No really, this time it's different

A couple months ago, we Children’s Colorado employees saw a notice in our newsletter asking for participants in a pilot diet program at the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.

This program – called the Colorado Diet, which is part of the book State of Slim by Drs. Holly Wyatt and James Hill  – would last 16 weeks and promised weight loss of up to 20 pounds in eight weeks. It also promised (if the participant does his/her work) that those who achieve a State of Slim will be able to keep it off for good. Those who were chosen for this one-time pilot program wouldn’t need to pay anything, but they would have to be spokespeople for the State of Slim.

A lot of people thought this sounded pretty good, and a bunch of Children’s Colorado employees sent in the required video audition. In the end, the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center chose three Children’s Colorado employees and seven other participants from around campus (I’m blogging the experience as an add-on participant).

They chose Natalie Goldstein, a pre-menopausal single mother of two, and media relations manager; Courtney McClellan (BSN, RN), a 37-year old mother of two boys, Transfusion Safety Specialist; and Julie Bianco (BSN, RN, CPEN), a 40-year old mother of three, and clinical coordinator of department education for the Emergency Department.

And now that the commitment is before us, it’s obvious that over the next 16 weeks, we’re going to get very close, as we struggle and triumph.

So: 20 pounds in eight weeks? That’s a big promise to anyone who’s struggled with weight loss.  And the promise of keeping it off forever? That’s like a marriage proposal.

In the week leading up to our first class, Natalie, Courtney and Julie displayed varying anticipation for what’s about to happen. They were eager and nervous and excited and hopeful, a million questions nudging them in the direction of change: Will this finally end the struggle? Will this finally help them become the person they’ve always wanted to be? What exactly will they have to give up? Just how much of a commitment are we talking about?

Anybody who’s ever dieted knows the erratic emotions leading up to the first day: the naïve hope that this time will be different, that we’ll become the perfect person we’ve always dreamed of. Then panic settles in when we wonder, from somewhere deep inside, if this is who we are – are any of us the person who can deprive herself of pasta and bacon and birthday cake for the rest of her life? Then there’s dread when we reach for confidence and find it’s not there, imagining how we will feel when we either fail to lose the weight, or gain it all back. (Although the Colorado Diet is quite different, fear and doubt are still there before we begin).

We can all change ourselves temporarily – take a vacation to some other way of life – but the hard part, and what’s different about the Colorado Diet, is that if you want your body to change for good, things can never be the same. The State of Slim doesn’t promise an easy fix and there’s no question, at least in my mind, of how hard it will be to change. (Thankfully, though, the Colorado Diet is based not on long-term deprivation, but on long-term lifestyle changes that focus heavily on exercise).

When I met with Courtney, she spoke candidly about the fear not just of change in general, but of becoming someone she didn’t recognize. Courtney had grown so accustomed to her weight defining her – “I was always the fat, funny girl” – that to lose the weight would be to lose one of the characteristics that, until now, she held in her very core.

That’s a lot to ask of someone, but after having read some of the book, I do believe Drs. Hill and Wyatt have designed a program that can actually deliver on its big promises. But, as they have pointed out repeatedly, that can only happen if you honor the commitment you made to yourself.

Stay tuned to find out what happens, to learn more about the specifics of the diet, and to cheer on Natalie, Courtney and Julie. They’re making a huge, life-changing commitment and are more likely to succeed with your encouragement. (Add your email at the bottom of the page to receive new posts in your inbox).