I was asked to start writing a blog as a part of my new journey. This adventure that I'm about to take is huge! I'm so excited! I'm about to embark on an journey that most people only dream about.
Almost a year ago, I met Dr. Andrea Pennington. She's an incredible doctor who specializes in several different types of medical needs -- weight loss, diabetes, integrative natural healing and acupuncture. I met her through a good friend of mine who also volunteers with me for the W.E.P. Sickle Cell Foundation.
After a couple of months, I realized that Dr. Pennington was not just a doctor; she was becoming one of my very cool girlfriends. I became a client of hers, and because our age is so close, we became great friends -- a strong bond through and through! Andrea is a broadcast correspondent, as well. (You've probably seen her on "Oprah," "Dr. Oz" and "The Today Show," and she's had her own show on the Discovery Health Channel.) We definitely have something in common with our love for television broadcasting, so we decided to come up with an idea that would allow both of us to do something we love. We're going to do a television show that will help me with some of my goals and hopefully inspire other people in the process.
Dr. Pennington went to L.A. to handle some business regarding her practice, and while there, she met a wonderful therapist, Dr. Mike Dow, whom you may know from this show on TLC called "Freaky Eaters." Dr. Pennington told Dr. Mike about my story and what we were embarking on. He loved the idea and realized that they could both work together on this journey in my life and make things happen. We've decided to collaborate and take me around the world to work on me -- losing weight and studying how other cultures work on weight loss, appreciating their bodies, valuing life, approaching food, etc. I'm also going to find out more about myself -- my inner self.
People I interact with think I really know about me, and maybe I do, but I don't know if I know whether I really appreciate myself the way I think I need to. This brings me to something very major: I am a 40-year-old virgin -- for real! No kidding! I mean, I'm not the Virgin Mary by any means; I've encountered men, but I've never been in an "intimate" relationship. No, I'm not gay, so you can put that out of your mind. I just need to figure out why I was so afraid for such a long time to allow a man to be near me the way that I really wanted him to be. Now that I'm older, I do want a man to be in my life. I want to experience a real relationship with a man. I want him to pursue me, caress my face, kiss me, cuddle with me, love me, make love to me! You know, I'd like to have that connection with the right man!
With all of this being said, Dr. Andrea and Dr. Mike are going to travel with me in hopes of bringing things together for me, which will bring some clarity in my life. I also believe that my journey will help others who may be going through something quite similar. So, my journey starts in a place I've always dreamed of visiting: the French Riviera!
When I first started on this journey back in October 2010, I weighed 325 pounds. At this time (March) I've lost 56 pounds. My goal is to lose a total of 100 pounds before the year ends! I'll keep you updated here, or you can also follow me at www.crystalslifejourney.blogspot.com. Let's move forward together!