Weight Loss Journey = Pregnancy???

I was sharing my story with someone earlier this evening and I started thinking about this analogy... sorry guys...you won't get it. But ladies, this really hit home to me. I used my personal journey as an example, but please insert your diet program whatever that may be. :)

This journey kinda reminds me of being pregnant and expecting that first baby.... When you first find out, it's all exciting and there's the anticipation and the congratulations and on and on... I liken this to the first day of your diet. You're pumped and excited... raring to go. Then comes the first trimester when no-one knows that you're expecting and you feel like dog doo doo. This is the first weeks/month of your weight loss program No one but you can really tell that you're losing depending on how much you need to lose. You feel are just downright irritated.

Then the second trimester gives you hope... you're starting to show and you feel a lot better and can actually enjoy the pregnancy. This is those fast moving (for the most part) middle stages of the loss journey. People are starting to notice. You're still seeing good results on the scale and you can start really feeling good about yourself.

And then the third trimester..... you're done. You're ready for it to be over. The time seems to drag and drag..... this is the very end.... those last 10 pounds that you never thought you'd get to see.... this time the loss slows down. The goal is so close and yet so far.... BUT THEN!!! The reward for sticking it out in the PG is a beautiful new life... a baby..... Good news is... the reward for making it through the program.... A BEAUTIFUL NEW LIFE!!! You learn with that first baby how to love, nurture, protect, care for it as best as humanly possible.... You learn in maintenance... how to love, nurture, protect and care for your new body.... your new life.... cherish it.... Praise the ONE who gave it to you!!!

During the journey, time drags, even stands still sometimes. We think that it is taking forever, the end will never come. But then you turn around and all of a sudden, there it is. That thing that you have worked so hard for, that you have longed for and waited so patiently for is finally here. Now it's up to you as to where you go from here. We know that nervousness coming home from the hospital for the first time w/ the new baby. You're not sure how to take care of it. Wonder how on earth you'll ever be able to be all that you need to be for this precious child, this gift from the Lord. Same with your body.... you're finally here, and now, it's up to you to keep it up. You're nervous about adding in those first few foods. Wonder how it will effect you, do you know everything you need to to make it work.

We learn to raise our children by trial and error. Just the same, you learn by trial and error. Learn but never give up. Where would we be, where would our children be if one thing we tried didn't work and we just gave up the training??? It is a daily, sometimes even hourly battle/struggle. But the end result is so worth it. Always fight the good fight. Never doubt that you have done a good thing, and learn to listen to your body. It just like our children have ways of letting you know if you're doing a good job...

Christin's Great Hollywood Adventure...

Wow… that’s about all I can say right now about these last few days. This program has done so much to change my life in so many ways. I think when you get right down to it… it’s changed not only my life, but that of my family, friends, and those around me too.

I am so privileged and blessed to be able to represent this way of eating in the manner that I have been selected. Woman’s World magazine and all those who put my trip together this week have been amazing. I have NEVER in my life been so pampered and primped and pawed over! I LOVED IT!!!! So here is my account now for my friends and those who are wanting to know my Cinderella story of your everyday average housewife from Texas turned Hollywood model for the day!

My trip began in Houston TX early Monday morning… I was accompanied by my wonderfully supportive husband on this whirlwind adventure. We arrived at the airport early to attempt at a seat change because of my recent knee surgery we were hoping to get bumped up…. Didn’t happen… this flight was booked solid. So we boarded and took our place on the last row of the airplane. Not the most choice spot, but I was too excited about what was to come to really mind.

When we arrived in LA the chauffeur was there to pick us up in a nice Lincoln Business Class limo which took us straight over to the photo-shoot in the Media District of Melrose. When we went into the studio we were introduced to the “team.” Makeup, hair, creative director, stylist, photographer, they were all there. Rested for a few minutes and then whisked off to begin the transformation process. From plain ole’ me to… “Ahbsolutely Fahbulus dahling….!!!!”

Soooo you know in the movies where they show a photo shoot and the model says crazy things to make her face look right? Loud music playing and lots of lights and “give me attitude” talk from the photographer. I was so taken aback!!! That really is the way they do it! I had to stop myself so many times from laughing. But all in all, it was an amazing experience. They even let me keep 2 of the outfits!

We took a taxi from the shoot to the hotel and got checked in. We were given a beautiful suite very near Malibu and Hollywood Blvd. We quickly got changed and decided to head out and get some touring done. Headed from there to Hollywood Blvd to take in the sights… Kodak Theater, Mann Chinese Theater, Walk of Stars, whirlwind… but we saw it all!

After our quick tour of Hollywood we went to dinner at Kama Shiro restaurant overlooking the LA skyline. We literally watched the sunset over LA with the “HOLLYWOOD” sign overlooking us. It was beautiful. Oh… and my dear sweet husband tried eel for the first time. Yes we are no longer country… we have arrived and are experiencing the high life at last!

After dinner my dear friend Ana and her husband picked us up from the restaurant and we went to have coffee over at Universal Studios! We talked a long time and walked around Universal taking in some of the sights… after Universal they took us on a driving tour of some of the other sights we had yet to see that day. Culminating with pictures on beautiful Rodeo Dr. Although it was closed, it was still incredible to see and at least learn about all the different things that happen in a day in sunny CA.

It was sad to see such a wonderful trip come to an end, but then all good things do don’t they? It just gives me something AWESOME to look forward to. Don’t know when, but I am definitely going back. California is everything that I imagined it to be and more. Yes there are downsides to everywhere, every town, but I still wanted to see more. This experience brings new a whole new meaning to the phrase “California or BUST!”

