Dorothy's Story

My weight loss journey has been ongoing and continues to this very day. I first heard about Eat To Live in August 2003 when my sister Julia read it and followed the six-week plan. At first, I kept wondering how long it would last. She would call me every day and tell me about green smoothies, hummus and kale.  I wondered what is hummus and kale, green smoothies didn’t sound so good either.   I rolled my eyes and can honestly say I wasn't very impressed.  But I was soon very impressed when I saw an astounding change in Julia. She went from being bedridden with migraine headaches for fifteen years and suffering three major heart attacks to driving, shopping, exercising and losing a lot of weight very quickly.  She was able to get off her medications.

I was desperate and knew I should give Eat To Live a try. I felt old, ugly, and depressed, and I was always out of breath.  Being ashamed of having my picture taken with family, friends and, especially my grandsons, was very sad, because I wanted them to have those memories. Then I had a "light bulb" moment. I purchased Eat To Live in November 2003.  I was 254 pounds, 5ft. 5in, and 59 years old.  I was wearing a 4X top and 22/24 jeans. Not my best.  I was on blood pressure medication, a beta blocker, and Prozac, and my cholesterol was high.  I had red, swollen, and bleeding gums, my hands were very shaky, my knees would crack when I climbed stairs, and my hip joints would hurt so I could not lie on either side. My brain was foggy, and I was tired all the time and could not work anymore.  My day would begin by getting out of bed and my destination was the sofa for the rest of the day.  Most days I never got out of my pajamas, and fast food would surely be dinner because I had zero energy to cook. 

I knew Eat To Live was my last chance.  Through the years I had read every diet book and tried every diet: Weight Watchers, Lean Line, Atkins, and pills. I even went on liquid protein diets, twice. In the end, I always gained all the weight back and more. My eight year journey on Eat To Live has been a struggle. The standard American diet would just never let go of me, and still haunts me some days.  It was a challenge for me and I would often feel deprived at social gatherings. I had a difficult time being around the temptations and often felt like I was missing out.  I must admit, I was a fast food junkie, and I ate the standard American diet while drinking gallons of soda and sweet tea.

But that all changed. I am living proof that we can change how we think and break old habits and overcome food addictions.  I am very proud to say that I have lost 90 pounds and feel I’ve gained so much more than I have had to give up because nothing feels better than being healthy and thin.  So I encourage you to never give up, don’t let a bad day make you quit, never give in, start and restart if you have to, but never lose sight of the importance of keeping with the program.

I have been off all my medications since 2007. All my health issues have resolved and I do not feel my age of 68. My mind is clear and sharp, I am able to work once again, I’ve regained my self-confidence, and I enjoy having my picture taken now.  I feel young, beautiful, and get many compliments on my glowing skin.  I am now so focused on my goal of nutritional excellence and I am excited and committed to losing the rest of my weight.  I would also like to say that I love all the healthy foods I used to roll my eyes at.