Success Stories - Colleen
I have an addictive personality. I've been using food as my drug of choice since I was about five or six years old, only I didn't know it until about two years ago. I remember being made fun of for being fat all throughout my childhood years by my peers, which of course made me eat more. 
I tried almost every diet out there, at least twice! I know everything there is to know about dieting, exercise, and how to get and stay healthy, yet I was morbidly obese.
The most I lost at any time was about 89 pounds, and since I was twelve or thirteen, I have never seen the scale go lower than 203 pounds. I have never in my teenage and adult life seen a number "1" as the first number in my weight. And each time I lost, I regained. My highest weight ever was about 310 pounds. Not only did I wear my addiction so everyone could see, but I was so unhealthy and even more unhappy on the inside.
My knees began to crackle and pop when I bent down, my back was always hurting me. I couldn't stand at the kitchen sink to wash dishes without being in so much pain that I had to stop and lean over just to take the pressure off. My ankles were always swollen and they actually hurt. I couldn't walk a flight of stairs without being out of breath by time I got to the top. My boss once noticed me breathing heavy just from me crossing the office! How out of shape must I have been to be out of breath just from crossing a room!
One of the worst, more embarrassing experiences happened this past summer when my husband and I went to an amusement park and I attempted to get on a roller coaster, only I didn't fit. Not only was I mortified, but I felt so bad for my husband. He's my best friend and I want nothing more than to make him smile. He's my buddy, my partner, and I'm his, so when his "buddy" couldn't fit on the ride, she felt like a total let down. It broke my heart. My addiction to food was hurting more than just me.
I was very reluctant to try a liquid diet because I thought to myself "how can this possibly help me with my addiction?!" But, my husband had successfully lost 321 pounds on it, and kept if off, so I decided to at least hear-out Dr. Kaplan. Much to my amazement, one of the very first things he mentioned was that the liquid diet is working for me as a tool for my "addiction." Wow! If ever someone used a keyword to get my ears to perk up and listen! Like I mentioned before, I'd known for about two years that food was an addiction to me so when Dr. Kaplan mentioned it, I knew I was in the right place.
Dr. Kaplan was great! He was soft spoken and very caring. He didn't treat me like a dollar amount or make me feel like I'm some lazy woman who sits around all day eating and just getting fat. He addressed my addiction in a very professional, empathetic manner. I weighed 279 pounds at that visit. Mymy low calorie diet journey hasn't been easy for me. In fact, it's had as many ups as it has downs. The beginning was a struggle. Taking away my "drug" was mentally torturous. I was an emotional mess. But I decided to stick it out.
After all, this was my addiction withdrawal period and I knew it. So as difficult as it was, I hung on for dear life. There was one week in the beginning when I managed to GAIN a pound of fat. I was devastated and so discouraged. How could this have happened?! I had been completely on-plan and I gained?! I was scared to death that everyone was going to look at me, point and say "well, you MUST have eaten regular food." Much to my surprise, Dr. Kaplan never thought any of this was my doing and he was very supportive. He told me he in fact has seen this type of thing before, and it is usually with women and almost always a hormone imbalance. I was sent for blood-work and low and behold, I was diagnosed with PCOS and as being glucose intolerant; on a cellular level, the glucose was not being absorbed, therefore turning into fat. Believe me, this was GOOD news! Dr. Kaplan prescribed me with the proper medication and I haven't had a problem since! I am so grateful for the extra special care I received and so grateful.
Each week I see Carol, the Nurse Practitioner for my visit. She is upbeat, perky, very nice and also caring. Oh, and she calls me "Lovie," which I like because it shows she really does care. I go for my weekly visit and I don't feel rushed at all! She sits with me, talks to me and listens to how I'm feeling, any troubles I have, etc. She's been on my side throughout my journey and for her I am also grateful. As for the rest of the staff at the Smithtown office, they're AWESOME! Michelle, Sarah, Dawn... they're all so nice. You might ask yourself how a liquid diet helped, or has been helping me with my addiction. Here is my answer: Food is my "drug." I took my drug out of the picture for a while so I can concentrate on what my real issues are. You see, food is what I needed to help me build my cast of fat around the real problems that were affecting me. Being fat was my "cover-up." My real issues were much deeper than that. If I put all my effort into dieting my whole life I could ignore my real problems. So, I decided that not only taking my drug away from me, but also going to therapy to work on WHY I EAT, would offer me some permanent success.
I began the low calorie diet on on October 27th, 2005, weighing 279 pounds and feeling simply awful. As of last night I weigh 197.5 pounds and feel amazing! That's right, I am in ONEderland!! WOOHOO! I am in awe! I am so excited! I have a brand new life! My Goodness, I have a "1" as the first number in my weight! With the help of Dr. Kaplan, Nurse Carol, and the rest of the wonderful office staff, I am succeeding! As my husband and I say, "I'm kicking Fat's butt!"