A Lifetime of Change

“Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride”. Ecclesiastes 7:8

It’s been almost a year since I started on my weight loss journey, and I can totally relate to the verse above because starting was the easy part.  Finishing on the other hand, has been quite the challenge.

How many times have you started something but didn’t see it through? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started and stopped trying to lose weight.  So many obstacles are placed in our paths and it takes endurance and patience to finish what we started.  Sometimes we are placed in situations that are beyond our control; a serious illness, trying relationship, loss of a loved one, financial struggles and so on. Dealing with these situations takes every ounce of our stamina. Sometimes these obstacles cause us to shift our focus, justifiably so.

I’ve been a Lifetime Member of Weight Watcher’s since 1997.  Yep, that’s 15 years trying to do the right things at the right times for the right reasons. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ve always been at my goal weight. I’ve had my ups and downs, some centered around my life circumstances. And I’ve had my distractions, mainly food. J But I have never, ever, given up.

I must say that being a person who is prone to being overweight can be exhausting and discouraging. It takes so much work and commitment to lose weight and to maintain that loss long term. That’s why, this time around, I have changed my strategy a bit.

As I’ve mentioned before, my strategy this time around is to focus on a lifetime of small changes.  The idea is that small slowly adapted changes are more maintainable in the long term.  The first time I did Weight Watcher’s, I was all about following the program perfectly. And thanks to my perfect prowess, I lost 40 pounds in six months. I was a Weight Watcher’s rock star!

But as the saying goes, “it’s the journey not the destination”, I was focusing on the wrong things. It is my hope that the journey I’ve shared in my blog this past year has helped you to stay focused on what matters most. How are you feeling? How are your clothes fitting?  During your journey have you tried a new food? Started a different fitness routine? Shared a recipe? Met a new friend? Discovered something unexpected about yourself? 

Losing weight is about much more than a number on a scale or your clothing size. It’s the pride and sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing what you started combined with all of the wonderful things you learned and people you met along the way!

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

My Letter to Dr. Oz

As a follow up to my previous post, I am sharing my letter to the Dr. Oz Show. I hope that in some small way, this kindles a spark to your own transformation journey, wherever it takes you.

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

February 1, 2012

Hello there Dr. Oz team! My name is Tara Watson, I’m about to turn the big 4-0, and acupuncture has done more than transform my life, it has given me my life back!

In 2002, I was diagnosed with an illness called trigeminal neuralgia/atypical facial pain. It causes me to experience a variety of pains in the right hand side of my head from pinching and pulling, to feeling like someone is driving nails in my head, to stop you in your tracks lightning bolts of pain. As the years progressed, my pain became worse. Sometimes I would lie in bed unable to move and afraid to cry because the crying would trigger new pain. Since extreme hot and cold weather is a trigger, I am often stuck inside. There are not enough pages on this paper to allow me to describe how this illness took over my life. I was watching the lives of my children, family and friends pass by while I went deeper into my cocoon of pain, feeling isolated and alone.

Over the course of 2010, I tried two anti-seizure drugs- Neurontin and Carbamazepine and they made me very sick. I also attended a support group in Philadelphia which was more depressing than encouraging. I consider myself to be a very positive and faith-filled person. But I began thinking, how I am going to live the rest of my life like this? What kind of life is this? At the end of my rope and tired of how the medication made me feel, I opted for acupuncture.

I’ve been doing acupuncture for a little over a year now and am filled with so much gratitude toward my acupuncturist Kate Pietrowski, she saved my life. I was living in such a cloud of pain that I forgot what it was like to just be able to be me.  The neuralgia had such a hold on my life. Thanks to acupuncture treatments, I can enjoy life again. Not having to rely on those mind-numbing prescription medications has been such a blessing. Being an active participant in life is the ultimate gift.

Since I started acupuncture last year, my pain occurrences are less frequent. The level of pain that comes with the attacks has been lessened and the duration of the attacks has been significantly reduced.  In addition, in 2009-2010 I was taking pain/migraine medication like candy and now I only take pain medication a few days a month, if that.

Having my neuralgia attacks under control has allowed me to get a new job that I love. I have taken my health back, losing 25+ pounds. I can attend more of my kid’s outdoor activities because my tolerance for colder temperatures has improved. I started volunteering again. I even started a wellness blog. It feels so great to be able to live life with zest and to take on new risks and adventures. My next adventure is to become a Weight Watcher’s leader. I am four pounds away from reaching my Lifetime Membership.

I am a completely different person than I was this time last year. Removing the darkness and fear that comes from chronic pain, it’s like I have a brand new lease on life. I can live my life as me, confident and happy! There are no words to express the joy that comes with the gift of hope and a renewed sense of purpose.  

