I ran a half marathon in 2009 and was at this weight. Last time I saw this weight again was March 5, 2020 just before the world shut down. It was my 90 day blood test and weigh in after participating in a two-week whole food plant-based nutrition program through Rochester lifestyle medicine at Christmas time. I had been dappling with a vegan diet since September 2019 after a work trip to NYC with friends. Who wouldn’t be willing to try it after eating out at gourmet vegan restaurants on an expense account?

I loved the way plant-based eating made me feel. My whole body and mind felt clean… even my morning breath smelled better. And, my body responded quickly to whole food eating, my cholesterol and LDL numbers were great. I was even composting and making my own hummus.

Then Covid hit. At first it was fine. Instead of going to the gym, I figured out how to work out on my own during a Rochester spring. Grocery shopping was challenging because I was in charge of 3 households, my own family of 5, for my 85 year old mother and for my 85 year old father. With product limits, that meant lots of trips. Then there was sanitizing all the groceries, that was fun.

But in summer 2020, my mom was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. She did hospice in our home. Our dear friends set up a meal train and I was nursing around the clock. Nights became days, life was upside down, and mom’s care was the priority. I ate whatever was in the house and when ever I could take a break to cram something down my throat. Mom passed just before Halloween. The outpouring of love and support from our friends and neighbors through home cooked meals was so generous, kind, needed and much appreciated.

Then we rolled into the holidays and then it was my son’s senior spring and graduation. It was easy to prioritize the family’s needs, we were all still grieving while celebrating new milestones.

My self care took a backseat.

I had several friends who had great success with Breakthrough M2 Rochester. I’m not sure why it took me another 6 months to do something about the extra 15 pounds I was carrying around, physically and mentally. I was gung-ho to start the program at Christmas time, but decided to delay so New Year’s would be a high fat day. I had lower expectations than my friend’s successes since I was determined to follow the vegan program even though the higher carb content might slow weight loss.

My goal was to lose 15 lbs in 3 weeks, then 3 weeks of maintenance would put me on track to celebrate Super Bowl properly.

I’m a rule follower, so getting back to clean eating and sticking to the program felt great. The drops made it easy. I lost 8 lbs in the first 8 days, but then hit a plateau for most of the second week. By the end of 3 weeks, I had miraculously lost 14.5 lbs just half a pound short of my goal. I fit into my old clothes again and didn’t need to wear leggings and cover my bottom with long shirts every day.

How could I stop just short of the finish line? A wise friend told me it was just a number that I didn’t need to fixate on. So I stuck to my plan and ended at exactly 3 weeks. Now at 5 weeks in, I’ve surpassed my goal weight and lost even another pound in maintenance. I’ve got 5 days left. The routine of 2 fruits, veggies and proteins is ingrained now. Can’t wait until I get back on track with exercise. At 51, I’m actually looking forward to my 30th college reunion this June.      Can’t wait for my besties to call me a skinny bitch!