Many of you have suggested that I share my weight loss story with the world. I've been tempted to compile my notes on facebook into a public blog. I went as far as building the blog and before I published it I decided against it. If I'm going to share my story, it will be in the form of a book. Once I've reached my goal, I'll have the knowledge as to what caused me to be overweight for the first 35 years of my life and closure on how I will avoid being fat in the future. At that point, if I have the strength and desire then I will compile (proof read and spell check) my personal journey into something strangers may want to read (and hopefully pay for). There is no doubt the book will be titled "Shrinkage"... so keep your eye out for it at Chapters!

In the meantime, I'm confident that my personal journals may be of use to professionals in the medical field. I have the greatest respect for medical doctors, I believe most enter the field of medicine with the genuine desire to help people. Even though I generally admire people in the profession, I am also a critic with regards to the approaches that some doctors take when they try to help people that are overweight. No amount of education and degrees can surpass the value of a good bedside manner, encouragement and compassion shown by a doctor. I'm not sure if all doctors realize that the small things they say to an overweight person can have a significant impact on their patient's success or failure. People trying to lose weight are fragile (maybe not physically, but mentally). Most lack self-esteem, many are depressed and have a very poor self-image of themselves.

Just like anything in life, when things seem hopeless, it's easy to give up. If you have more than 50lbs to lose, it's hard to find the path and willpower to reach your goal. The way medical professionals approach the issue of significant weight loss can trigger an extremely overweight person to work harder or give up quickly (I know because I've been there too many times).

I'm confident the reason why I succeeded this time was because Devin was a professional who took a human approach to helping me. Though he's not a medical doctor, Devin really should receive a doctorate in physical fitness for everything he's done to help his clients as a personal trainer. Devin has become an integral part of my life, he's my lifeline to the thin world! We can now laugh at how out of shape I was on that dreaded "first workout" and the months that followed, but at the time it wasn't funny. In this two year journey, Devin never once showed any doubt in me (even when I fell off the wagon in 2008). He didn't reference BMI charts or bring up how much more I had to lose. Instead, he focused on how much I've physically accomplished and weight that I've lost. When I'd reach a benchmark (say 20lbs) he'd hand me a dumbbell equivalent to that weight, so then I'd have something tangible to measure and represent what I've achieved. I've now lost the equivalent of my two toddlers' weight. Today, I cannot even imagine trying to climb the stairs carrying the both of them, though it's what I used to do everyday... no wonder I was freakin' tired! Devin's approach changed my frame of mind to focus on what I've achieved not how much further I have to go, that's probably now why I focus on calories going out and not coming in.

Don't hate me Dimitra, but today I'm going to kill some trees! I'm printing every one of my notes and mailing it to a medical doctor that specializes in weight loss. One of my close friends from high school (Dr. Karen (Pomeroy) Moosbrugger) is married to a medical director in an Ontario weight loss clinic. Karen has told her husband about me and he's interested in learning from my experience (I'm flattered). I'm going to send my notes to Dr. Peter Moosbrugger in the hopes that he and his collegues can learn from my personal experiences. Maybe by reading my notes or asking me questions, they'll see the personal struggles and achievements of an overweight person in a way they haven't before. Hopefully, the doctors in their clinic will better understand the hills and valleys that their patients experience but won't always share with them because 1) they don't realize the truth about themselves or 2) they are too embarassed to be honest. Hopefully, my candid and honest thoughts about what it's like to fail and then succeed will offer the doctors insight, maybe help their practice to evolve and who knows maybe they'll discover a breakthrough approach to weight loss that will help people who were just like me and despirately need their help... because in reality their patients' lives depend on it!