Jessica's 8 Weeks To Wellness Journey- The Beginning

The following is my 8 Weeks to Wellness story. You will get to take a peek into what I was thinking, my wins, my not so great days, and how it all turned out. Life happens, and I definitely had my share of life during this 8 weeks. You cannot let that be your excuse, it should be your motivation. If I did not have the tools and the support I received during these 8 weeks I don’t think I would have been able to handle things as well as I did. Also I would not have been as successful on my own. I needed the push of the trainers, the doctors, and the rest of the staff to make it through. They have the perfect formula if you are willing to put in the work.

To start things off right I think I need to tell you where I was when I started.

My current situation is- I was nearing 300 pounds (298.4). I wake up every night with such severe heartburn that at least 3 times a night I would need to take 2 Tums because the acid was in my mouth. I was tired all the time. In fact at any point during the day I would be able to close my eyes for 5 minutes and fall asleep. I didn’t want to play with my kids anymore. My daughter had asked me to run with her, and when I told her that I couldn’t she said “It’s easy you just move your feet fast and move your arms like this”. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I knew how, but that I physically couldn’t. I hadn’t set foot in a grocery store in over 4 years (my husband does all the cooking and grocery shopping). My idea of cooking was stopping at a fast food restaurant. My mind was constantly going and I just didn’t have the energy to make it through the day. I also wasn’t eating. I never ate breakfast, rarely ate lunch, and if I ate supper it was usually after my husband got home at 10:30 at night. When I did eat it was usually some sort of junk out of the vending machine at work-My favorite being the apple pie and the strawberry cream cheese turnover. I also was a smoker for over 15 years. I had tried to quit many times but was never really able to commit long term. My feet would swell up so bad that by the end of the day I felt like my skin was going to rip open. I had to wear compression socks nearly every night to move the fluid out of my feet.

Along with the physical stuff was my mental attitude. I would have many depressive thoughts. I didn’t like what I looked like in the mirror, how would anyone else. I felt helpless to change since I had tried so many things before.

I was on the road to my death, and quickly. Here I am Before. 

Here is where I need to start.

At the beginning of May 2013 I was invited to an 8 Weeks to Wellness seminar on May 31st. I had been seeing my chiropractor Dr. Justin Nye for about 8 months for a car accident. He decided to start offering the 8 Weeks to Wellness program at his office. At his encouragement and the encouragement of the rest of the office-Dr. Ross, Marcia (my massage therapist), Christine, and Amanda- I committed to at least hear the presentation. I mean, what did I have to lose, I didn’t have my girls that night and my husband worked until 10pm. Over the next few weeks I saw how they were redesigning their office to accommodate the 8 Weeks to Wellness, and knew that they were committed to this program. Also Marcia would talk about it at every one of my massages. It started a serious bug in my ear.

On May 31st I made my way to the presentation at a country club in Woodbury. I was skeptical. What would it cost? Was it just another weight loss program? I have tried many, will this one work? How committed am I going to let myself be? We shall see.....

As I listened to the presentation by the founder of the program, Dr. Dane Donohue, I was a ball of emotions. I couldn’t pinpoint just one-Intrigued, nervous, upset, fearful, excited, and I could go on. This program looked like it was what I needed. I needed someone to walk me through becoming healthy, not just losing weight. I needed a guide! And this is what this program had. I also knew that this would come at a price. It incorporated chiropractic care, massage therapy, personal training, and a nutritionist/dietician, and meditation; and for that I was excited. To see the results people had was amazing that it could happen in just 8 weeks. It also incorporated a wellness score that looked at pretty much everything-glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, flexibility, connectivity, x-rays, etc. I thought to myself, this could really be the program that works for me. We were told that Dr. Justin had already figured out what our insurance would cover and that we had packets at the back of the room at the end of the presentation.

I got my packet of information and looked through it. I knew this is what I needed to do. I knew that I was killing myself every day and that if I didn’t do anything about it I wouldn’t live to see my retirement. I was afraid that I would die. Then I saw the price. Needless to say it was not inexpensive. My husband and I had just learned that it would cost $8,000 to fix the addition on our house that was sinking and pulling away from the house. We would already have to make some choices to be able to afford to fix it. We had decided to do this the following summer. The cost for the 8 weeks would definitely be a sacrifice. Then I thought; how can we afford this? Will Nate agree that this is the right program? He has seen me try so many things. I won’t lie; I broke down and started sobbing. Here I was killing myself, and the cure was in front of me with a $ attached to it. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to afford it, and that I would have to continue trying on my own. Then Angela came over (One of the massage therapists in Dr. Justin’s office). She wrapped her arms around me, gave me a napkin and told me it would be alright. I sobbed and told her about the house, and my husband, and what was I going to do.

She said “Talk to Justin, he is almost finished with someone else. This is something that you need to do and Justin will be able to help”. So she comforted me until Dr. Justin was free.

When I was able to start talking to Dr. Justin, I did my best not to cry. I told him “I know that this is something that I need to do, but ....” And I told him about the house, about the struggle that it would be to afford to do this, how I knew that I was killing myself, sobbing and nervous, he listened, patiently. Then he said in the most reassuring way “This is something that you need to do. I believe in this program and I believe that it is what you need. What I want you to do is go home, talk to your husband, and then come see me, and we will work with you.” I gave him a hug and signed up for my initial consultation.

On my way home, the whole time I thought about how I was going to talk to my husband about this. I was so nervous. When he called me when he got off work, I told him about the whole program. I told him that I felt that this one could work. Then I told him the cost. This would be a sacrifice. He told me that if I felt that this was something that I wanted to do, and I felt that it would work, then I needed to own it. He would support me, but I needed to do the cooking, follow the program, be committed, because it isn’t something I can just be excited about now, and then by the time it starts be over the initial excitement. He told me that his support meant that he would be happy for my successes and work with me when I was down, but that I needed to do it. He couldn’t do the exercises for me. He couldn’t make me do them. He couldn’t follow me all day to make sure I was eating right, etc. I told him that I understood and that I was willing to take it on, because this is what I needed. We decided that we would make it work. That we could afford this, more than medical bills, and everything else we would be subject to if I didn’t get my health in order. Now when I think about it the cost of having diabetes or a heart attack was so much more than what this program costs. I couldn’t afford not to start.

2 days later when I went in for my adjustment I let Dr. Justin know that we had decided to do the program and that I was ready to start. Also everyone in his office had gone through the 8 Weeks to Wellness program, so they are wonderful, and able to answer any question you have-from their own personal experience! I truly believe that his whole office is centered on what God has planned for them, which is to reach the community and work to make them healthier. There is one thing saying that you are, but it is an entirely different thing to show it. Everyone in his office is concerned, encouraging, and loving. They each care for you and your well being. They love on you and champion your successes, and comfort you during the rough times. They are also willing to give you a kick in the pants if you need it. To have so many people that are working on caring for each and every person that walks through their door is amazing!

I went in for my blood work and waited for my results appointment a week later. I was thinking to myself, that it wasn’t going to be bad. That I felt fine and my numbers will show that I really am not that bad off. I probably am perfectly healthy and it’s just that I have a hard time getting rid of the extra fat. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I received the first F I have ever gotten in my life. Here is where I was at!

Just in case you were wondering-an F is BAD! I was shaken up, that I could be this off and not realize it. But that is why this is the right program. They look at everything, not just what I look like. 

Stay tuned to the Blog for Jess's DAY 1!