Gains & Losses

This page traces the real gains and losses — physical, emotional, and practical — that shaped the system I ultimately built.

For more than 40 years, my weight went up, down, and back again through changing seasons of life: stress, motherhood, illness, caregiving, hormonal shifts, disrupted routines, and decades of trying to “get it right.”

Some seasons brought progress. Some brought setbacks. All of them taught me something.

Looking back now, I can see that the problem was never a lack of effort. I simply never had a structure built to support long-term progress.

These are the seasons that eventually led me to build Lose Weight — Once and For All™.

It started when life changed — and so did my body.

In my late teens and early 20s, I gained and lost 20 pounds — my first real battle with weight.

At 23, I felt strong, confident, and at my ideal weight.

By my early 30s, I had 85 pounds to lose, with no plan that fit my life.

Lesson: The first gain is just one chapter — not the whole story.

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The beautiful chaos of raising kids filled these years. I was active — chasing children, volunteering, working — but not balanced.

I tried diet after diet, and they all failed me. Each program slowed my metabolism and made long-term success harder. But I never gave up — I kept searching.

Lesson: Activity alone isn’t enough. What finally brought lasting results was a structured, balanced approach — the foundation of the plan I eventually created.

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A serious illness hit without warning and reshaped every part of our lives.

I developed Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, reacting to foods, scents, and chemicals. We moved multiple times, searching for safe housing.

Doctors had no answers. After four difficult years, I recovered — against all odds.

If you’d like to understand more about food sensitivities and how they affect the body:

ALLERGIES & FOOD SENSITIVITIES →

Lesson: Setbacks can shake everything — but they don’t define your future.

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The 2000s were a mix of rebuilding and discouragement. Weight came off only through extreme restriction — and always returned.

We moved again to care for my aging parents. I tried well-known programs, but none fit my demanding work schedule or felt manageable long term.

Lesson: When it feels impossible, commitment keeps the door open for real change.

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We moved to Southern California to be near our kids and started a new chapter of work and family life. We rented a home we loved with a community pool — something I’d always dreamed of.

Then my mom suffered a major stroke, and our landlord needed to move back in. Torn between dreams and reality, we returned to Washington and started over once again.

Through it all, I maintained some weight loss — but the roller coaster continued.

But during that same season, something beautiful happened too — my first grandchild was born.

Holding him for the first time brought a new kind of motivation: to be strong, healthy, and full of life for the family growing around me.

Lesson: Health becomes more meaningful when it supports the people and moments we care about most.

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In 2022, I tried the program I hoped would finally be “the answer.” I did lose 20 pounds — but it took nearly two years.

I was just 17 pounds from my goal — closer than I’d been in decades.

Then my husband became seriously ill.

Between caregiving and work, logging became impossible.

Slowly, the weight returned.

I soon realized something — the final stretch wasn’t about willpower.

It was about a structure that could support long-term progress through changing seasons of life.

This realization is what led me to create Lose Weight — Once and For All™.

Lesson: Sustainable change requires a structure that continues through life’s hardest seasons — not collapses under them. 

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After 40 years, I finally stopped chasing diets and built a way of eating that actually works.

No starvation. No logging every bite. No cutting out food groups.

Just balanced, satisfying, grocery-store food.

What began as my personal solution is now the foundation of a plan I feel honored to share.

Lesson: Lasting progress becomes possible when healthy eating feels structured, balanced, flexible, and sustainable.

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From vibrant highs to challenging seasons, every moment tells part of the story.

Even during the hardest years, life was never only about weight. There was still family, laughter, love, celebrations, growth, and meaningful moments I treasure deeply.

Looking back now, I can see that every season taught me something — even the difficult ones. And perhaps most importantly, change remained possible through all of them.

Lesson: Every season has value — and any season can become the beginning of change.

For the full behind-the-scenes story:

MY STORY →

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