My story begins a little bit differently. I was raised in a household that thrived on healthy eating, whole grains, vegetables, and exercise. Counting calories and worrying about what I ate was never an issue. I started swimming competitively at the age of 8 and didn’t stop until I was 22. I don’t really remember when I started gaining weight, or when my eating habits changed so drastically. 10 pounds here, 20 pounds there…it was so easy to gain!
In 2008 I had twins, a boy and a girl. I can’t even blame my weight gain on pregnancy because I weighed 25 lbs less after they were born than before! When I went back to work after maternity leave I started gaining weight again. In 2010 the twins were 2 years old. I was 32, weighed 225 lbs and was desperate to lose weight. It’s exhausting to feel uncomfortable in your body 24 hours a day. Devastating to look in the mirror and hate what you see. For myself and my kids, I had to do something.
The first time I met Dr. Scinta I knew she was one of a kind, and I knew I had come to the right place. When I was asked to set my goal weight, I said I would be happy if I could get below 190 and feel more comfortable in my clothes. The nurse who was helping me that day chuckled and said, “No way, you can do better than that. How about 170?” I thought he was crazy, and told him so. I ended up doing the partial plan for 3 months and then transitioned to regular food in the few months after that. In the first 6 months I lost 50 lbs, and then continued to lose another 17 after that. 67 lbs!! I have been on maintenance now for 2 1/2 years and I’m still amazed to see the scale read 157 lbs !!! It never gets old! I went from size 18 or 20 pants to size 8! Sometimes I see myself in pictures now and I just can’t believe it.
When I first walked in to Dr. Scinta’s office I was in a very low place in my life. I have never met a more caring and compassionate group of people anywhere, ever. I am so thankful to Dr. Scinta and her staff for providing me with the tools and the motivation to lose such a great deal of weight. You changed my life. You helped me restore my confidence, and find my sense of pride. I’m so happy and proud to be a good role model for my kids, and feel good about myself again!
1 Comment
Jess- You look amazing!! I don’t even remember that person in the before pic. You’ve done a wonderful job maintaining and I’m sure those beautiful babies keep you on your toes. Keep up the great work! 🙂