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By 2019, even though I was a nurse with two master's degrees and decades of experience as a healthcare leader, my weight continued to increase, and at 235 lbs, was higher than it had ever been. 

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• I had begun developing several chronic diseases including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type II diabetes, low thyroid, sleep apnea and was physically uncomfortable.

• I was exhausted and struggling through each day.  I ate every couple of hours, so I never got hungry. I felt like I spent a lot of time thinking about and looking for that special food that would satisfy my cravings and boost my mood, but rarely found it. 

• I was embarrassed by how I looked, and never knew what would fit because I was either strictly dieting, rapidly gaining weight or putting my head in the sand to avoid dealing with it at all. It was much easier to do something else, for example, work.

• I used food to numb myself when I was stressed, anxious, or had any kind of uncomfortable feelings. 

• I knew I needed to make significant long-term changes, but I wasn’t at all sure I could. After all, I had been trying to lose weight, or unsuccessfully prevent myself from gaining it back, since 1972.

I didn't know it at the time, but I needed a coach. 

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