I am 30 years old. I married 10 years ago and moved overseas with my Army husband. I was bored and depressed being so far from home and started eating as consolation. It was the only thing that we really could do in our off time! The pounds started packing on, and my size 8 ballooned upwards. I had our first child, came back to the states, and kept going up in weight. I don't know how heavy I got, but I know it was a size 18-20 and somewhere between 215-240 on my 5'4" frame. My mom loaned me Dr. Sears’ "Mastering the Zone" that her doctor had given her. I read it, started applying it and lost 13 pound the first week! I took many breaks along the way, due to willpower and had a second child, getting back up in the 200s. I got down to 180 and was stuck (not following the Zone). Then I said, “Enough is enough. When I'm on the Zone, I feel awesome, and I have energy to spare!” So I jumped back on the bandwagon and lost the remaining 40 pounds in around five to six months. I LOST weight on Thanksgiving! I am still nine pounds from my goal weight, but I have gone from 60 percent body fat down to 32 percent body fat. I am now in a size 7/8 and was able to have the confidence to start my own business.
I am a different person. My self-esteem has soared, I am way more outgoing and I am so happy. Shopping is fun, my kids can wrap their arms around me, and my husband is just ecstatic. He was VERY supportive through the whole process and NEVER made me feel badly about myself, but I can tell he likes the new me better! I have been given a gift, a new start, a new life, and a better me. I can tell my 30s are going to rock!
Thank you, Dr. Sears, for helping me to understand food and how it affects your body. I now enjoy perusing Web sites with "techy food talk" because of your book and the interest in healthy living it gave me. I am a changed person. I asked God to help me stick to this and lose the weight so I could be healthy. He did, and I am thankful He put your book in my path. I now am taking good care of my body, my temple. My whole family eats the Zone way most of the time, and the kids love the Zone muffins. (Recipe is on Zoneliving.com.)