For weeks in late 2011, I wondered what exactly I was thinking starting the HMR diet four days before Halloween, a month before Thanksgiving, and two months before Christmas. My family and friends considered me certifiable. My co-workers watched skeptically. My mother supported me unconditionally, all the while consumed with worry. As for me…I thrived, exceeding every expectation I ever had for myself. A year later and over 47 lbs. lighter, HMR has transformed me in more ways than I could have imagined.
Initially, the thought of attending meetings and making weekly check-in phone calls was an unpleasant one. I had enrolled in diet programs in the past and found meetings to be impersonal and impractical. Phone calls were entirely new to me. After attending an HMR informational session at the Harvard Vanguard practice in Chelmsford, my thinking was, “I will never make that phone call and I’ll consider the weekly meeting optional.”
Long story short, I’ve rarely missed a weekly phone call or meeting at Chelmsford. Both serve as an unwavering support system in an encouraging, unbiased environment. They remind me that I am accountable for my actions, staying healthy is a lifelong process, and that I am not alone. I am viewed by the HMR staff and my classmates as an individual whose goals and needs are uniquely mine.
My classmates are some of the most admirable people I have ever met. They succeed week after week in the face of adversities I cannot imagine. I have the utmost respect for them. Their courage, sense of commitment, and steadfast optimism inspire me to return to the clinic each week.
It’s safe to say I have kept my educator on her toes these past months. She’s tackled numerous challenges with me not because it was required of her, but out of sheer dedication. She has shown me endless patience and respect, and never once has made me feel like the burden I know I can be at times. She has taken the time to learn my likes and dislikes, identify my strengths and weaknesses, and ease my fears and concerns. She works tirelessly to ensure that I am maintaining a healthy lifestyle and meeting my goals safely and effectively. I am forever grateful to her and her colleagues for their guidance and support.
For fourteen weeks I persevered in Phase One, remaining “in the box” on the Healthy Solutions diet until I was informed by my educator that it was time for me to move on to the “box-less” world of Phase Two. I was a bit shaken. Having a “box” was a huge safety net for me. But the transition has been surprisingly smooth, and I’ve been maintaining my weight loss for over six months now. Fruits and vegetables are indispensable to me, and I exercise daily. I have never felt better.
So in the long run and despite what others may think of me, I know exactly what I was thinking starting the HMR diet back in October of 2011. For the first time ever I made it through the holidays and saw weight loss. And keeping in line with the holiday season, I got a gift I had been struggling for my entire life: a happy and healthy me.