Thanks, ShowgirlAZ, this thread is great!
I have been married for 24 years. My DH is on this weight loss journey with me. He is using the alternative products and is very supportive. We have two children; our son is 21 and our daughter is 19. Both are currently away at college, so cooking at home is a breeze right now. We have an 8 year old 'puppy' - an Airedale Terrier. I enjoy reading, watching movies, shopping with my DD and going on cruises! I love Hawaii and the Caribbean! When I'm not cruising, I work as a computer programmer and analyst.
I can't remember a time when I wasn't dieting or concerned about my weight. I found an old diary from when I was 16 and mad because I weighed 110, I just had to get down to 105! Then, when I was 21, I found WW. I joined at a weight of 129 and lost 18 pounds (what I would give to weigh 129 now). I became a lifetime member and when I was 24, I went back ( I had gained everything back plus some), got down to 117 this time and began working as a WW weigher and then a receptionist. Then, I gained 51 pounds with a pregnancy; but, got down to 130 a few months after my son was born. I only gained about 20 with my daughter and was able to get down to 125 by the time she was 1. I can't begin to count the number of times I went back to WW since then and couldn't lose (at least 6). I have also tried Adkins, Curves (6 years), SouthBeach, and Insulin Resistance Diet. I even went to Curves 6 days a week and then a gym 5 nights a week. I lost 30 pounds my first year at Curves but gained it back and couldn't lose again no matter what I did. The first time on each of the diets I would lose but couldn't keep it off and the diet wouldn't work when I went back. My Dr. said that I was insulin resistant due to the PCOS so he had me try Metformin. It did nothing. Then he switched me to Byetta injections. The lower dose let me lose 1 pound the first month. That wasn't worth all of the shots in the stomach. He increased my dosage and I lost 6 lbs. the first week -never mind I couldn't keep anything down all week. So, I basically gave up. I was seeking treatments for migraines at one time and was on Topamax. I lost about 30 pounds and kept it off about a year, but then the weight came back and so did the headaches. So, I quit that. Since I have the PCOS, I kept thinking it would be so great if I could find a diet that was approved and supervised by a doctor's office. I looked on-line but didn't find anything. Then one day I was looking at my GYN's web site and found the Ideal Protein Diet. I got so excited reading about it because everything they mentioned (IR, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, border-line diabetic) fit me. So, my IP journey began.
I love this program. I do get discouraged, but it helps to have this wonderful group of people to chat with that can actually relate! After reading the posts, I get motivated again. Thanks for posting, everyone!