It was discovered while we were trying to conceive (and failing miserably), that I was also developing fatty liver disease. Within a few years, that progressed into Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). It’s exactly the same as what an alcoholic can get, but instead of alcohol, my nemesis was fat. We all know the liver can regenerate, but only so much. Basically, with NASH the cells in the liver fill up with fat until they explode. If this happens quickly enough and often enough, the cells are unable to regenerate and instead form scar tissue. That can eventually lead to cirrhosis, which can lead to the need for liver transplant.

It was time for a change. I have two young boys at home and there was no way I was not going to be there to watch them grow up! But I know me and I know how I diet. I’m successful for about a month and then I just give up. I didn’t think I could stick with anything long enough to get real results.

So I started researching bariatric surgery. I was ready to climb on the operating table when I found out that my insurance requires 6 months of a medically supervised diet before they will pay for bariatric surgery. Well, that put a crimp in my plans. Weight Watchers and the like are great, but they’re not medically supervised. Plus, if you let me pick my own food, I’m going to pick a chicken quesadilla from Chevy’s (and eat the whole plate) with a big pile of chips on the side. I could not be trusted to make my own food choices at that point.

Then I found the HMR Program at the DePaul Weight Loss Institute in Bridgeton. I went to a free informational meeting and liked what I heard – A medically managed, decision free meal plan! Literally, decision free. Other than choosing which entrée I wanted for that meal, I had no other choices to make. I needed that! So I started January 5, 2011.

This plan works so well that, as of my most recent weigh in, I’ve lost 110 pounds. I’ve lost a whole person in just over 8 months! (A very skinny person, but still – a person!) I’m no longer interested in bariatric surgery. I still have about 30 pounds to get to my goal (the high end of the healthy range for 5’6”), but I’ve already seen my liver test results drop dramatically. Not to mention my blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid and every other test result has significantly improved as well!