I have some exciting (and scary) news!

I'm going to be in the paper!

Well, my likeness will be at least...  at some point.  Ok. I guess I should explain.  Here's some backstory....  (get comfy but...  I'll try to give you the Coles Notes version)

When I decided that I was interested in WLS.  Like ready READY interested... I started doing some searching online.  I ended up on ObesityHelp.  Unfortunately, I tend to stay away from there most of the time now because its just toooooo cliquey and all negative... but I digress....  While I was doing some research, a woman messaged me on chat after I'd posted questions about the local Weight Wise program and how long I could expect to wait for WLS paid for by the provincial health care.

After a really interesting discussion with her, I got up the nerve to make an appt with a company she was referring for at the time... and I convinced my hubby to come along for both moral support and so I had some voice of reason there with me.  He has been in my life for 6 years and seen me heavy, fit and heavy again in that time, so he understood that I was on this path to finding a way to a healthier lighter version of myself.

I met this woman, and then booked with the company for my surgery with Dr Almanza in April of this year.  Since then, this woman and I have become friends and she has opened her own weight loss consulting company employing the values that she wants her clients to come away with.  Weight loss is only part of the answer.  A healthy lifestyle including exercise is also part of it.  After seeing her business case, I decided to become part of her company even in a small way.  I chose to be a patient coordinator/consultant.  I now offer the same support, information and advice that she once offered me.

Ok.... now, to the present day...

I have a photoshoot on Oct 16 as a successful sleever.  She wants to do banners, advertising on her website and now.... (or later...eep!) print advertising in the newspaper.  That part frankly scares the absolute crap out of me right now.  I don't know if I'm ready for the whole world (including my coworkers) to know I've made this choice yet.  I'm not ashamed of this choice at all but I do know that I want to keep my personal life separate from my work right now and I don't know if being the "face" of Weight Loss and Beyond Consulting is the way to do it.  This is the same reason I keep a separate Facebook page.

I wish I knew how to handle this gracefully in a way that allows me to feel confident in my professional privacy while still helping this company grow and help people realize their WLS (as well as dental and cosmetic) goals.



For anyone who reads and is interested... check out  www.weightlossandbeyond.ca
Feel free to send me a message on my Facebook (Happy Sleever), on my blog or contact Colleen on the website if you want any information.