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| Before, in December 2015 |
1.
How did you feel
before SoS?
Before starting the program, I was feeling lost. At 51 years old, I have a successful career
as an IT Professional. I have focused so
much on school and work over the years, that my personal life, and health, took
a backseat. I was an extremely lonely
woman. I went out on occasion with my
fiends but spent the majority of my time at home, watching television. I still had fun and smiled, but I really was
not feeling alive. Being single with no
children, I focused my time on my work.
I had a feeling of hopelessness about my personal future. I’m Type 2 Diabetic (uncontrolled) so I had
that to worry about too. My negative self-talk
was a bit out of control to say the least.
I was truly my own worst enemy.
2.
Remember when you
started this journey? How does your weight loss journey now compare to what you
thought going into it?
I luckily woke up one day in Dec 2015. I knew I had to do something about my weight
and about my life once I got home from the holidays. My mom passed away at 73 in May 2015 which
threw me into a tailspin. I cared about
very little last year except work and getting things done around the house. In 1994, at my highest weight, I was 316
pounds. The number still shocks me. But it happened. At the start of 2016, I was 270 pounds. I started what I normally do by making better
choices and lost 25 pounds before hitting the ever annoying plateau. I’ve been overweight, morbidly obese, most of
my life. A term I hate. I wanted no more of that!!! I scheduled a consultation visit with Dr.
Holly. I will remember the day I met Dr.
Holly in February 2016 for the rest of my life. I was excited to start my journey and March
seem a long way away. We only talked for
a few minutes when I knew I would be signing up for the whole year starting in March. I immediately went downstairs to sign
up. I had hope now. I’ve lost weight before, a lot of weight, but
will it stay off this time? I finally
was hopeful. I am the “Definition of
Insanity” when it comes to weight loss.
I decided I had to try something different and hopefully get different
results. The first week was incredible!
I was nervous I couldn’t keep up with the others but I was going to give
it everything I had in me. Amazingly
enough, I did much better than I thought.
My body was responding to all these new activities! One of the best weeks of my life! At least at that point…..
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| Living in the Arena! |
How does my weight loss journey now compare to what I thought
going into it, you ask? Night and
day!! The weight loss has been a side
benefit. Not the main result. Not what I expected at all. I had no idea that meeting 29 other people
with the same weight issues would have such an impact on me. The program has been transforming me day
after day to the person I truly want to be - the Tammy who has been in my head
for decades, not the one looking back in the mirror. Dr. Holly has shown me ways to get the weight
off, get more active and work on my mindset.
I’ve got this!! I have a about 4
months until my 1 year graduation. I am
positive I will hit my goal weight. I
have ups and downs like everyone else. There are days that I struggle to keep
on plan but I know I can call a super friend and talk through it. This isn’t a one-year process, it’s the rest
of my life. I know I will be able to
keep the weight off this time. I am
learning what emotions will de-rail me and what to do about it. Tools in my toolbox as they say. I continue to have more and more of “the best
days and weeks of my life!”
3. What has been your biggest "Aha" or breakthrough
moment?
My weight wasn’t my issue with dating as much as it was with my “being”. I wasn’t happy and it showed. Even when I smiled and looked happy, I
believe others picked up that it was not a true happy. I don’t know what exact day it was but about
3-4 months in, I found out what “loving myself” was really about. The negative self-talk had just about
disappeared, the smile on my face was real. I love who I am becoming on the
inside as well as the outside. And it
shows! I’ve been told by some of my
friends that I have a glow about me.
Maybe it’s all the water or maybe, just maybe, I’m starting to live a
fun filled energetic life where tv is not my main entertainment. I have confidence in myself at work, but now
I have more confidence socially. I hold
my head up high and talk to everyone. I
have found that being shy wasn’t working for me. I love this new question I constantly ask
myself now – “Is it working for me? If
no, then FIX IT!!”. I’m taking some baby
steps and fixing one thing at a time.
There are moments I still feel lonely, but it’s more because I have
filled that time with something productive.
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| Living large before a concert |
4. What are you most proud of/grateful for so far?
I’m so
proud of myself for not giving up. I
have up and down days, but you start at the next meal and get back on it. I’m so grateful for Dr. Holly and the amazing
program that is now part of my new life.
I have new friends I know will be lifelong friends. I also have new friends from other SOS groups
that I can go hiking, exercise, 5Ks and other fun things with. This program has worked so well for me in
such a short amount of time, that my Dr. actually put a smiley face on my
report due to the great weight loss and normal blood work results. I have just one diabetes medication that I’m
on now. I feel great all the time with
great energy. The most grateful part of
this journey besides my new friends and life is that I know I can use this plan
to stay fit and at a healthy weight the rest of my life. I’ve made it easy for me in my new lifestyle
and with my extensive travel to make healthy decisions.
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| At a 5K in September |
5. If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering
this journey, what would it be? Don’t
wait another minute!!! Life is too short
to not be the person you want to be.
Start now, it doesn’t matter how old you are, what your circumstances
are, you can do it. Health and happiness
is in your immediate future. You will be
given the tools and super friends that will guide you and be there for you
every step of the way. I wish I had this
opportunity decades ago but am grateful every day that I signed up one cold
Colorado Winter day. You will not regret
this choice to start a journey of transformation, that includes weight loss. Your healthy, happy YOU is waiting for you to
begin!
