2017 Status

When I started changing my eating habits in 2012, my biggest fear was yo-yo dieting, makine me reluctant to start a "diet". However I had gradually gaining a couple pounds per year, and it was adding up. It was time to do something different. Now it is 5 years later, and am happy to report that I have maintained the rusults; it is not a yo-yo diet. After 5 years:

• My weight has stayed steady, still below my original goal
• The thyroid medicine was discontinued a couple years ago (I can't remember when)
• At my last yearly checkup, the doctor said my cholesterol was great - no more threats to give me statins
• It has been fun discovering new foods, and learning to cook and garden (lots more to learn)
• I feel great - I told my financial planner to base projections on living to 100

From what I have learned, the Standard American Diet, promoted by the big food industry and its marketers. is not doing Americans any favors. I encourage everyone to take Dr. Jamie's 7 Week online bootcamp. It will change your life. Once you learn, you too will become a Wellness Warrior, eager to help your friends, families, and community become healthier with you. Together we can build healthier communities. Learn more about the Bootcamp.

Sue Tripp

p.s. I got all the emails for the last 7 week nutrition bootcamp. I was impressed with the amount of information and how it was presented in an easy to understand way. The format, an email every day, helps you stay on board, and absorb the ideas without getting overwhelmed with everything at once. Dr. Jamie's enthusiasm and energy is impressive and inspiring.

Here is What I Wrote  in August, 2012

I am so excited about my results, both weight loss and improved health, that I want to share it with you. I have lost weight without feeling like I'm on a diet. If you had told me on January 1, that before summer was over I'd lose 25 pounds, I would not have believed you. I now know, it is possible. If I did it, you can too.

It was easier than I expected to lose weight and improve my health.. I changed what I eat, but I don't feel like I am "on a diet". Rather, I feel like I have changed my habits. Dr. Jamie has educated me on new strategies to select what I eat. It was not just a quick fix. Over several months, I continually made improvements based on her suggestions. 

My results:

* Lost 26 lbs
* Lost 5 inches in hips, 4 inches in waist, and 1.5 inches in each arm and leg
* Body Fat Percent Down 5%
* Health Concerns (borderline cholesterol and thyroid problems) are gone
* BMI reduced from the Overweight to Normal range
* Clothes - Shopping for pants 2 sizes smaller
* Energy and Agility Improved

Let's start with some background

For years I've been thinking that I "should lose a few pounds", but I didn't know how to do that. Sometimes I would get gung-ho, and try to "watch" what I ate, but that never lasted very long, and never had any significant results.

I always thought that I ate a healthy diet: low fat and sugar free foods (including diet coke) to save calories.

My typical diet included fruit, at least one vegetable every day. I tried not get carried away with desserts, sweets, bread, potatoes or other starches. When life was busy, I took the easy way out - fast food, restaurants, prepared meals that could be zapped in the microwave, the low fat version of course. I didn't like cooking, so I always looked for the quickest and easiest way to get a meal on the table.

Since I was determined not to start yo-yo dieting, I was afraid to start any plan that didn't seem sustainable. I saw many people join Weight Watchers, Atkins, or South Beach, etc. They often lost weight, and then quickly rebounded back to their old weight or more. That cycle scared me, so I did nothing. Over time, my weight continued to creep up -- a pound here, two there.

What happened to change things?

My daughter, Dr. Jamie, graduated from chiropractic school, and came back to Warrenville to open up her chiropractic office. I told her I wanted to lose weight, and she had the knowledge to help me do it. In October, 2011, we started.

How did we start?

Dr. Tripp Thomure took my weight and measurements, and we set my goals:

• Lose 15-20 lbs. 15 pounds would be great - 20 was my "dream goal" that didn't seem possible.
• Lose on the average 1 pound/week. I thought it was important to lose weight slowly if I didn't want to gain it back.
• Reduce my body fat percent. I did not want to lose muscle.
• Reduce my cholesterol so the doctor would quit threatening to prescribe medicine or send me to a cardiologist.

We started in a conventional "diet" fashion - trying to eat less by cutting back on calories and adding some strength exercises along with more fruits and vegetables.

How did this go?

I lost about 8 lbs at first , but then over the holidays I went astray, and I gained 3 or 4 back. I had trouble getting back with the plan. I felt like I was "on a diet".

Then What Happened?

In January, 2012 Dr. Jamie started an intensive continuing education seminar on nutrition (45 hours long), and came back with new ideas.

We changed our focus to the nutritional value rather than the calories. This meant big increase in the number of servings of fruits and vegetables, and eliminating "prepared" or "processed" foods. As I made the change to "Eat Real Food", weight started coming off easily!

I  tried to maximize veggies and minimize processed food every day, using common sense and moderation for any questionable items, gradually making changes.

We started working on adjusting our favorite recipes to add vegetables and reduce grains and starches and processed ingredients. We experimented with new foods and found paleo recipes online. The quality and flavor of our food improved. I started learning to cook "real" food, rather than zapping  pre-prepared food. Dr. Jamie continued to study nutrition topics, and shared articles to reinforced the strategy and keet me motivated.There was no  class then. I was the "test kitchen" for it.

How Has This Affected Me?

Over the past 6-7 months, I have continued to lose weight, inches, and fat. At this point, I can see that I will continue to make healthy eating choices, but I have also learned to allow myself to enjoy whatever I choose to eat. If I choose something less healthy, I don't feel guilty, I enjoy it, knowing that most of my choices are healthy.

I look at food differently now, but this didn't happen overnight, it was a gradual, but easy transition. I can not go back to the lo-cal, prepared food and diet coke lifestyle. Rather I've learned habits that are healthier and sustainable. I'm assuming that a year from now I will be reporting that I have been able to maintain this weight loss. I recommend that everyone learn to "eat real food" because you will become healthier. Dr Jamie can help you learn how.

Sue Tripp