School's In!

I started Nursing School on Monday. I was overwhelmed with happiness that I am not the heaviest woman in the class anymore. I could fit in the chairs comfortably and I had a good time being included meeting new people, feeling really great about myself. This is going to be a fun, rewarding and easier experience than if I weighed more. It is 6 weeks of intense training and book learning. I'm glad I am in better shape to handle everything.


I met a woman in class to day, who is a recovering drug addict and she says she feels like she has a new lease on life and feels "Born Again." I feel the same way. I couldn't be doing this if it wasn't for the guidance tools I received from IMetabolic. I put in some hard work too, I had to use the tools to make this program work. I decided if I could lose this much weight, why couldn't I fulfill another dream and go to Nursing School??? The first step is the hardest, but some life altering experiences are replaced after the weight comes off. Well worth the sacrifices....I will let you all know in a couple of weeks how hospital training is going.

Back to School!

My life continues to get more exciting with every inch and pound that I get rid of. I am more confidant to do more things such as going back to college.
Yes, I decided to go back to college. I have been unemployed for a year and a half and nothing is happening in the work area of my life. So, I decided to fill a life long dream of becoming a nurse. This is a big decision, but one that has presented itself and I can't turn my back on it.

I will be starting the Certified Nursing Assistant program June 14th. Then this fall, I will be hitting the books toward an Associate of Science degree in Nursing. Two years from this fall and I will be 50 years old when I graduate, but it's never too late to change your life and mine has taken a 360 degree turn for the better, yeah!

I will let you all know what is going on with me after I start the program on June 14th.

The 50 lb mile marker

It seems now looking back, before long my first 50lbs came off. Even though I have been in the program for awhile I have had a few obstacles to plan for whether it was taking a trip or just going to see family or going to dinner, I had to plan ahead! I brought my own ice chest stocked with the right foods for the particular time of my eating plan. I rely on myself to take care of what goes in my mouth. We have to make the right choices, it is easy to make excuses, but we have to be accountable for what happens with our weight loss and this is why I like the IMetabolic program. I have people to be accountable to whether its Tracy, Tasha, Dr. Moore or myself to make this work. They give us the most wonderful tools and its up to us to make them work for results. Weight loss happens and what a wonderful feeling it is. I find it gets better and better the farther I go.

I went snowshoeing at Kirkwood for the first time around my 50lb weight loss. What a work out and I also achieved a goal of trying something new and getting myself out into public and not be so self-conscious. Snowshoeing burns a lot of calories per hour around 600 and if you can walk and theres snow, you can snowshoe. I was starting to walk farther around my neighborhood and I wanted to have someone to walk with, not rely on a busy human being I adopted a dog! Not a small one either. I'm not saying you can't, but for my eventual goal list, I needed a large breed. Mateo came into my life at 75lbs, a white, beige lab mix 11 months old and full of energy!!!! He is the perfect partner, always wants to walk and there are no excuses not to and he fits well in my work out life. Little did I know, Mateo would help me achieve another goal, a few months later, walk up a small mountain almost 4 miles round trip. I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment! It is like no other. I have more planned. Hopefully, you have some goals now to accomplish for yourselves.

An intro to Tracey

Watch my introduction interview to find out more about my journey to become a new and improved me. I got a little teary-eyed, so please excuse the crying! This was just a very emotional recap of the past year.

How it all started

I was severely depressed!! Life was going horribly. My weight had gotten way out of control to the worst point ever. My personal life had crumbled to nothing, people were embarrassed to be seen with me, people were laughing at me in public. Work life was failing to where I couldn't even walk across the parking lot to begin working. I couldn't stand for 8 hours, which my work involved. My legs hurt "BAD"! I wasn't getting any respect, because people saw me as worthless and I felt worthless. I just wanted to hide and not see anyone. That's what I did after work. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on my favorite goodies, such as baked goods, bread, pizza, or stopped by fast food places, yes more than one in an evening and went home to try and ease the pain of loneliness, hurt, stress and inner unhappiness from being so overweight. Thought it would make me feel better, like someone who uses drugs or alcohol. I abused food. Evenings were the loneliest time for me, food was companionship and love that I wasn't getting, all my friends had husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends in their life. I had my parents and brother, but I thought no one else could love me, mainly because I didn't love myself and ate more and more!!! Until I was going to die by not waking up from the stress on my heart or by my own hand if I didn't get out of the deep, dark place I was in. I have been struggling to get enough to eat emotionally since I was born. I have been overweight since I was 4 years old. My parents had worried about me my whole life.

One day, I read in the newspaper, Dr. Sasse's Bariatric practice was having a seminar at the Nugget in Reno. I asked my mom to go with me as support. Support is a great thing to have. We found the seminar very informative and I went home energized! Until my insurance would not pay for my surgery!!!! A few months later, thanks to Dr. Sasse's mailing list, I received a card in the mail from IMetabolic. The card invited me to call and find out about this wonderful, non-surgical program. I immediately discussed my interest in the program with my parents. I had made the decision that I wanted to do this no matter what it took! I was ready. My parents discussed it and came back with an answer. They helped me afford the program and I called and made my appointment. I couldn't wait and I had my first consult with Mark Conte. He's very easy to talk to and I knew I had found the right place. The same goes for Tracy and Tasha as well as Dr. Moore, they made me feel like family, no judgement of what I looked like and gave me the wonderful tools to start becoming the new and improved me!!!!