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| At Huntington Beach in August |
6. How do you feel now?
Absolutely AMAZING!! I’m full of energy and most days jump out of
bed in the morning. I am loving the
ability to wear cute clothes and get ready to go out. I have better posture, I fit into air plane
seats and have a new outlook on life.
I’ve gone from a size 24 to a size 10. I can’t wait to see how I feel
when I hit goal. I’m smiling all the
time because I’m truly happy and feel great.
I park further away to get more steps in. I travel a lot so I stay in hotels. I try to use the stairs down….and UP… as much
as I can. I am not out of breath when I
get to my floor. I don’t worry about
climbing stairs to see a Bronco game with my friends. I can’t say enough about the changes in not
just my body but my mind and how that plays out in my every day life now! I’m excited to start planning trips that
involve bicycling, hiking, small aircraft, etc.
I don’t feel that I have any restraints on myself. I have a lot of living to do and it has
already started. I have areas to work on
like strength and endurance training.
That will only make me feel better than I already do.
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| Ziplining! |
7. What has been the most valuable part of SoS?
My Super Friends have been the most
valuable! There are 29 other super friends
that I have now that support me and I support them. I know I have a new group of lifelong friends
that I can call when I need support or just say “Hi”. This Summer, a bunch of us got together for
an extended weekend to support our friend doing her first 5K. One of the best 5 days of my life!! A group of us went to Disneyland, we went
Paddle Boarding (a new favorite of mine now), did the Tiki Beach 5K (my first
time jogging with my super friend Lori encouraging me), beach yoga and hanging
out. I look forward to many, many more
of these get togethers. I was even dared
to talk to a cute guy on the beach…..I did!
So much fun and have a picture to prove it. I don’t feel like I’m going through this
journey alone. We all use Facebook, text
or even phone each other. I can’t say
enough about how valuable my new friends have been for me to stay on track, be
accountable, get great feedback but also to support others and share what is
working for me and help them as well.
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| At a 5K in May |
8. How has this journey changed your life? How?
My life has changed in every way. I have done 5 x 5Ks, a 7k and a 10k this
Summer. I’ve always have said that I would
only run if I was being chased! Who is
this person that woke up at 4:30am to do a 10K?
Seriously, I never thought I’d be that girl! I’m walking/jogging now and am working
towards being able to jog a mile non-stop.
I have exercise induced asthma. I
would love to make that an excuse but I can no longer allow myself to let that
hold me back. I get stronger and
stronger every race.
I was asked to find a before picture. I had trouble finding many pictures of me that
was a full body picture. I was always standing
in the back of a group or had my picture be just my upper body. Now, I have to ask for a full body
picture. I am having a blast getting
pictures of me and my friends out hiking, doing 5Ks, dressing up for Halloween,
etc. I love looking back at the pictures
of my journey.
Doing new and exciting things out of my comfort zone is a new
way of life. The 5Ks are just a small
piece of it. For my 6 month goal, I went
zip lining for the very first time in my life.
Scared? Heck ya! I’m not great with heights but I was “GONNA
DO IT!” I was always too heavy to do zip
lining. I had a blast! Six zip lines in Conifer, CO. One was the longest and another the fastest
line in Colorado. I’m so grateful to
live in such a beautiful state! I don’t
need to look up the weight limits any more.
How cool is that?! I just bought
some coupons to do Indoor Sky Diving. I
can’t wait! Horseback riding? Have to
find some time.
Another interesting change has been with clothing. I am having a blast getting new jackets for
Winter, smaller clothes and shopping in “normal” stores. I’m a large now and get so excited when
something fits and looks great. I travel
about 50% of the time. I had to buy a smaller
suitcase due to my smaller clothes taking a lot less space. That was a fun day!
I finally went to my first speed dating event. I had a great time. I talked to all the guys and ended my
matching with 3 of them. After a
lifetime of barely any dates, never married and no children, I am now excited
about dating and going out and being myself.
I have more confidence where I would be very uncomfortable before. I have a new outlook about having fun and not
worrying so much on the outcome. I love
that new feeling.
9. What have your discovered about your WHY?
My original WHY was to fit into air plane
seats and not be embarrassed, go horseback riding, not pay for 2 seats on
helicopters and fit into roller coaster seats.
I am also Type 2 Diabetic so getting that under control and getting off
the diabetes pills was part of my WHY.
It was a great set of WHYs. Not
to mention making my mom happy that I finally got serious about losing weight,
even though she’s not here to be a part of my journey. These were good WHYs going in and has kept me
going through the transformation. Those
WHYs made sense, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. Those were the “symptoms”, not the
“cause”. I didn’t know that back in
March. My original WHY was also not to
feel so lonely all the time.
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| During a hike in Allenspark |
10. Has your WHY changed since you started?
My WHY has definitely changed. It’s not about being healthy and thin any
more. It’s about being the best I can
be. Participating in activities and
pushing my physical and mental self.
Being social and going out, speed dating and always saying YES – count
me in! No more hoping that something
would change, but BEING MY OWN CHANGE! I’m
starting to find ways to Pay it Forward.
A great new change to my WHY. No Excuses! No Regrets!!
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