Guest Profile

Brenda Ekl

My name is Brenda Ekl and I've been a resident here is Spokane for almost 20 years. I'm a retired licensed practical nurse and a certified childbirth educator. I'm just living my life and really enjoying it now that I have lost 75 lbs. I heard about Positive Changes Hypnosis in the Sunday paper. It was a really big ad and it caught my attention because I had lost weight several times, 3 times really, big weight losses of over 40 lbs, but it all came back. The weight loss wasn't lasting and permanent. I knew that I could lose the weight but I wanted to keep it off because of my health. I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and have been since I was age 40 and I am now 55 years old.

I felt fat, ugly and undesirable before coming to Positive Changes. Then I decided to make that call because it was a free consultation and what could I lose? I've tried other things, I've tried point counting, herbal plans, overeater clubs, and I even tried the fast circuit at the gym and doing the exercise machines. I've been overweight since my third child. He is 30 years old now so it's been 30 years. I had a thyroid problem, and still have a thyroid problem, but I had surgery and within a month after the surgery, I had put on 40 lbs. It's been really hard to get those 40 lbs to go away, they have gone away 3 times, but by golly they came back. My highest weight before coming to Positive Changes was 243 lbs. I couldn't believe it, that I was almost to 250 lbs. I didn't want to go to that 5-0 so I just wanted to change, a change that would be an ever-lasting change for me.

I have lost 75 lbs. My goal was to go to 170 lbs or less...well the "or less" has happened. I've been at my goal weight since July 22nd of 2008, and here it is the beginning of September and I am down 75 lbs, lots of inches, lots of reduction in clothing size. I was a size 2x or size 22. Now I am comfortably in a size 14 or 12, and some mediums. Wow How many sizes is that? It's taken me awhile to lose this weight, but you have to remember how long it took me to get that heavy. Like I said, I've tried other methods and the weight does come off but if you don't change your behavior it's not going to be ever lasting and permanent.

Positive Changes really made it easy for me to lose this weight because it worked with my behavior. I can't say that word enough. My behavior has changed and my lifestyle has changed. It is easy because my mind does it automatically. For instance, when I sit down to eat, I automatically know that I am going to drink some water, relax and slow down and only eat until I feel that full feeling coming and then I stop. Another instance is I go to the grocery store not hungry and with a list in hand. I shop on the outside of the shopping center and only go in the aisles when I need something. When I get to the cash register I feel so good because I have a healthy basket. I pack lunches for my son and husband and I buy the goodies that I don't like so that I'm not tempted.

I started to see results the first week that I started Positive Changes. I lost 8 lbs. It was probably water, who knows, but it encouraged me to keep coming back and that I have. I keep coming back even to this day. It just keeps me grounded, it keeps me focused and the people here are very nice and very supportive. My weight loss has been consistent. What I mean by that is the scale is coming down and down and down. And as the scale numbers go down, my self-esteem and my self-confidence go up and up and up. What can I say? This program really works; it helps you with mind, body, and for me, spiritual too. It helps me in every aspect of my life.

I did not feel in control of my eating habits before coming to Positive Changes. I was an emotional eater. If things weren't going right for me, I would eat for comfort. I would wait until my family was asleep at night and I would get up and go into the kitchen and I would eat. Or I would get something from the kitchen and I would go into the restroom and I would eat, then I would cry. Then I would be upset with myself, it was a lot of stress, what can I say? Now I don't have to do that. In fact, now I think of my body as the car, and the food is the fuel to nourish my body and give me energy. My eating habits have changed. Here is a simple fun one, you go out to eat with the girls in the restaurants, or your husband takes you out, you look through the menu and order what you want, it doesn't matter what it is, you ask the waitress to bring you a to go box and you put at least half away and close the box. Then I eat what's in front of me slowly. I socialize, I drink my ice tea or water, and I enjoy eating and socializing, whereas before when I was socializing, it was all about the food. I couldn't wait for dessert, and I was always thinking that I should go get it before that piece wasn't there anymore.

My doctor is so ecstatic. I see her every 3 months because I am diabetic, an insulin dependent diabetic but not for long. She said to me that she loves when I come in to see her. My labs are so good right now and she is taking me off medication, she says that as a doctor, she seems to always be putting people on medications, so it's really a joy for her to take people off medicine. Boy has she; she has taken me down off my cholesterol, kidney, blood pressure and thyroid medication, and taken me WAY down on my insulin and it keeps coming down 2 units at a time. I should be off insulin by the first of the year, and I tell you that's exciting. I've been an insulin dependent diabetic since I was 40 years old, so for 15 years. I'm already off my morning insulin, and I'm coming off of the nighttime. All the oral medicine is decreasing a lot. My health is good. My doctor is so excited. This program really works, it really does.
My husband loves the way I can get up off the couch and walk and keep up with him. He used to always have to hold my hand and pull me and drag me along, but not anymore. He knows that I can keep up with him that's really great. He is also excited now because when he puts his arms around me they go all the way around me and he hasn't been able to do that for a very long time. He knows that I can keep up with him that's really great. Now he actually weighs more than I do and that has never happened. He has always been lighter than I have been. My family and friends have really noticed and that really feels good too. They say they are proud of me and at first it was kind of hard to accept the compliments, but let me tell you, I can sure do it now, because by golly, look what I've done. I just hope that whoever is reading this can really grasp how much this can change your life, change all aspects of your life. As you lose the weight and your health improves, your self-esteem grows and your lifestyle, everything about you, your whole aura and persona is positive. The glass is now half full. It's what you make of it. For me, Positive Changes Hypnosis was being able to change and then everything else comes easy. The more positive things that happen to you the easier it is and the less you have to think about it.

My husband and I felt the cost of the program was justified. My health, isn't that worth it? It's a lifetime thing for me. Yes, totally worth the cost, and people do ask me that. It's totally worth it. The clothes, the health, just everything. You save because of your grocery bill, just everything. It is totally worth, I can't emphasis that enough.

Now that I've lost this weight, I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing because this was a lifestyle change for me. I have so much energy. I'm going to start dance lessons. I can get up on the carousel horse now and keep up with my husband. I love playing and swimming in the pool and I can't sit still sometimes.

The most valuable benefit overall for me is the health and wellness. I have not been 168 lbs since I was 30 years old. I'm 55. How amazing Actually I got some pictures out from when I was this weight before and I couldn't believe it. It's been so long. It's amazing how fast that weight can creep up on you. I do believe my weight loss is permanent because my behavior, my attitude and my lifestyle changed. I'm living my life. I'm not on a diet. It's all good, it's all positive. This works I highly recommend Positive Changes Hypnosis to anyone because it works.