Hangin' Around

The weekly visit to the Medi clinic is very routine at this point. Walk in, sign in, and then wait for my name to be called in the waiting room. Yup, once again I'm there like the last person at a party who doesn't notice that everyone else already left. I've seen some staff and four doctors come and go and the ones that remain are probably wondering how long before they have to push me out the door.

In a lot of ways, nothing is new. There are no more sizes dropped, pounds lost, or drastic physical changes. I go in the exam room for a B12 injection and get weighed once a month, free of charge, and that's it. All that ever changes is the staff member I see and I just hope it's not a doctor, since they're typically more aggressive when sticking your arm with a needle.

But just when I think I've reached my goal and it doesn't get any better than that, I get another gift handed to me. Today, while seeing my favorite nurse, she exclaimed, "Erin, did you see? You're picture is flying all over Wiregrass my dear! Did they tell you?"

HOLY SH**!!!!!! What?! I may not make it to the local shopping mall that often, but apparently my poster image sure does. She's hanging around every other street light at the most popular place in town! She's in front of Grillsmith restaurant where it looks like she always has a table reserved for her and I haven't even eaten there yet. She's about to check out the new releases at Barnes & Noble when I only have time to read magazines. Hell, she's even next to my favorite store, JcPenNEY, yards away from actor Terrence Howard's ad like they're both just hustlin' and flowin'. That chick looks ten times cooler than me and appears to be having more fun than me too, but she is me. True it's me made up me wearing a dress that I don't typically wear often and in heels that I can hardly walk in but the promise of living out this "night on the town" look it obtainable now when I never imagined I would get this far.

Looking at yourself after losing over 100 pounds is surreal enough but to see a glammed up version of yourself when your shopping around town is both strange and incredibly empowering. How many people actually lose a significant amount of weight through a weight loss program and also have their success publically broadcast? Not only that but people I don't even know have been posting comments about my story on Facebook. Comments like, "You're story gave me chills... it's a blessing... you inspired me to try again." To have any impact on anyone else with a weight issue, and to possibly motivate them to getting back their life when I've been overweight off and on since I was a little girl... It means everything to me. I couldn't ask for more and if my weight should continually stay at my goal, well then I'm just going to have to get used to it. :)

YouTube - Talking Heads - "Once In A Lifetime"

Sticking To It

The one green beer I had last night must not have agreed with me because today I feel as if I could float down the Majestic Shannon on the buoyancy of my belly bloat alone. I know, not exactly a pretty picture, but it's been a recurring problem ever since I hit my goal weight and probably one others can relate to as well. I eat a little more carbs here and there, (the good carbs), and it's like my body doesn't know what they are or how to digest them anymore. So they "fester" in my stomach, (which I now refer to as Fester), making me look and feel like I'm in my first trimester. Not only that but the discomfort has slowed me down with my workouts and the extra calories have added up to a couple of pounds in the last few months. Ugghhh! I've worked too hard to lose the weight and I'll be damned if I'm going to back track now!!!!!!

Luckily for me, Medi has, once again, come to the rescue. Today I received a package in the mail, a gift bag from the clinic for making the Top 10 in the cover model contest stocked with all the ingredients I need to protein it up anytime of the day for days. That's right, today's secret ingredient is... PROTEIN POWDER!!!!!

Over the last couple of years I've received enough shake recipes from Medi to become a certified shake mixologist but I've never tried them. Well, with the supply I've been given, it seems like that's all about to change. They even added in PB2 - powdered peanut butter! I know, it sounds a little gross but is actually a real, natural peanut butter that is made with peanuts but is much healthier and lower in calories while being just as tasty and comes in a chocolate version too. In fact, I've got big plans for it. It's going to be like the life of party when mingling with yogurt, sugar free pudding, my cheesecake recipe... I can even mix it with water and spread it on my cinnamon apple slices! I haven't had peanut butter in years, so the possibilities might just be endless.

Sometimes when you hit a bump in the road, it might just help to mix it up. I'm going to experiment with the recipes. I'll be sure to share my favorites.

(The background music. These chicks like peanut butter too.YouTube - The Liverbirds - Peanut Butter)

That's What I'm Talkin' About

Nearly two years ago I was over a hundred pounds overweight. Then I started a weight loss plan at a little clinic two miles away from my house, lost the weight, and now my image is on banners, ads, and posters representing them????? I know it's custom for programs like this to advertise with before and after pictures of their patients, but I'm really just one of many who have lost a substantial amount of weight, so it still baffles me as to why I was singled out.

Not that I mind at all though. It may not seem that significant to other people, but to someone who, at the age of seven, had their mother sew them a pink, gunny sack confirmation dress because they didn't fit into the standard, beautiful white dress that all the other Irish Catholic girls paraded around in like princesses, and who continued to feel outcast for decades after because of her weight - it feels monumental.

With exposure like this, the cover of Italian Vogue, a leading role in the next Darren Aronofsky movie, and a major book deal with Random House are sure to follow.

Rock Around the Clock

This is currently how hard I'm "rocking" it in the Medi Cover Model contest, with 37
votes to the top contenders 294 votes...



I know they say "Slow and steady wins the race" but the tortoise could run me over at this point and that's with the help of my husband's coworkers, my mother in-law's extensive arsenal of Mafia War thugs, and my brother in-law's Army buddies. Ideally, I would like to hit it like this...



I just learned that my local clinic is making a new banner with my image to use for their set up at the local Business Expo coming up (www.centralpascochamber.com/?page=expo11). As awesome as that is, how doubly cool would it be to be able to add "Clinic of Medi's 2011 Cover Model" to that too? Okay, so winner might be aiming to high, but 30 more votes would bump me up into the top three. Help a mama out and cast a vote on the Medi Weightloss FB page.