I've always been this really small person. Little bones, small frame, petite. As a teenager I didn't weigh a pound over 100. But as my baby boomer metabolism began to age, something changed. I got fat. Yes, I was fat. For me to reach 150 pounds was unbelievable! The only time I weighed that much was when I was pregnant. But in January, when I saw the scale tip 150, I freaked. How could I have gotten so out of control? I'd maintained between 126 to 130 pounds for years by drinking tons of water and working out at Curves. But after my Mom was diagnosed with cancer and my grown daughter became ill with Major Depression, I started pigging out. And I had to quit Curves because I was only working part-time. I don't smoke or drink, so I ate.

It didn't happen all at once. It took over 3 years. Yes, over 3 years of eating late at night, morning, noon, whenever I felt the urge. I stayed active and continued drinking 64 ounces, plus, of water a day. But I packed it on the middle pouch and busted out of my size 8 pants. Then started a new job...rush rush rush. Stop at Sonic and eat in the car to get to my next client. No time for anything else. Eat and run! Changes, changes..stress stress. Food cravings galore! Chocolate pie, here I come! Then I go to my OB/GYN doctor and he says, "Oh, you're thyroid is underactive". So I start taking medication for that to keep me from dragging. Second, he calls me a few days later and says, "You've got some suspicious test results...we need to do a biopsy in my office..". Great day in the morning!!! (It was clean). What else? "Mrs. donotfear, your mammogram is inconclusive. We must do a biopsy". Not again!! Then I started taking Prozac after a bout with depression. After that, who wouldn't? So I set myself up, or may I say, my body did it.

I started reading testimonials about Acai Berry Juice one night, while munching on some organic cookies (thinking that if they were organic they were good for me). I liked what I read and it seemed to be backed up by quite a bit of research, so I ordered some capsules and started taking them. My stomach didn't miraculously disappear. Darn!! Come on, what does it take? I ordered the juice and drank it every day (and still do) but it didn't amazingly take off the bulge in the middle. So I began researching Wuyi Tea. Oh my goodness!! I nearly ordered the stuff, but thank God I caught myself before I got caught up in the scam. However, I continued reading material about the tea and decided it was worth a try. But I didn't fall off a turnip truck yesterday, duh! I checked around for the best price and found some on Ebay at a reasonable price. Amazon had some good prices, too, but for starters I decided to go with the cheapest thing I could find. So I began by taking Acai capsules, then drinking the juice and finally started consuming Wuyi tea, religiously. Nothing happened other than I had to pea more and my complexion was a lot better.

My next obsession: Shake the Weight, better known as Herbalife! Ah, what a delicious shake! They really push protein, protein, protein. So I thought, "okay, I'll add more protein to the shake." I threw in soy nuts, as well as fruit and other edibles. I even followed the recipes for the delicious meal replacements by adding sugar free jello and pudding mix. It was really great!! I followed this plan for 3 weeks, drinking a shake for breakfast and one for lunch, then a sensible evening meal. Following the evening meal, I continued my quest to satisfy my cravings and pigged out on organic stuff. I was really hungry!! I lost 3 pounds after 3 weeks, but was hungry all the time! I was over-compensating in the evening for my pangs and cravings during the day, so it was like '2 steps forward, 1 step back'. I have continued to drink Herbalife shakes, though, for breakfast. They're good!

I continued my quest to find the ultimate fix and discovered that Chromium Picolinate would help with my cravings. Seems like I could tell the difference, sometimes, but I couldn't rely on it. I had to do something else!

I almost forgot to mention the Colon Cleanses. I really believed I could lose 10 pounds of body weight after a week of cleansing. Well, I ordered Oxy-Powder from GHC Health. Let me tell you, it cleaned me out! Ho baby! After a week of pooping water, I was squeaky clean, from the inside out! I believe it had some benefit, but it wasn't the "quick fix" I was looking for. Back to the drawing board!

Well, my Mom's condition deteriorated. Then my daughter lost it emotionally. So I ate. And I enjoyed every minute of it!

