Before and After (Photos)

Okay, ladies and gentlemen… the wait is over! John finally helped me scan our “before and after” photos from the end of Phase 1, back in October! Now that I have them, I don’t want to waste any more time in getting them out to you. My original plan was to write a long, comprehensive post re-capping all the things that have led to this point, but if you’ve been reading this blog, I suspect you already know most of the things I was going to say anyway. šŸ™‚ John still hopes to write a guest post, and has gotten one as far as a draft, but he’s been struggling to find the time to finish it. I don’t want to stress him out further by adding another time-sensitive thing to his plate.

At this current moment, we stand at the precipice of the end of Phase 2 – and the end of our time in 20/20. Our weight loss during the last two months has continued, though we’ve both been slower than previous weeks due to additional stress, holiday parties, stubborn set points/plateaus, and other various interruptions. We’ve begun to talk about what we plan to do going forward, and rest assured – there will be a forward to go to. Both of us still have weight we’d like to lose, and my endocrinologist has suggested that I should aim for my weight to be around 175 pounds before I try to conceive (I am 229 as of this writing,) so it’s going to be a commitment.

Neither of us is keen to alter our routines until we’ve reached our goals, so it’s likely that we’ll continue to pay for personal training out of pocket. We’re fortunate enough to have our dietitian and counseling visits covered by insurance, so we expect to use the former as once-a-month check-ins while maintaining our current schedule with the latter. Personal training is an EXPENSIVE endeavor, and we’re still working out the math on how best to do it, but it’s still going to be cheaper than going through the entire program again. Everyone we’ve talked to still maintains there’d be no point in our repeating the program anyway, because we’ve taken all the lessons so deeply to heart; there’s nothing more for us to learn. It’s strictly a matter of continuing forward.

We knew that all this would be a challenge, and it’s been worth every penny to see the physical, mental, and emotional changes that both of us have gone through. As I’ve said before, the deck was stacked against both of us when compared to the average client; the expectations for how much weight you’ll lose on the program are tailored to assume that you’re not a) a type 1 diabetic, and b) struggling with mental or emotional baggage that tends to increase your body’s resistance to change. While many folks benefit greatly from counseling during the program as a way to troubleshoot problems, most folks don’t have the kinds of generalized/social anxiety issues that we do, and that has a significant impact on the rate at which we can accomplish things. Both of us are making huge strides when it comes to those issues, but they’re all things that take longer to recover from than a handful of months. Nothing here qualifies as a “failure.”

Time is, as far as we’re concerned, only an issue in regard to our starting a family. There’s no rush beyond the ever-increasing knowledge that I’m reaching the end of my best years for conception. Fertility treatments* and adoption are always on the table, should things not work out the way we hope; rushing for the sake of beating the clock is more likely to result in setbacks or failures than success. I’m still amazed by the amount of progress we’ve made in such a short time! I couldn’t ask for more, and the longer that we put these things into practice, the more time we have to establish them as good habits that will carry forward for the rest of our lives. Now that we understand how this process works, I don’t foresee another year of swearing off vacations, travel, parties, etc. – we know how to handle ourselves in new and different situations, and we can live pretty normally as long as we don’t forget to prioritize the things we need to do to stay on track. As long as the folks we love can continue to be patient and supportive during those times when we have to deviate from what others need or want, we’ll never face a challenge bigger than the one that started this back in March!

And now, without further ado… the photos you’ve all been waiting for! As before, I’m using Google Photos to share photos instead of the blog interface, so you’ll have to click the link below to see them.

Before and After: 20/20 Phase 1!

With that out of the way, I feel better about getting you all caught up with what’s been going on here. It’ll probably be some time before I post again, especially with the holidays fast approaching. To all our readers, family, and friends: be well, be merry, be you, and be kind. We will be doing our best to do the same!

–AB

*My current stance on fertility treatments is that I’m not willing to subject myself to a lot of medical intervention in order to conceive. While I’d like to TRY to have a biological child in the time remaining to me, I would rather have an adopted child than spend more time and stress pursuing a biological tie that I don’t need in order to love him/her.Ā Some folks have misinterpreted this as me frowning on treatments, or being uneducated about the process; while I concede that I have not done a lot of homework here (and won’t, unless my feelings change,) I am making the choice that feels right for me, my body, and my life. My decision doesn’t and shouldn’t have any bearing on what others feel is right for them. Thanks for understanding.

4 Comments
  1. Michelle Allen

    You guys look fabulous! I am really curious about this program as it entails so much. Is this done through a gym or ? If I wanted to look up thus locally where should I start?

    • DterminD

      It is handled through a gym, though Iā€™m afraid itā€™s a local Washington gym in particular. šŸ™ The founder of the program has a book out that explains some of the details, but thatā€™s really no substitute for having a team of professionals there to help you learn everything every day. The rumor is that he runs this huge, fancy gym mainly to subsidize the cost of hosting the program. Iā€™m not at all sure they could expand it without severe reductions in what theyā€™re able to offer. If I hear anything though, Iā€™ll be sure to let you know!

  2. Mom

    Wow! You both look terrific! I am so proud of both of you. You should carry yourself with your heads held high. Losing weight is not easy and it takes a lot of self denial. I can’t wait to see photos of you all dressed up for Christmas. Take one together that I can put in a frame. I need to put you in my “hall of fame”. You look FANTASTIC!!! Youu know how I feel about adoption. I’m all for it. An adopted child would be very lucky to have you for parents. I am pulling for you no matter which way you go but I don’t want to become a grandmother if it means losing my Amy. Keep up the good work and know Chris and I are sending you positive thoughts.

  3. Carolyn

    Oh my, oh my!! I hardly know what to say! I mean, I want to comment on how fantastic the two of you look!! But I also want everything I say to be within the context of how your true beauty is from within. -from within two of the sweetest people I know! So, with that understanding…

    Oh my, oh my!! You two both look absolutely incredible!! I am amazed! So beautiful and so handsome!! Your hard work and your dedication to a healthier lifestyle are so very, very apparent! -to say the least!! As an aside: I really like both of your haircuts too. (smile)

    I am so proud of both of you for taking this journey together, and for remaining so very committed to it. Thank you, thank you, Amy for your wonderful blog that has kept me informed and taught me so much throughout this process. I have such admiration for how hard the two of you have worked, and for how, even when you grew weary, you did not give up. Bravos and Kuddos and warm, caring hugs to you both!! All sent with much love

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