Warm regards,  

Tara Watson

The Land of (Doctor) Oz

A few weeks ago, my acupuncturist referred me to a Producer from the Dr. Oz show. The Dr. Oz show was looking for people who transformed their lives using holistic medicine.  I needed to submit a brief write up about how acupuncture transformed my life, along with a picture. At first, I was frozen by a fear of the unknown. What if they like my story? What if they choose me? What would I say on camera? Would I be good enough? Then, I was frozen by a fear of failure. What if they don’t like my story? What if they don’t choose me? And then I decided, why not?

So I wrote up my summary and e-mailed it and my picture to the Producer. And much to my surprise, the Producer wrote back the same day. Long story short, they were changing the direction of the show to feature people who lost weight due to acupuncture. The Producer and I wrote back and forth and while I agree that acupuncture made me feel well enough to want to lose weight, I cannot attribute my weight loss solely to acupuncture and blah, blah, blah. The Producer did write “you sound like an amazing story regardless and I’d love to try to get you onto the show if we can” and that was cool enough for me. And while it seems like my story didn’t quite fit into their programming, it was neat to be considered; fun to dream for a moment about being a guest on the show.

In my next post, I will share the transformation letter I wrote to the show. Why would I dare to share this very personal letter that I’ve only share with a few friends and family? For several reasons-

#1- Because the Tara of a year ago would not have even written the letter to the Dr. Oz show. She would have proclaimed defeat before even trying something new. Letting her fears take over before giving something new a chance.

#2- I believe that when you share the deepest part of yourself, there is a possibility that you could help someone along the way. I honestly believe that’s one of the reasons why God places obstacles in our paths.

#3- Acupuncture, whether you believe in it or not, has truly changed my life. If you are out there reading this blog, and are at the end of your rope due to physical, chronic or emotional pain, what have you got to lose? Open yourself up and try an alternative treatment.

#4- With great risks comes great rewards. Trying something new is so scary. I’m not a risk-taker, I’m a rule follower. I do the speed limit. I read the warning labels on my medications. I used to cut my kids grapes in half because they were the #2 choking hazard. J  And I don’t know about you, but my life is chaotic enough, I like predictable. I like to have an even-keel kind of day. Yet lately, I’m feeling like there is so much out there I could be missing by not taking a chance. So I’m doing it! I’m facing it! I’m trying it! Some days with great zeal, and some days with great trepidation.

Whether it’s a small change or a life altering change you’ve been considering, ask yourself why not? And then put on your helmet and safety goggles and go for it!

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

The Gambler

Sing along with me, “you gotta know when to hold em’, know when to fold em’, know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money, when you’re sittin’ at the table, there’ll be time enough for countin’, when the dealin’s done.” I don’t even like country music and I think I know all of the words to The Gambler.

Growing up, my Mom-Mom was a huge Kenny Roger’s fan, and while she wasn’t often a person that showed her joy, when a Kenny Roger’s song was playing, she couldn’t help but to sing along.

This week, when I was playing my weight loss hand, and I was ready to fold, I was reminded that there is nothing wrong with holding. At this point in my journey, I don’t want to walk away and I don’t want to run (well, maybe sometimes). I am at a point where perseverance and patience is needed. Now I can persevere until the cows come home, but patience has never been my strong point.

I am struggling with these last few pounds to goal. And life has thrown a few obstacles in my way to keep things entertaining. I haven’t been able to exercise due to hurting my lower back. And exercise is paramount for me for many different reasons. Exercise not only helps me physically, it helps me mentally and it helps to ward off my neuralgia. And just as I was ready to jump start my exercise…another obstacle.

Last Thursday when I was walking on the treadmill at a slow pace, 2.1 when I usually walk 3.7, I started to become short of breath. I couldn’t sing to my iPod or catch my breath. My neck became tight, my arms and legs became tingly and I just didn’t feel right, so I stopped. I felt pretty rotten that night and into the next day so I went to the doctor’s. After a joy-filled day of EKG’s and a chest CAT scan, I was sent home to rest. So far all of the tests have come back clear (praise God) and now they need to run some blood work. But until the blood work comes back, I’m not allowed to exercise. L

Certainly there are far worse things in life than not being able to exercise, but I’m feeling frustrated and stuck. Being this close to my goal, I need to be able to exercise to get the scale to move. Since patience is not my strong point, I would ordinarily decide that I’ve come far enough in my journey and I would quit. I’d fold my cards, walk away, maybe even run as fast as I could (to another delicious slice of birthday cake).

But I’m not that girl anymore, I’m not letting this (or any) obstacle stop me. I need to accept and understand that sometimes even the best laid out plans get put on hold. But that doesn’t mean quit. It means doing the best you can with the situation you’ve been given and on occasion something really cool can happen. What’s important to remember is the last sentence of the chorus, “there’ll be time enough for countin’, when the dealin’s done.”

Well, my dealin’s not done, so don’t count me out just yet. I KNOW that patience and perseverance pays off. So no matter what you’re facing this week, don’t give up! Hold when you need to, but don’t fold, you’re worth so much more than that!

Ask for help, make a choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara