This whole adventure I’ve experienced with trying to get into OCS has been amazing. I’ve lost a ton of weight, and I’ve learned how great it feels to be healthy. The last chapter in this story is beginning on Thursday.

I’m a sucker for a good deal, so when LivingSocial offered a coupon for a 2 week doctor-oriented weight loss program, I dove right in. I’ve been paying attention to what I eat for over a year now, but at the end of this road it has become increasingly difficult to pass up that last slice of pizza.

I met up with the nurse Thursday last week. My husband decided to do it as well, so we discussed exactly how much weight we both needed to lose in order to be healthy. I have gained some of the weight I already lost back, so the nurse told me that if I was 30 pounds lighter, I’d be in tip-top shape. The program was only supposed to be 2 weeks (I might have lost 3 pounds in that time), but I opted to sign up for the year-long program instead. Losing 30 pounds will force me to not only meet Marine Corps standards, but I’ll surpass them.

The nurse doubles as a nutritionist, and she’s got this newfangled machine that tells me how many calories I’m taking in a day. That way, if I lied about what I ate, she’d be able to really know if I was being truthful. I don’t really need a watchdog, but it’d be nice to have someone criticizing my eating habits.

She told me to get all the junk food out of my system before the diet started, so I promptly went to olive Garden and devoured chicken and shrimp carbonara. After a year of dieting, I could only eat half.

I made the appointment for my pre-diet physical this afternoon. After this Thursday the diet will officially start. I am very excited. It’s one thing to lower your calories, but it’s another to have a nutritionist scrutinize every little thing I shove down my throat. She’ll give me pointers on portion control and the nutritional value of anything and everything. I’ll have a strict diet for 3 months, and in those 3 months I’ll finally make weight for the Marine Corps! It’s incredible to have that timeline laid out in front of me; and it’s amazing to know that this weight thing will really no longer be an issue. 

The program involves weekly visits to the nurse/nutritionist. At that time, we’ll evaluate the weeks’ worth of food I’ve taken in. She’ll tell me if I’m doing things right or wrong, and she’ll tell me exactly what exercises I should be doing to lose weight while simultaneously perfecting my cardiovascular stamina and building the muscles I’ll need for my PFT.
The light at the end of the tunnel is nearing, and all the times I felt I’d never make it are so very far behind me. I can’t wait for my future to be my present!