Fatness to Fitness Part IV: Weight Loss

I had never been to a weight loss clinic before, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I walked into a waiting room that felt very much like a spa. Pretty accent walls in cool and muted colors, comfortable and cushy seating, calming background music. (Looking around, I thought I should have the interior designer for this place come over to my house, it was nice!). I checked in and waited. This didn’t feel like a clinic at all. I expected bright white lights and the smell of disinfectant. The calming atmosphere helped me feel more comfortable (somewhat), but I could forget about reading any of the magazines nicely laid out across the coffee table... my palms were sweaty and I trying to make myself as small as possible. I almost chickened out and twice thought about leaving before they called me in for my consultation. What did the nurse who checked me in think? It could have been my imagination, but I swear it sounded like she felt sorry for me. But, I came this far, I wasn’t leaving now. They say taking the first step is the hardest, and I was already on step two or three.

Although it felt like forever, it didn’t take very long before a tall, slender woman came out to the waiting room to bring me in to her office. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit intimidated by her nicely put-together outfit and perfectly done hair and makeup. And damn, was she skinny! I was choking on her confidence, it was so overwhelming. Could I ever be like that? Little did I know that Amy was going to change my life forever.

The consultation was mostly a conversation about my habits - what did I eat, how was my physical activity, what caused the weight gain, etc. I gave her my laundry list of excuses… I explained what I ate and how the most important factor in food selection was to be quick and convenient, and that I didn’t really exercise much because of my crazy busy work schedule, and how my birth control made me gain 30 lbs almost overnight. Amy was understanding and she listened to everything I had to say, but she did not let me get away with the excuses. How important was this to me? Was I ready to make a change? Was I committed to losing weight and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle? Amy gave me a realistic timeline for my weight loss based on my goals, but emphasized that it would only work if I followed the program. I would get out of it what I put into it!

After sitting in Amy’s office in silence for a few minutes after our discussion, I contemplated whether or not I was ready to do this. It was a time commitment (weekly check-ins), a financial investment (a monthly cost equivalent to a car payment on fancy new car), not to mention completely changing the way I ate. My life as I knew it was about to be over. As much as I tried to talk myself out of it - after all, it was SO much money and SO much time and could I REALLY do it? - I knew this was something I had to do. I hit rock bottom and this was the only way I could see getting out of it. I agreed to start the program immediately and had my “before” picture taken. Amy took my weight and measurements, and it was worse than I initially thought - my very old scale I had at home (a hand-me-down from my parents, it was literally the scale I used growing up) said that I was 185 lbs… but Amy’s more modern and hi-tech scale said that I was actually 198 lbs! Instead of gaining 30 lbs, I actually gained more than 40 lbs. The picture was taken right after checking my weight, and that’s why I look so happy in my “before” pic LOL.

I won’t share too many details about the Nuviva program in this blog post, but I am always happy to talk about it if you have any questions, so don’t hesitate to send me an email or find me on social media and message me. It only took me 4 months to reach my initial goal of losing the 40 lbs I gained, and it was all done with nutrition. Nutrition is THAT important! I learned how to make good food choices, and why whole/unprocessed foods were healthier options, and about portion control and how to eat less. I was educated on different hormones and how they are affected by food, and discovered something called the ketogenic diet. I developed the ability to think ahead about what I was going to eat each day and not find myself in a position where I’m hungry and willing to choose convenience over health. And most importantly, I learned that I am strong enough to achieve ANYTHING.

The "before" pic. Day 1 of my new life.