Where I've Been....

How does the old saying go.....You didn't put the weight on overnight, so you can't expect it to come off overnight? F*ck that! I have found that the truth hurts sometimes.

Like many others out there, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was a chunky kid until about 6th grade when I discovered that not eating was an effective, albeit unhealthy, way to get skinny so that boys would notice me. So middle school was full of sports, boys, and size 6 jeans....then came high school. I had a car, which meant no more walking. I had a boyfriend who could eat everything and not gain an ounce. This equated to meals at McDonalds, Dairy Queen, and Pizza Hut. I discovered alcohol, thus the rapid, yet insanely entertaining, demise of my waistline!!!

College...oh college! I can't lie, my college days were some of the BEST times of my life! I have always been slightly competitive by nature, so when I heard about the freshman 15, I took that challenge on full force! Coupled with mass amounts of Bacardi and all-you-can-eat pre-paid meals at the Garvey Cafeteria (The Garv), I put on weight like a bear fattening up for hibernation. Don't get me wrong, I have always been a savy dieter (HILARIOUS), so my senior year was filled with Atkins-friendly meals such as "beef concoction." In plain English, ground beef with ranch dressing, salsa, and cheese....seriously? And there was nothing better than the McDonalds breakfast the morning after a good night of debauchery!!! The cholesterol-filled examples go on and on.

Upon graduation I moved to the corn-fed state of Nebraska to await the arrival of my deployed then-boyfriend Curt. Money was tight living alone for 4 months, so I did lose some weight. Not by choice but for sheer lack of resources. The year following Curt's return from Krgystan was filled with endless parties, mid-week keggers, 3-day benders and a few nights that even Penthouse may find amusing. And while we always had fun at all of the parties, there was nothing substantial in our relationship and it eventually ended.

I was now a broke, fat, lonely borderline alcoholic! Surprisingly, this is where things started to look up. I had been offered a new position at ConAgra Foods as a Sales Analyst and I discovered a weight loss product called Alli. I put my increased funds towards these little blue capsules that, according to the back of the bottle, would "eliminate" 1/4 of the fat that that I ate. MAGIC!! I soon found out that there was nothing magic about taking an Alli and eating enough Taco Bell to feed a small family. I had experienced my first "treatment effect." The website describes this as "spotting, loose stools and more frequent stools that may be hard to control." I won't be graphic, but this is the Disney version of my treatment effect. Needless to say I quit yet another program and gained every pound I had lost back and more. (no picture necessary!)

Side note: During the few months I was on Alli I rekindled a friendship with a former middle school boyfriend/enemy/boyfriend of a friend, Jay Rislov. He and a few other friends made the excursion to Omaha for Labor Day in 2007. Something had changed for me since our awkward make-out sessions in 8th grade. I was hooked! The dilemma; Jay now lived in Phoenix. I needed to take action. I had an upcoming business trip in California that I conveniently routed my return layover in AZ. In typical Teri-fashion I got drunk and told Mr. Rislov that I wanted to be more than friends to which he responded, "I like you, but I can't do the whole long distance thing." While the visit was a blast, I went home crushed. I had never felt so bad about a rejection in my entire life. I got a call from Jay a few days later. In a very nervous shaky voice he told me that I was right, (LOVE THAT!) and that we needed to try to make things work....what???? I seriously made him repeat himself because I was in a total euphoric shock. Three months later he was packing his bags and moving to Omaha!!! We are insanely happy and I believe that I was given a second chance at true love.

Okay, enough mush! Jay is in Omaha, but I am still fat. I am a serial dieter and have tried EVERYTHING!!! After a recent trip to Las Vegas, I came to the realization that while my life is good and I am happy, I needed to take care of the baggage that was holding my body hostage. I stumbled upon a weight loss program though Alegent Health call HRM and decided to attend an informational session on Monday October 26th, and began the program on the 29th. Twenty-seven years of struggling with my own body lead me to this day, and it's a good day!