I don't know any other way to say it, other than, Michael Thurmond's SWBM program has literally been a life saver for me! I do not say those words flippantly. They are true. Admittedly, when I first began the Six Week Body Makeover program, my goals were weight related, but quickly, it became apparent to me that the real reward in following the plan would be vastly improved health. Yes, I had been overweight basically from birth. Pictures of me as an infant showed a child with a round face and pudgy arms, legs and body. Even then, I didn't have a neck. As a child, I was always the largest person in my class, except for one girl, whom everyone made constant jokes about. Still, we knew nothing of nutrition and continued to eat as we always had, not really making the connection between good health and size. By age sixteen, I decided it was time to lose the "baby fat" and at that point, began the first of many diets. I slimmed down somewhat, but was still large for my age. Finding clothes for a chubby child in those days was almost impossible, so my grandmother made almost all my clothes. Being able to find a "store-bought" dress that fit, was a miracle indeed. However, as the nation became more prosperous in post-World War II days, our waistlines continued to spread, mine included. It was embarrassing to have to dress out in P.E. in school, and I would NOT allow myself to be seen in a swimsuit. At that point, I was missing out on a lot of the fun of the teen-age years.

Then, it was off to college and dorm food, floating in grease, loaded with starches, and the only good parts of the meals, I soon learned, were the desserts. It was difficult to destroy those with institutional cooking! My eating habits were deteriorating. I lived on junk foods, as they became readily available in the early 1960's, and cold drinks became my beverages of choice. It is doubtful that I drank as much as a gallon of water from the time I entered college until the time I left in 1965. My body was continuing to expand, just as my teaching career was beginning. It was about that time, when I had my first place on my own, that I discovered that I really enjoyed cooking. I would read and collect recipes like most people would read novels and collect books. My specialty was desserts, and I was VERY good at making them. Still, my body expanded. However, it was easier and easier to find larger and larger clothes in the stores, so I was not worried. My dear friend and roommate for four of my first five years of teaching, Margaret (Brown Bear on Provida) was my partner in crime. We would have parties, cooking for days, and invite all our friends over to partake of the goods. Our waistlines were still expanding. Finally, we decided to try another diet, and both of us were successful in reaching our goals. At that point, I was actually a size 10 and weighed 149 lbs. However, that year, I moved and went back to the part of the state where I had grown up, living alone for the first time in four years. It was easier to eat junk food and snack, than to cook a real meal for just one person, or so I told myself, and sure enough, the weight began to pack on again. However, after about two years, I met someone at my church, and we began to date. After 3 years, we decided to marry, but at the time of our wedding (1974), I was wearing a 20 or 22 dress, and from there the pounds just continued to increase.

Over and over again, I dieted, always with the same result - lose a few pounds, gain more back. By 1978, I was diagnosed with the first of many diseases or conditions resulting from years of poor eating habits. The doctors worked on my thyroid for over 2 years, trying to get it regulated, and then finally decided to "kill" it with radioactive iodine, so that it would be a totally non-functioning gland. I was fine with the diagnosis of Hashimoto Toxicosis, but was not prepared for that doctor's parting words: "By the way, you do know you will always be able to gain, but you'll never be able to lose again?" I was too stunned to react. However, my ultimate reaction to this "death sentence" was to just give up and not care, outwardly at least, what I looked like. After all, it wasn't my fault anymore!

Well, I didn't give up. I tried diet after diet, and spent so many weekends stuffing it in, since I was going to start dieting on the next Monday, that I gained more and more weight. In 1986 I ended up with a ruptured disk and it was so embarrassing to have to call the paramedics and tell them to bring extra people who could lift someone who weighed almost 400 lbs. I had no idea how much I weighed at that point, but I knew it was a LOT, and more than 350 lbs., since that was as far as my scale went.

After the surgery, and in the months that followed, I dieted again, and lost about 80 lbs. on my own. I was walking about a mile at a time, which was extreme for someone who had been so sedentary. However, as I began to feel better and better, my husband and I either ate out, or I cooked voluptuous meals. The two of us probably ate enough for an entire family at one meal each evening, and we snacked straight through until bedtime. It was a sign of prosperity for us!!

My weight stayed for the most part around 350-365, and I kept telling myself that at least I didn't have any of those terrible diseases other people had. I was still healthy, just fat. What a joke. It finally caught up with me, when after many half-hearted efforts at dieting, but never changing my eating patterns, I found out that I was Type 2 diabetic. Then, my cholesterol went wild, along with my triglycerides, and I was diagnosed with glaucoma. Through it all, I had constant joint pain, which I figured was undiagnosed arthritis. I was a mess.

After my husband passed away in 2001, I really just gave up, but when that diagnosis of diabetes showed up in 2002, I began to follow the diabetic plan, and in about a year, I lost 35 lbs., down from 365 to 330. It was at that point that my current physician suggested that I might want to research the bypass surgery. He was not pushing it, but he also knew I had tried just about everything, and was never successful at anything. I told him to give me 4 months to try to lose on my own, and then I would make a decision. At that point it was February 2003. I had till June 1, 2003 to make a decision. The result? Well, by the end of May I STILL had not made a decision, and one night I just couldn't sleep, so around 3:00 AM, I flipped on the TV and guess what was showing. Yes, it was the Michael Thurmond infomercial. I was mesmerized. Here was a plan that didn't require pills or an artificial gimmick in order to lose. It didn't require exercise, until you were able to do that, and at that point, I was NOT able to even walk very far at one time. I listened to the entire show, got up, went to my computer and checked it out and ordered that very morning. The kit came in about 7-10 days, and arrived on a Wednesday. The next day I was to see my doctor, so I took the manual with me, we discussed it, and he gave his approval. I didn't wait till Monday to start. I did it that very day! I am fully convinced that Michael and his program were a Godsend for me. I truly felt led to the program and looking back, I am certain that was the case. Michael was placed in my path for a reason, and thank goodness I was listening for once. I decided that I needed some divine assistance, too, so I made a covenant that I would just follow the plan as written and that anything other than that would be viewed as an act of disobedience. The plan works.

The most difficult part of learning to eat REAL foods that I had prepared myself was a shock to me. I had never been a salt-aholic, but the first three weeks on the plan were extremely challenging, not for the changes away from sweets and heavy carbs, but from the salt. Then, I realized, my late husband and I had eaten out for years, and then after he passed away, my mother and I did the same thing. We went somewhere almost every night, and that food was loaded with salt and other toxins! But, I remembered my covenant and followed the plan. As I experimented, I found the program to be so very versatile that I could let the creative juices flow. Soon, every recipe I read was categorized either into "never again" or "that one can be re-worked"!!

As I began to use the online support, I found I had so much assistance and encouragement from people who had no idea who I was, or what had brought me to that point. They were my lifelines to a better life, and as I began to have success, it was apparent to me that I needed to give back, so I became quite interested in helping others get their lives back. That is still such a joy to me, to be able to give someone else the support they so desperately need. After sending copies of my SWBM recipe collection to over 400 Provida members, I decided there must be a more efficient way to give that help, so I put together a BLOG at http://emaxson2.blogspot.com with my story, all my favorite recipes, and lots of hints and tips I've collected from the wonderful Provida members. It has been my mission to share that BLOG with anyone who needs encouragement and inspiration in the kitchen! Now, with the opportunity to be in the 2006 infomercial, my mission to "spread the word" can be broadened, not just to the Provida community, but also to the entire country. What an exciting time this journey has been, and still continues to be. I have now lost 142 lbs. since June 12, 2003, and although my journey is not yet over, I am exceedingly grateful for having had Michael's program placed in my path. This is an exceptional way of life, and now that my diabetes is gone, my glaucoma has gone away, my cholesterol and triglycerides are in the excellent range, and all my joint pain is gone, I don't EVER want to go back to my old way of eating. Michael's program has taught me how to enjoy celebratory meals without having to sacrifice the progress I've made. I know there is always a disclaimer that "results are not typical", but I'm just an ordinary, retired person, who was unable to walk for even 5 minutes, and now I'm walking 25-1/4 miles a week, just because I want to do that!! If you are skeptical, that's good. I was skeptical, too, but my thought was, "It's money-back guaranteed. I don't have to eat anything artificial. I don't have to go through the danger, expense, and pain of surgery, so, what have I got to lose, but weight?" It was the best decision I ever made!! Thank you, Michael, for saving my life.