Tristi's Weight Loss Journey

Me in January of this year.

Me as of last week.

At the time of this writing, I've lost 40 pounds in just over three months. I still have a little over a hundred to go, but I have every reason to believe that it will come off too.

Isn't it human nature that when we see a friend who's lost weight, we ask, "How did you do it?" And isn't it also human nature that if they talk about miracle pills, we're all ears, but if they talk about diet, exercise, water, and sleep, we zone out?

The fact is, we all know what it takes to lose weight. We all know that if we keep eating junk food, we'll never meet those goals, and yet ... it's hard to give up the junk food. It's hard to exercise. It's hard to make consistently positive choices all day long. For some of us, it's flat-out impossible to turn our lives upside down in this way. After all, it was really easy to get fat … seems unfair that it should be so hard to get un-fat.

I used to think it was flat-out impossible for me. I’d exercise my brains out and lose one pound in a month. I tried all kinds of eating plans and would lose a pound a week, which isn’t shabby, but then I’d gain it back while still following the plan. I’d up my thyroid prescription. Somewhat helpful, but not entirely.

I decided that I would need to just accept the fact that I am a large woman. There are a lot of beautiful, talented, wonderful, compassionate women of size in this world—I’d just be one of them. I know that true beauty and worth doesn’t come from the way you look, but I still wasn’t happy with this decision—I wanted to be healthy, and I knew it would never happen carrying so much weight.

Earlier this year, I was very concerned about my second son. He was losing weight, was pale, had no energy, and was having outrageous temper tantrums. We didn't know what to do, and traditional methods weren't helping. Finally we got him in to see my mom's doctor, and we learned that among various other health problems, he had severe allergies. We immediately put him on a limited diet, supplements, and regular visits, and it wasn't long at all before he was a brand-new kid. He'll be able to add some things back into his diet—he’s already added some—but we're doing it gradually and with a doctor's care.

It turns out we all needed to be put on this diet. At first, I honestly thought I was in hell. I'm not talking about the swear word—I’m talking about the geographical location. I suddenly had to figure out what to eat, how to eat it, what supplements to take with it ... for our entire family. Overload!! It was hard enough to do it for one person, but now ... for five? (Yes, I did make my husband figure out his own.) I didn't think I'd survive.

But I lost six pounds that first week.

Wow.

So I kept on, and we're slowly developing some habits that will make this all easier. We're getting into the groove. We want to be healthy. We want to overcome these illnesses that have held us back for so long.

When someone asks me, "How are you doing it?" here's my answer:

1. I am totally 100% off sugar.

2. I am totally 100% off caffeine.

3. I eat no grain or fruit of any kind.

4. I eat meat, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and some raw dairy.

5. I drink 3 qts. of water every day (at least).

6. I take the supplements I've been told to take. I'm suffering from malnutrition—a lifetime of not knowing what to eat, or caring what I ate—and I need to nourish myself.

This is not easy. In fact, I've thrown at least a couple of fits, but never in my children's hearing, because I'm trying to set an example for them. There are times when I want pizza so badly I can hardly see straight. I would commit a crime for some Cherry Coke right now. But you know what? I'm not going to get some. I'm finally on the right track, and I don't want to mess it up.

I've been battling my weight my entire life. I've had some successes, and lots of failures. I never had the self-control to stay away from my favorite foods. I also needed someone to supervise me and tell me what I needed to do. I need the help of the supplements—if you're starving yourself to death because of malnutrition, and then you starve yourself to death because you're on a diet, what good are you doing? I need nutrients, and that's what I'm finally getting.

40 pounds since June 13th. It's working. It hasn’t been easy, but it's working.

Interestingly enough, we aren't approaching me from a weight-loss angle, even though by looking at me, that's clearly a need. We are approaching this from a "Let's get Tristi healthy" angle, and the things we're doing to build up my nutrition and heal my organs are, in turn, helping me lose the unhealthy weight. It's a side benefit, one I can't even tell you how glad I am to be experiencing.

I don't know how long I'll be on this tight regimen. My body was worse off than I first suspected, and we've got a lot of organ systems left to heal. But I'm going to keep at it until I'm well. I've never been so close before, and I'm certainly not giving up now.

"How are you losing your weight, Tristi?" I'm losing it by turning my entire life upside down, getting rid of old habits, creating new ones, throwing away my emotional crutches and learning to stand on my own two feet. And when I reach my goal weight and look in the mirror, I'll know that I'm a winner inside and out.

And yes, I’ll refer you to my doctor. I warn you—he’ll make you change your life. But I promise you—he’ll make you change your life. Think about it.

If you’d like me to send you his contact information, pop me an e-mail.