Product Review

I considered the various forms of bariatric surgery but, fortunately, the idea of surgery scares the heck out of me, so it was never really an option. And looking back now, after maintaining a 145-pound weight loss for several years, I am so glad I didn't go that route. It has worked for some people that I know, but it's just not for me. What that surgery does, in my humble opinion, is buy you some time where it is easier to change your eating and exercise habits. But, if you don't make that change there's a very real risk you'll regain all your weight back -- and then some.

Of course, I eventually regained the previous "quick diet" weight loss and added some more for good measure. In fact, after losing the 50 pounds in those first few weeks, I gained about 100 over the course of the next four years. That was okay because at that point, I decided that I was indeed meant to be the funny, big and curvy girl. And 315 pounds.

Along the way, I tried a few programs.. pretty much every diet known to mankind, and possibly a few other species, too. At one point, I sat down and calculated how much I had spent on weight-loss programs. It wasn't a little bit of money. It was close to $15,000 - 20,000. That's a conversion rate of about $130 for every pound gained.

Then I finally turned it all around.