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My
self-image was my birthright – my family had an
obsession about “thin and attractive.” I first
discovered this after I found a letter written by my
mother to my father, who was out of town on business,
about me when I was 2-3 months old. She wrote, “Robin
is doing well, loves to eat and is a little piggy.”
In
preschool I was not fat (or thin). The first time I
remember needing to lose weight was for an orthopedic
problem – my doctors insisted that I must take some of
the pressure off my leg to relieve the pain in my knee.
So, at age 6, I was put on amphetamines for the first
time. I didn’t like meat much as a child and oft en felt
nauseated when I ate it. But every other fattening food
from cookies to cakes to candies was on my diet.
Because
my weight fluctuated, over the next few years I was
offered every imaginable “diet,” – Weight Watchers,
Stillman, Atkins, Jenny Craig, Grapefruit diet – you
name it and I tried it. At 13 my parents had me on
amphetamines again – I lost a lot of weight, but kept
getting sick with viruses and colds – plus they affected
my behavior. One evening, I had a hysterical fit,
yelling at the top of my lungs while dumping out all my
dresser drawers, just because I couldn't find
something. I knew that was enough amphetamines for me –
I gained every pound back to where I soon weighed 155
pounds at 4 feet 9 inches, and at sweet-sixteen. I felt
unattractive, lonely, and depressed – and needless to
say, I did not date. Reinforcing my poor self worth, I
saw a doctor who told me, “Robin, if you don’t lose
weight you won't find a man. “
My next
efforts to look great were with binging, purging,
laxatives and a dieter’s tea. To this I added an
exercise regimen that lasted anywhere from 2-4 hours
daily. Bulimia ruled my life for the next 12 years. But
I was still fat and ugly deep down inside. When I was
18, I went back to a low-calorie diet and got down to
115 and then down to 112 for my wedding in 1973. But, I
was never slender, and was never toned. And I still
felt trapped in a fat, ugly body.
My life
changed in January of 1995 when an acquaintance, who was
getting his PhD in exercise physiology at Florida
Atlantic University, told me about Dr. McDougall's
program. This was a turning point for me. I began to
eat healthy food, and immediately, I began to feel
healthy – I could tell my body was getting what it
needed and wanted. When I ate vegetables, fruits and
grains, my cells felt like they were breathing deeply
and filled with energy. As a lay person I read whatever
I could about nutrition,
but my own body was my research subject – giving me my
most reliable information.
My
weight now ranges between 99 and 102, and I am muscular
and slender. I wear a size 0-1 which is appropriate for
a woman my height. I don't starve, count calories,
binge or purge – and I do love what I eat. I exercise
about 45 minutes to an hour a day – 30 minutes of
aerobics and 30 minutes of resistance training.
There have been other important changes
in my life: I now know that no cake, cookie, chocolate
candy or even a big thick steak is going to take away
any of my problems. I stopped weighing myself (haven't
owned a scale in over 10 years). I don’t need a scale,
because I see myself as slender and I feel alive. As a
child I was embarrassed by my looks – now I am just the
opposite – I’m a singer/songwriter and performer -- and
I have no hesitation to strut my stuff in front of
thousands of appreciative music fans, every chance I
get.
Dr.
McDougall's Comments: "Pictures speak a thousand
words. My only comment is that you deserve the same
physical health and fit appearance as Robin and you can
have these gifts for free -- in fact, you can't buy
them."
We
encourage you to pass this Star McDougaller along to
friends.
 2004
John McDougall All Rights Reserved
McDougall Wellness Center P.O. Box 14039,
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
http://www.drmcdougall.com |
