I was a walking heart attack and I HAD to shift.

I went in search of the “perfect diet,” only I had all sorts of boundaries in place. There was quite a list of things I didn’t want to do.

Here was my list of hopeful avoidances:

– No pills
– No bars
– No shakes
– No exercise
– No weighing food
– No counting points
– No counting calories
– No low calorie diet foods
– No artificial sweeteners (ew!)
– No being concerned with carbs, protein, or fat

I decided the best thing for me to do was to look into lap band surgery. I shared my news with one of my best friends who lives a Nutritarian life, and she asked if I would be willing to hit pause while she introduced me to a scientist she knew who she considered an authority on weight loss. She shared some of his success stories with me and I figured if I could avoid the knife and not spend the $14K I had set aside for the surgery, it would be marvelous.

I hopped on the line with this chap; he promised all of the boundaries were not a problem, and he made a really good point when he said, “Billie, the surgery is barbaric AND once that weight is off, why would it stay off? Do you think you’re going to miraculously learn something post-surgery about how to live a healthy life that you don’t know now?” He was right, and I knew it.

I am so glad to be on the other side of it all! So. Grateful. The best part of it all? My girls will never be overweight. Children do what they see, not what you tell them. We come from a long line of heavy (wonderful!) women and my girls didn’t stand a chance. Now they blast through the back door after school and ask, “Did anyone buy fresh berries?” My heart could not be happier! It’s a crescendo of emotions as I reflect on the history of my family and their battle with the bulge and the new family legacy now sprouting through this journey.

Every woman, every man, every child should feel this way about themselves, this free and strong and unstoppable… And, this beautiful. This amazing feeling is why I’ve become passionate to coach others to their 100 Year Bodies.