Defragged

It's true. When I awoke on my 46th birthday this past May 2006, I literally couldn't walk. The soles of my feet were in such excruciating pain it is hard to describe or put into words. I couldn't stand anything touching my feet at all. Even the weight of a single bed sheet hurt. My right foot seemed to be in worse pain so I favored it and hobbled along on crutches that my sister let me borrow until I could get into see a podiatrist. The diagnosis wasn't pretty, Plantar Fasciitis or inflammation of the thin layer of tough tissue which supports the arch of the foot.

What was the cause of my plantar fasciitis? It's hard to truly know, but I determined it was a combination of things I was doing. I have flat feet and had not been wearing quality walking shoes. My shoes were incredibly bad for arch support of my feet. Of course, my shoes felt comfortable so I didn't know the difference. Coupled with about 85 pounds too many and I increased my exercise regimen at the time from walking 2 miles a day to more than 3 miles in non supportive shoes. Ouch! To think about it now sends shivers up my spine.

After 5 weeks of foot arch wraps, painful cortisone shots in my foot, steroids, wearing a night split, and during the day wearing an air cast to relieve pressure on the heal of my foot while the tissue healed, things started to look better. I ordered custom orthodic insoles, did some stretching exercises every day to keep that muscle limber, and all was well for about a week.

Then one morning ... yes, it happened when I woke up ... I couldn't walk again. But this time there was a severe cramping pain running down the back of my right leg into my calf and ankle. It felt like a major Charlie horse that wouldn't let up. After more than a dozen trips to the chiropractor and an MRI, a sports medicine doctor told me I had a herniated disc. Possible it was there ready to blow out and pinch a nerve at any time and it is speculative that the air cast aggravated it. My luck, eh?

It was somewhere between the sports med doctor telling me that there was no 100% cure for a herniated disc and the suggestion of a steroid epidural into my spine to help mask the pain that I realized that I needed to take action. I needed to lose weight to help alleviate some of my discomfort and STOP ruining my body - the only body I'll ever have. Now it wasn't made clear that my being overweight caused either painful illness, but I am sure it didn't help. Both of these conditions may have happened sooner or later anyway, but knowing that I might have been able to prolong the illnesses until my old age by being conscious of my weight really hit hard.

I work from home at my computer, and I work long hours because I love what I do. Days would sometimes go by before I realized that I haven't even been out of the house! Even though not being active was my choice, there is something about knowing you can't go anywhere because you can't walk that gets your attention. It did me anyway. From a health perspective, that much inactivity day after day isn't healthy and especially when my caloric intake was the same (if not more). Since I ate while I worked and often as I watched TV, I wasn't consciously aware of how much I was consuming and how often. It was time to stop the eating roller coaster ride and get serious. I wasn't a young kid anymore and I was ruining my body.

Did I mention I'd like to tell you that the Medifast Diet was the first diet I ever tried? That too would be a fantasy. I've tried every known diet that wasn't completely off the wall including being on the Atkins diet for over 5 years. No sugar at all for 5 years - imagine! The only type of diet I had never tried was a meal replacement plan where prepackage and pre-measured meals were provided for me. That was attractive but admittedly the price was a little scary.

Then I started calculating how much time and money it would take to plan a low calorie diet, make a shopping list every week, go to the store (30 miles to the nearest Super Walmart) and buy everything, prepare the meals, determine how much of the meals I could have and how often. Phew! Then I wondered whether my food choices were healthy and if I would be getting enough nutrients. Hmmm ... the Medifast Diet was looking pretty attractive at that point, and so I took the plunge and made the commitment.

It was a commitment that I have not regretted once and in fact, I look forward to every meal. I have learned so much about myself, meal planning, portion size, low carb, low fat, sugar free products, reading nutrition labels, and so much more. Each day I learn dozens of new things, and I'm committed to continue the Medifast Diet through the maintenance plan.

So there's my story. As painful {pun intended} as reality may be at times, the best way to push passed the pain is to face it head on and do something about it. Oh and did I mention that I'd like to tell you I feel great?

That is a fact and not a fantasy. I do feel great and I know I'm getting healthier every day with the help of Medifast.

Update: ... May 26, 2007 .... As of today I am 5 pounds away from my original goal weight. I have lost 80 pounds since October 9, 2006 on the Medifast program. I am so thrilled with the program and the ease of my weight loss that I decided to become a Take Shape For Life Health Advisor. I was already helping many people lose weight on the program because I was so passionate about its results, that I felt it was time to make it into a career. I am now a certified Health Advisor for Take Shape For Life and helping many people lose weight using the MEdifast program every day. I can help you too ... and my coaching service is completely free. Take Shape For Life which is the Health Advisor Network Divison of Medifast and they pay me for coaching you. You pay only for your Medifast meals.

Call or Email me ... I'd be happy to discuss the program with you and together we can determine whether it is the right weight loss program for you.

Susan Milligan
Certified Health Advisor ID# 16708501
Take Shape For Life ... featuring Medifast Meals
My Medifast Blog: www.Defragged.com
Buy Medifast Meals: www.Defragged.TSFL.com
Get Medifast Discounts: www.Defragged.com/ask
Need a Free Health Advisor? www.Defragged.com/ask
PO Box 342, Belle Valley, Ohio 43717
(740) 732-6514