Anu 40 lbs Weight Loss

*Medical weight loss programs are individualized to meet the specific needs of each patient. Individual results vary.

I’ve always struggled with my weight. When I was 10 years old, a fellow student told me I was “fat and ugly” and since then I’ve owned that label. I have tried all kinds of weight loss* techniques: from a cabbage soup diet to Weight Watchers; from working out 1.5 hours a day to starvation. Nothing provided a sustained weight loss*. I came to Learn2Lose on my 45th birthday. I felt that I was in the worst shape of my life. I was at least 40 pounds overweight and had 42% Body Fat. Plus, after three knee surgeries, my knees hurt all the time and I didn’t want the rest of my life to leave me feeling as miserable as I felt then. Results from the first blood-test were a big shock! I was pre-diabetic (triglycerides of 242) and had very low HDL cholesterol (35)! It basically showed that I had metabolic syndrome and was slowly descending into Type II Diabetes! I HATE needles – I couldn’t foresee living the rest of my life poking my fingertips to check blood sugar levels! That was the wake-up call I needed.

With help and encouragement from Dr. Croland and the Learn2Lose team, I modified my diet, received needed medication and watched my food intake like a hawk. Thanks to online tools I was able to monitor my food intake on the go. In two months after starting the journey, my triglycerides went from 242 down to 83*!! I was no longer in the danger zone of Type II Diabetes! In the first five months I had achieved around a 30 pound weight loss*.

My weight loss* journey was full of ups and downs – I had to battle my mental and emotional tendencies towards sabotaging myself, telling myself I would never be successful in losing weight, fighting self-worth issues, learning how to put my needs higher on the priority list, to ask my family for what I needed, and finally understanding that I needed to exercise not to look good to others – but to be a happier person! Dr. Croland was right there with me every step of the way. His no-nonsense but extremely supportive attitude helped me get through the mental and emotional battles I had to get through to achieve and maintain my 40 pound weight loss*.

I’ve been on maintenance for over three months now, and I have reversed the pre-diabetes!! I still monitor what I eat and I reward myself for victories with non-food means – a massage, clothes (it’s so nice to be able to buy size-8 pair of pants!!), shoes, workout clothes, new workout videos, motivational books, professional pictures, and the list goes on. I exercise six days a week, maintain my protein intake, watch the caloric consumption, keep to the right portion sizes, drink three to four liters of water each day, and still keep away from wheat, dairy and sugars. My knees haven’t hurt in MONTHS! I know what my body likes and doesn’t like, and how it feels when I put good or bad nutrition into it. Today I choose to live a healthy lifestyle. I participate in 5k races, I’m actively coaching others in health and fitness, and I love to motivate others to get in the best shape of their lives! Today I know I’m beautiful and that my body, mind and spirit are totally worth taking care of!

*Disclaimer: Medical weight loss programs are individualized to meet the specific needs of each patient. Individual results vary.