And the winner is!!!!

Believe it or not, its me!!!! I won!!! The above pictured ship will be my home away from home February 11-19Th as I cruise the Caribbean!!! I'm very excited!

Here is my testimony

It’s not uncommon for people to say, “Fat Flush Plan?? Never heard of it! Is it a fad diet?” when I respond to the question, “You look great, what have you been doing?” Three years ago I said the same thing to a grief counselor who was living the Fat Flush way of life. I was skeptical and had a preconceived notion that like any diet I’d tried, this too would not work for me.
I have always held a bit of weight on my 5’ 3” frame. I was often on a diet. My husband loved to cook and often our meals were high in carbohydrates and fatty meats. While he stayed slim, I gained weight. It was during my second pregnancy that I developed gestational diabetes. I was sent to an endocrinologist and a nutritionist, who had me trying to control the diabetes with a diet lower on the glycemic index. This worked for me and I walked out of the hospital weighing less than I did when I’d conceived. My 3rd and final pregnancy would have me on insulin shots and pricking my fingers. After delivery, I was deemed to be borderline diabetic and advised to control it with diet and to test my blood sugars daily. I continued to struggle with the weight, moving up and down the scale. My highest weight reached a devastating 199 pounds!

Me at my highest weight

I tried a low carbohydrate diet that seemed to be working and felt like life was finally turning a corner when I encountered a life changing event. In January 2002, my husband went in to the hospital for an aortic valve transplant. Something went wrong during the operation and my husband suffered a massive bilateral stroke placing him in a coma. The week leading up to his death was fraught with many emotionally devastating decisions on my part and in the end; there was no choice but to let him go. I was suddenly a widow at 38 and left to raise our 3 small children alone.
At first, I went home and couldn't eat. I lost weight and tried to survive the best I could. Hunger finally returned a few weeks later and then I couldn’t stop eating. I see now that I was eating my grief. Home cooked meals became nonexistent. I often ordered out or took the kids to fast food restaurants. If given the opportunity to cook, I was so tired from working and the grief, that I didn’t know what to make and often made plain noodles! Our meals were completely carb overloaded!! I ballooned up to 187 lbs and carried the weight of my grief around with me. Again and again I turned to a popular diet that I believed would help if only I stayed with it. Each encounter seemed to leave me gaining the weight back and adding extra pounds. I was diagnosed with depression and put on antidepressants. I was tired all the time, but couldn’t sleep. I snored when I did manage to get a few hours and would wake up exhausted. I often had indigestion and issues that resembled IBS. I ate to pass the time when I was bored and often would snack in the middle of the night while on the computer or watching TV.

In the beginning of May 2007, I took a good look at myself in the mirror and burst into tears. I recalled the book the grief counselor had shown me and searched for it on Amazon.com. I bought a copy of the Fat Flush plan along with the cook book and the journal. The day it arrived, I read the book cover to cover. It all made sense to me and on May 28th, weighing 187 lbs; I took a leap and began eating the Fat Flush way. I lost 16 pounds within the first two weeks detoxing. I took the advice in the book and went online to Unikey and placed my first order for the Fat Flush Kit. The change in my energy and feeling of well being was almost immediate after I began taking the supplements. I have taken multivitamins in the past but the quality of the Fat Flush kit was evident in not only my energy levels but also the way my skin began to look and feel…so much clearer! I began sleeping better and my stomach issues decreased and finally ceased all together.

In August, I went for my yearly physical and my endocrinologist was impressed with the weight loss. She took down the name of the book and was going to buy a copy for herself. She ordered the regular tests and I'm happy to report that I am no longer considered pre-diabetic, my cholesterol levels all fall within the normal ranges and I have been removed from the antidepressants.

Here I am having reached my first goal of 145 lbs

I reached my first goal of 145 in October, 4 months after beginning and then set my next goal of losing 10 lbs. My clothing size has dropped from a size 18/20 to a size 10! and I have dropped 14 inches. I have never felt or looked this good since prior to getting married! I managed to get through the holidays with a 6 lb gain but once back on track, I dropped the 6 lbs and took off 2 more! by following the plan and exercising. Being a teacher, I am very public within my small town. I am often told how good I look and asked about the diet I am following. I am happy to share the name of the book and website and we now have new Fat Flushers cropping up in my town! I know with the support from the forum and Ann Louise herself, I will reach my ultimate goal.
Thank you Ann Louise and Unikey!
Lisa

Today weighing in at 141 a total loss of 46 lbs!

This first prize award came with its own trials and stresses. I am one that has been learning to stand up for myself. I'm reminded more and more how Tom would want me to stand strong in the face of adversity, how he always encouraged me to stand up and be strong. I can't say I have always been so. I was at first awarded second prize and after some discussion about how the rules of the contest were presented, I was then named winner. I'm thrilled to be going and even more thrilled to meet other fat flushers as well as attend all the seminars and learn even more about eating this way for a healthier life! My older sister will be accompanying me on the trip. She and my brother in law have been so supportive and are always there with guidance and help when its been needed. We got away for a 'girls' weekend last year and I know we will have a blast on the cruise together!

I was not without help from my very special angel though! Monday January 21st marks the 6Th anniversary since Tom's death. I sat up at his grave and talked and cried about this situation with him. I sat there looking for his guidance in just how to follow through. I played in my head conversations we'd shared in the past when I'd come up against walls before. I felt him so close this week. I know that he had a hand in the outcome... hey even the ship itself is a sign! The ship's name?? The Carnival MIRACLE!