason to still be going through my day to day activities. But somehow, I did. It took a long time, but I managed to get through that, and slowly but surely get back on my feet. If you want to read the story I wrote about her, (and submitted to a non-fiction essay contest sponsored by “Glamour” magazine, click here. **It’s the story highlighted in pink.** http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&pop=1&ping=1

Throughout the remainder of 2005, I continued losing the weight…somehow. Now that I think back, I believe that I used that as a distraction to my mother’s passing…and really game myself something to focus on (and make her proud). By my 24th birthday in October (the 20th, if anybody is planning on sending gifts I had reached my 100lb mark, weighing in at 226lbs. I was thrilled beyond what words could convey. AND, I was wearing a size 16. (From a 28/30, that’s pretty damned good.) I maintained for the rest of 2005 (I’m weak…the holiday’s get me good.)…and then came 2006.

Around the 1 year anniversay of my mother’s passing, my father informed us (my brother and I) that he was going to start seeing people. (My parents would have been married 30 years in July of 05). Initially I was ok with it…in theory, I should say. But once he actually did, I completely flipped out. I felt as though I had no control over my emotions, and in turn, my eating. I still exercised, but whatever progress I might have been making was completely masked by the mass quantities of shitty food (and booze) and I was shoveling down my throat. I just couldn’t handle seeing my father with somebody else…and so damned soon.

In October of 06, I moved out to an apt with a girlfriend of mine (and former college roomie). I hadn’t stepped on a scale in quite some time, but I knew by the way my clothes were fitting that the scale sure hadn’t moved down. I was in such denial about everything that was going on in my life that I just didn’t give a damn anymore. I coudn’t handle things. I ate. I rarely exercised…and I just let life and its circumstances get the best of me. I gave up.

January of 2007 arrived, and I was living on my own, and had started a new job a few months prior. In my dept, they run an anual “Biggest Loser” contest. You bet your happy asses I signed up. The final weigh in was on Good Friday…so I had 3 months to lose it. I tried everything…and lost a few lbs here and there, but nothing to write home about. (Oh yeah, I guess I should tell you that that at the inital weigh in, I was 268. I had officially gained back 42 of the 100lbs that I had lost. I know if could have been a lot worse…but still. I was pissed.

So here we are, just over a week until the final weigh in ($500.00 was at stake…I’m poor people!)…and I did some research into drastic measures. So, against everything my body desired, I followed to cabbage soup diet for a week, and downed some laxatives, you know, for good measure. Yum. Not something I recommed.

Weigh in day. I step on the scale. 241. I had lost 27lbs in that 3 months, to happily secure 2nd place in the contest. ($200.00…can’t complain about that.) Oh, and for the record, I lost 13lbs that final week. I would seriously not recommend crash dieting like that for ANY length of time…but it times of desperation, it worked. Of course, the second I started eating normally, my weight shot right back up to 250. It’s only natural.

So here I am, stuck around 250-255…and I just can’t seem to move anymore. I’m afraid I did some major damage to my metabolism when I gained that 42lbs back…but that’s why I’m here. I’m finally conscious of what I’m putting into my mouth, and I’m confident that it’s going to make a difference. And I’m getting tons of exercise. I’m trying to workout at least 5x a week…more if I can drag my lazy ass there. I’m finally ready to put the past in the past, and get healthy once and for all. That’s why I’m here. You are all such wonderful support, and I know that together, this will get done. I’m confident in that fact.

My goal is to be at 150 by October of 08, as I’m going to be the maid of honor in a girlfriends wedding. I know it’s quite a feat…but I know with everybody’s endless support on this great site, I can meet that goal. I’m now living back at home (the girfriend I was living with…her father passed away just this past May, so she had to move back home to help her mother out…leaving me roommateless…therefore I had no choice but to come home. It’s funny how life works sometimes, isn’t it?) So here I am, making a fresh start. It’s going to happen this time. There will be ups…and there will be downs…but it will happen, one day at a time.

**Stay tuned for further updates from, “The Day’s of Kelly’s Lives.”**

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