The Twelve Signs of Good Health

From" Whole Earth Review Magazine" a couple years ago.

1. Regular flare-ups of a supportive network of friends and family.

2. Chronic positive expectations.

3. Repeated episodes of gratitude and generosity.

4. Increased appetite for physical activity.

5. Marked tendency to identify and express feelings.

6. Compulsion to contribute to society.

7. Lingering sensitivity to the feelings of others.

8. Habitual behavior related to seeking new challenges.

9. Craving for peak experiences.

10. Tendency to adapt to changing conditions.

11. Feelings of spiritual involvement.

12. Persistent sense of humor.


Thanks to one of my buddies for giving me this excpert. So Inspirational!!! Thank you Lee!

Headed to LA!!!

Editor's Note: Please note that the Kimkins Diet has been proven to be a dangerous Very Low Calorie Diet. Please see my article HERE for further information regarding new developments about this program and my decision to step away.


It's finally happened. This Way of Eating has officially become my way of life. I have maintained my 100lb loss now for almost 1 month!!! I have been so rewarded. Turns out that my story is turning heads other places than just Kimkins as well!

Woman's World Magazine has requested to do a story on Kimkins and have selected me to be the cover!! I'm still in shock about it but I know that this is where I am supposed to be right now. It is no coincidence that the Lord led me to Kimmer and her site. I have been so blessed by the ministry that has opened up to me in this. It is my goal to show people a new and better way that they can be living their lives. Herein lies the beginning of my new stage in life.

So 3 weeks ago a dear friend from Houston contacted me. She is a professional photographer (you can view her work here: Jamie Kutter Photography) and extremely gifted in this area. She was inspired by my story and thought I should have some nice pictures to go along with my New and Improved look. Long story short, I made a quick trip back to my hometown for my first experience with a photoshoot. Here's a sample of my first official "after" pictures:

Overcoming Self-Sabotage

I wanted to post here today an excerpt that I found regarding the DIET guide to emotional eating because it is definitely something that I have struggled with and deal with all the time. I was trying to explain to my mom about my lifestyle change this week. She was having a hard time understanding why now that I'm on goal I still won't eat "normal" foods.

What I told her was likening myself to a drug addict or alcoholic. Those people, once they overcome their addiction, must learn to recognize their triggers, the things that set them off on a binge or in need for a fix. Once they discover what those things are they do what is necessary to avoid them at all costs. For most of them, it also involves removing the temptation all together and not placing themselves in situations where alcohol or drugs would be. For those of us w/ food addictions it is much more difficult. We cannot remove ourselves from food. We must have it to live/survive. Therefore, we have to learn to control it by recognizing and removing our triggers. Those who follow the Kimkins way of life have learned that carbs for the most part are our triggers. For some it's salty flour carbs - pasta, chips, potatos, corn... for others its the sweet sugary carbs - cookies, refined sugars, etc... still for others, it may even be a combination of the two plus high fat foods such as cheeses and dairy products. The point is, in order to be successful at this type of lifestyle change, each person must learn to recognize his/her own triggers or "demons" and overcome them.

So, just as some alcoholics are eventually able to maybe have 1 drink every now and then only because they have recognized their demons and learned to deal with them, so I eventually hope to be able to add some higher carb items back to my diet on an occasional basis. However, I will no longer be able to endulge in my previous lifestyles regularity because I have learned to recognize my triggers and know that if I were to succumb to the "just one" that is so often presented to me, it would set off my emotional and physiological response to one more and one more and one more... thus cycling back into my previous destructive habits. Now... I have proven to myself that this method works for me. If I did dive into a certain "high carb" frenzy and totally give in one day, I could possibly say to myself...well I know the secret to getting it back off... so what's it going to hurt? Once again, that is the thinking that has caused me to fail every other diet that I've ever tried and put the weight right back on. Therefore, by my choice, I choose now and forever more to refrain from giving in to those certain food demons all together.

Here is the excerpt from the D.I.E.T. article:

"Traditional dieting strategies don't work for emotional eaters because the psychological aspects of weight management aren't fully addressed by most plans. Most diet programs don't deal with self-sabotage and the real reasons why we knock ourselves off track. To achieve lasting weight management success, emotional eaters need to go through the following four stages of change.

D - Discover: The first step is to discover our hidden emotional obstacles and understand the food-feelings connection that makes balanced eating so difficult. It's essential to tune in to our inner selves before we can attempt to change our outer appearance. We need to identify the self-defeating thoughts and attitudes, that lead us to sabotage our success with such frustrating regularity. Discovery is crucial because it's impossible to win the weight war until we know who the enemy really is.

I - Invent: Once we've discovered the emotional issues and self-defeating ways of thinking that have always stood in our way, we need to invent a new way of managing our lives and ourselves. It's time to break free from old habits and standard modes of operating. This requires that we invent healthier, more nurturing ways of thinking to combat those self-defeating tendencies.

E - Extinguish: The next step is to extinguish the old, unhealthy ways of thinking, feeling and perceiving as we adopt our newly-invented life plan. Healing old wounds and building new skills will help us deal with life's troubles head on and decrease our reliance on food.

T - Transform: Our final task is to transform our new insights, skills and healing into a positive lifestyle that emphasizes healthy food choices and regular exercise. After much hard work, one of my clients got to this stage and said, "I'm at the point now where exercising and eating right are emotionally uncomplicated." What she meant was that she at last felt free of her old emotional shackles and could now make the commitment necessary for the long-term task of successful weight management.

The D.I.E.T. Plan is a sometimes tough -- but necessary -- process for those of us with emotional eating issues. Remember: Until you deal with the demons, you can't tackle the fat."