The Diet Highway

I've just been overweight for way too long. My doctor has told me for years to lose weight and exercise. I've been on cholesteral lowering medication for years. I never bothered to change my diet because I thought.... what the heck, I'm on the meds, they will take care of whatever I eat.

About 2 1/2 years ago my mother moved into my house with me and my family. We eventually got an add on apartment built for her so at least there is finally some separation between us all. My hubby is none too fond of her, I have to say I'm not so fond of her myself but that's another life to write about in another place.

My mother is obese. She always has been, at least as long as I've known her. She has been on many diets, lost weight and gained it all back plus some. She told me that the only really successful way that she lost weight was on Jenny Craig. One day while she was still living in our house before her apt was finished, I decided after eating way too much spaghetti and being totally miserable, that I was going to "Call Jenny". We both went over there the next day, or heck it may have been the same day. We both joined. I joined with the Rewards program which means you can pretty much be a life time member if you pay them $39 every year on your anniversary date.

I lost almost 30 lbs on Jenny Craig. I wish I had a picture of me at that weight but for some reason I don't. Maybe I'll find one someday and post it. I was at 143 lbs. I looked really good, was wearing size 10 pants and sometimes I could fit into a size 8!! That hasn't happened since something like 5th grade. My weight loss on Jenny Craig was steady and successful. I think it took about 5 months to complete that loss. Then one day I didn't have enough money to pay the bills, decided it was too much money and I quit. Another reason I quit was because my mom went with me to each Jenny Craig weigh in, the center we went to was about 30 minutes drive from my home in a car with no radio. She drove me nuts in the car. I mean WAAAYYYY too much togetherness. When you are 50 years old you really shouldn't be spending that much time with your mother. So anyway, I quit Jenny. I kept the weight off for a while, I really did learn how to count food groups and calories etc so I was doing pretty good. I was doing aerobics and belly dancing. My feet hurt but I kept doing it anyway.

Well, one day my feet hurt soooo bad that I just stopped everything and went to the podiatrist. I had a neuroma in one foot and a horrible cyst/bump/PAIN on the top of the other foot. I ended up with a cortisone shot in each foot and a pair of $75 orthotics. Then another cortisone shot in one foot two weeks later. Well, you know what happens when you take steroids. Add lots of couch time to that, being in pain with ice packs on your feet as often as possible and what do you get? Weight gain. I was already eating badly again by then so add it all together and within just a few months time I had gained 17 lbs. back. My hubby was none too happy.

Hubby encouraged me to go back to Jenny Craig, so I did. But this time the weight didn't come off very easily. About three days into each week I would lose it and just have to eat something extra. I did actually lose about 5 lbs in about 6 weeks but it cost a lot of money. I started getting really tired too. I remember being really tired the first time on Jenny Craig too. I mean I couldn't get anything done, seemed to have bad ADD. I couldn't concentrate on anything, I got nothing accomplished and just generally felt like crap.

I decided to look at Weight Watchers. I joined WW, read about the two different plans and decided to start the core plan. I realized that I could eat POPCORN!! Popcorn is my drug of choice after caffeine. I was so happy that I could eat popcorn!!! And I could eat beans and ff yogurt and lost of things that make me feel good. My energy immediately came back! I didn't have to count points either!! I just felt so good, could concentrate again and was generally back to my old self. THANK YOU WW!!