Then like I said, in January I freaked out. I said, "NO MORE!" and marched myself to Curves and re-activated my membership. It thought, "Cool, this will be easy. I can still eat what I want as long as I work out 3 times a week and drink 64 ounces of water or more a day, just like I did 4 years ago!" WRONG!! One month of working out, I weighed and measured. Lo and behold, I gained a whole percentage of body fat and didn't lose one inch or drop one pound! I nearly lost it. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't going to be able to get in shape unless I changed something. But give up late night binging?

I decided to try Weight Watchers, in addition to Curves and everything else. My sister successfully lost weight on the plan, so I knew I had to try. I couldn't afford to join up and continue to go to Curves, so I downloaded the food point list, researched to see how many points I could have, orderd a points calculator and started on my new venture. I drove my sister nuts with my questions, " How many points for this? Can I have that?" and she yelled, "Yes, you can have it. It's up to you, there's no restrictions...!" So I began the weight watcher journey. One thing different, I didn't feel as hungry. And guess what? It worked!!!

After one month of WW, I weighed in at Curves. I'd lost 4 pounds and 3 inches! Then, my mother died. At her memorial service, we served Mom's favorite food: brownies! At the reception, I ate 15 of the little brown wonders. There were so many different varieties, I sampled them all. Did I feel guilty? Yes, but I got back on the plan the next day. I thought for sure that I gained the 4 pounds back, but figured Mom would have wanted me to enjoy the brownies. And, wonder of wonders, when I weighed-in again I'd lost another 3 pounds and 2 inches! I knew I was on the road to wellness.

I continued to have a problem getting hungry between meals. I read an article about Shiritaki noodles and Glucomannan, which gels up in your stomach to create a feeling of fullness. Plus, the noodles were only 1 WW point! So I ordered someTofu noodles and enjoyed a filling meal with very few calories and lots of protein. In addition to the Tofu, I started taking Glucomannan with some meals. It really works! This was the only thing I tried that would make a peanut butter and jelly (sugar free) sandwich fill me up all afternoon! Hot Dog!!! I finally figured it out!

So here I am. Lost a total of 15 pounds and 6.5 inches. And I still eat at night....but not the same things. Instead, I eat 100 calorie popcorn or fruit or yogurt. I've had chocolate pie, cake, and candy. The only thing different is how much I eat, what I eat, and how I eat. Plus, I've discovered lots of things! Things like turkey franks, turkey chili, peppers, talapia (fish), 1 point WW candies, sugar free pudding, diet sodas (like Diet A&W Root Beer..Zero WW points!) but only 1 per day, Flatout Flatbread, whole wheat sugar free bread, and lots of others! Best of all, I'm back in a size 8. And I feel great!! I have continued drinking Herbalife Shakes (only 4 WW points with 1 cup of fruit added) and their delicious Shapeworks Herbal Tea. I drink Acai berry juice daily by mixing it with Chrystal Light lemonade. I still have a little Wuyi tea occasionally and my Tofu noodles when I need a quick meal. I'm still following the Weight Watcher's principle, but I'm not limiting myself. I allow myself to enjoy the flex points. I even go over my point limit, but I'm not beating myself up over it. It's working. I've found that if I go ahead and allow myself to enjoy an occasional chocolate pie, or cookie, it satisfies the craving, to an extent.

And finally, I've continued to work out at Curves 3 times per week. I'm developing muscle mass and it shows. I'm much stronger than I was a year ago. I also feel obligated to mention that I haven't been sick in months. In the last year, I've only had to take antibiotics one time, which was back in the fall for a sinus infection. Since then, nothing.

One thing's for sure: I believe the Acai Berry juice (with it's antioxidants), the Herbalife Shapeworks shakes (with it's vitamins) and altering my eating habits made me healthier. I can't say which "fix" works the best, but I can tell you one thing for sure: they all work together to achieve the goal. There's no such thing as a quick fix.

Other good things I discovered (and healthy!)

1. Fresh Garlic.

2. Berries, berries, berries!

3. Skim milk.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING PLACES TO ORDER PRODUCTS DISCUSSED:

 I have now lost a grand total of 18 lbs and 10 inches all over.  I've had a little set back, but I continue to work out regulary. I've been going over my weight watcher points but continue to stay aware of what I'm eating at all times.  I give myself an 'attaboy'!!!