Sing it with me…”On the cover of the Woman’s World!” And I do gotta buy 5 copies for my mother!
If you’re wondering why you didn’t get advance notice that this was happening, I wanted to make sure it was truly happening before I shared the news. After all, how embarrassing would it be to announce I was going to be in Woman’s World and then end up on the cutting room floor?! (As a side note, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Face on the Cutting Room Floor” has been intermittently running through my head since mid November!) And to be on a cover with Olivia Newton-John…!!! If you knew how many times I’ve watched Grease in my lifetime, you would know just how awesome this is to me!
The few family members and close friends that I did tell invariably asked “How did this happen? How did Woman’s World find out about your story?” Well, let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. (Bonus points if you can name the movie I just quoted from….)
Thanks to my Dad, I discovered a wonderful website resource called NutritionFacts.org about a year or so ago, which keeps folks updated about what the latest science says about the healthiest food choices. If you’re already a follower of my journey, you know that I’m not a fan of fad programs or unhealthy programs that do indeed cause weight loss but cause havoc on the insides (sure, you look great, so who cares about minor little things such as increased risk of heart attack or stroke?) You’ll also know that I approached weight loss by systematically making small incremental changes to increase healthy food choices and incorporate exercise into my life.
You also probably guessed that I cringed just a wee bit (ok, maybe a whole lot) when I saw the headline right above my picture. “Drop 24 lbs in 7 days!” I’m not denying that somebody, somewhere, has probably done it. But such statements definitely beg for the disclaimer “results not typical”. Yet, it is headlines like these that sell magazines. So I accept the capitalistic approach because it serves to expose important information regarding the most nutritious choices to the masses! And because I had no idea I was going to be on the cover until they sent me the cover…but, I digress…back to “How did this happen?”
After months of perusing NutritionFacts.org, I learned that what I had done instinctively throughout my journey was pretty much backed by solid evidence. And I truly wish that I had known about this resource much sooner in my journey – it would have eliminated a lot of trial and error! I wanted to tell them that, so I sent in a testimonial.
That testimonial got the attention of the staff at NutritionFacts.org. Women’s World was doing a story on Dr. Greger and a whole-food plant-based lifestyle, and asked if I would be willing to share my story (and would I be willing to be photographed for the magazine). The universe didn’t need to smack me across the face more than once – I agreed that they could provide my contact information to Woman’s World.
And then the whirlwind began. A flurry of emails…editor, photo editor…a search for the right clothing…a glam appointment at a local salon…a photoshoot with a local photographer…and here we are 6 weeks later.
Funny tidbits along the way:
The photographer (Adam Moser of Delmar Photography) almost didn’t return the call because it seemed like a scam…Woman’s World calling Medicine Hat? I’m glad he returned the call because he is amazing!
I almost did my own hair and makeup (ha! what I mean is I almost washed my hair to let it dry naturally curly and would have applied lip gloss and eyebrow pencil…) but Adam just happened to mention that his wife is part owner of a local hair salon (Bratt Pak) so I thought, “what the hell – how often do you get to be in a magazine – go for the glam treatment!” Brianna is a genius – I almost don’t recognize myself!
When the photo editor asked me to wear form-fitting jewel-toned clothes that show off my figure, I almost burst out laughing. Um…former fat girl here…you can take the weight off the girl, but you can’t make her give up loose fitting comfort and neutral tones. Nor, apparently, can you send her shopping in the middle of a COVID world to find such things. I managed to cobble a few things out of my own closet and then she said “do you have some black pumps you could wear?” Black…yes. Pumps…um, no. Heels? Why would I want to wear heels? Heels are uncomfortable! Thankfully Medicine Hat managed to deliver a pair of black pumps… in which I had to stand on one foot for some of the poses…almost disastrous more than once! I wasn’t overly happy with the stuff that came out of my closet, so I asked around and ended up borrowing the red shirt from a friend.
Then they asked for a before picture. Now, I don’t know if you can relate at all, but at 360 pounds I wasn’t too fond of having my picture taken. In fact, the only time I moved quickly was to avoid a camera. I certainly didn’t seek out professional photos. Thankfully, in 2014 I had asked a talented photographer friend of mine (Pewter Pics – Victoria BC) to take some photos and was able to provide one.
So there you have it, the story of how I ended up on the cover of Woman’s World in a borrowed shirt, jeans that I bought through a Facebook garage sale site, black heels that I may or may not have returned after wearing them inside for 30 minutes, in full glam hair and makeup.
In all seriousness though, I did it to share the message that it is possible to lose weight with out expensive fad diet programs, personal trainers, pills, shakes, or powders. Was I one hundred percent whole-foot plant-based off the hop? No, that would have been a recipe for failure for me. Doing a complete 180 in my lifestyle – from couch potato to home gym enthusiast, from processed and take-out food to whole food, plant based, from negative thoughts to a positive outlook – happened slowly over a couple of years, one change at a time.
One. Change. At. A. Time. I won’t lie and tell you it’s easy – if you want to hear that, there are millions of websites and products that will promise you easy. I still routinely fall into the sugar trap four years after reaching maintenance mode. In fact, when this wonderful opportunity arose, the number on the scale had been climbing up. Because no one is perfect, and the call of sugar is like a beacon in a dark night. So, no. It’s not easy. But it is possible. And it is worth it. And, as I tell myself all the time:
