September 2007 was my first
real attempt at getting my weight under control. I searched the net and found an OPTIFAST® program facilitated by Dr. Peter Goldfarb in Etobicoke, ON and made an
appointment.
I remember being very
nervous in the waiting room, not knowing what to expect.
The nurse called me to the
back office. Before seeing the Dr., she
recorded some preliminary information about me…blood pressure, pulse and that
sort of thing. This was followed by my
biggest challenge, to step on the scale. It was in the room under the window just over
my left shoulder waiting for me. It had
to be done but I felt panicky at the thought of revealing my weight to anyone,
including myself.
I gathered the following information
from the OPTIFAST® website which helped me to decide to choose this
particular program.
|
Dr. Peter
Goldfarb of Toronto, Canada is a weight loss coach who offers a safe,
effective weight loss program from OPTIFAST®.
Obesity is a
chronic health condition. The OPTIFAST® weight loss program in
Toronto is a medically supervised weight loss program that provides you with
the face-to-face support you need to control your weight.
Over a million
people have benefited from OPTIFAST® since it was developed in
1974
|
For the first time in more
years that I care to acknowledge, I stepped on the scale only to find I was too
heavy to get a reading. It was quite
traumatic knowing the maximum measurement was about 440lbs if I remember
correctly. The nurse assured me it was ok and asked me to wait for the Dr.
Minutes later, a tall
handsome man entered the room. He was
very well built with a thick moustache, fairly dark hair and a really warm
confident smile.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Goldfarb” he
said with a comforting tone that made me feel at ease. He presented his hand to welcome me.
“Wow, you have a great
handshake” he commented which put me a bit more ease.
I was embarrassed and
uncomfortable because of the condition I had let myself get to but, he made me
feel quite relaxed.
We chatted about the program
and he assured me that this could be the last weight loss program I will ever
have to follow, provided I follow the program and his recommendations. It sounded pretty simple.
After Dr. G, as I
affectionately called him, explained how the program worked, I followed him next
door to his office. Behind the desk was
a stack of boxes with OPTIFAST™ on them.
He offered me a choice of chocolate or vanilla. I chose a box of each which was a week’s
supply.
“You can always add instant
coffee in the vanilla to change the flavor” he suggested. He put the two boxes in a brown paper
shopping bag with handles and sent me on my way.
For several weeks, I would
step on the scale and not get a reading.
It was extremely difficult but I perceived. I remember clearly the day I stepped on the
scale and finally got a reading. That
was a joyous day. When Dr. G. came in,
he was so happy for me and proud of my accomplishment.
“See, I told you” he said
with confidence. He really believed in
me.
I took the shakes
religiously. That was the only thing I
was consumed at the time, four shakes a day.
They are a complete meal replacement with all the vitamins needed for
each meal. My favorite preparation was
to blend them with ice cubes and water.
They had the consistency and would taste like a fast food chain frozen
dessert…delicious!
My success rate was fantastic. I had committed to going to each appointment
every week and continued to lose weight until my husband’s Christmas Social on
December 4th, I remember the date like it was yesterday.
I talked to Dr. G. prior to
the event and he gave me some great strategies to handle the Holiday food situation
so that it would fit into the program.
My challenge was once I started eating, I didn’t want to stop. Once I started eating food, I didn’t follow
Dr. G’s suggestions and continued to cheat, first with snacking which then led
to cheating on a daily basis. Unfortunately,
the only person I cheated was myself.
After continuing with the shakes and food for the next few weeks, I
could see that I had for lack of better term “fallen of the wagon” and
eventually stopped going to the clinic.
Last month, I stopped by the
clinic and the receptionist said he would be in the following day. The next morning, I returned to the
clinic. I asked the lady at the desk to
speak to Dr. Goldfarb, explaining that I only wanted a minute of his time. She was cautious which is a good thing. She asked me for my Health card and went to
the back office.
While sitting in the waiting
room, a gentleman walked by me from the back office. He had a brown paper in his hand. I knew what he was carrying. A few minutes later, a familiar face was
standing in the doorway inviting me to come in.
A few more grey hairs on top and through his moustache but…the same warm
inviting smile that I remember so well.
“Wow, you look great! How are things and how do you feel?” He asked looking at me with what felt like a sense
of pride for what I had accomplished.
“Some days are challenging
but for the most part, I feel fantastic” I responded, remembering how different
I felt from the first time I had been at his office.
I shared my weight loss to
date was 278.5lbs and he broke into a huge smile. He in turn shared with me that my number
broke his biggest weight loss success of 240lbs. That really felt good to hear.
For the last few months, I
had contemplated stopping by to check in with Dr. Goldfarb. I’m so glad I did. It truly made my heart sing and gave me the
opportunity to take a very special man in my life. He’s one of those heart centered people that
I feel blessed to know.
