Success Stories

My name is Connie Firkins and I work for AmericanWest Bank in Hayden, ID. I live on a 10 acre mini ranch in Post Falls. We have 8 acres of hay field, 2 head of horses, 3 mules, 2 dogs and 4 cats.

I started gaining weight after I married. I really gained after having kids, but then I lost a few when I went through a divorce and then started gaining it back again. The only time I would lose any significant weight was for some function coming up…a class reunion or my daughters’ wedding. I would have to do some fancy meal planning or buy special foods and always tell myself “you are on a diet so stick with it”. I would keep the weight off for a while but it would start creeping back on plus some more. I never really stuck with any of the diets after the “big event in my life was over”. It always seemed more like torture and something unnatural when dieting. It never turned into a lifelong habit that made sense enough to stick to.

I was embarrassed by my weight. I was the heaviest out of a family of six and would always put myself to the back of family pictures. I wore big baggy tee shirts and “relaxed fit” jeans. I had big baggy linen jackets to wear at work that would come down and cover my mid-section. I fought the idea, for a long time, of even shopping in the “woman’s” section, (I didn’t want to know that I was heavy enough to have that “W” next to my size.) But at my size trying to find decent fitting clothes in the Misses section was not an easy job. Even my farm chores were becoming a chore. My knees were constantly sore, my back was always kinked or pinched somehow or another and I couldn’t even walk to the end of our property without being out of breath. The worst part was…I would have to lead my horse up to a big rock in order to get into the saddle.

When I turned 50 I had given up. I never wanted to diet again and I was too old to have to give up the things that I enjoyed. So I was settling in and telling myself that I was going to carry an extra 50 pounds around for the rest of my life. “What the heck, I wasn’t out to impress anyone anyway.” But I was in a viscious circle—I thought the doctor could help me. I wanted something to make me get up and move but get rid of the pain first so I felt like moving. Maybe if I wasn’t so depressed then maybe I could exercise, and that would help my aching body. I was depressed, sore, and heavy and couldn’t get motivated. I kept telling myself that this was how it was going to be for the rest of my life so learn to deal with it. But thinking in the back of my mind…“it’s going to be a long and miserable rest of my life”! Part of my picker upper was to have something drastically done to my hair so it would drag the eyes away from the mid-section. So one day I went to see my Aunt Marsha McIntee.

Aunt Marsha is a beautician and she would know how to lift my spirits. While working with my hair she started telling me about the great things that were happening for her. She was sleeping better at night, eating better, losing weight and learning new eating habits. She told me that she had signed up with Positive Changes Hypnosis and she loved it. She said she would never gain the weight back because of the way that she felt about food now. I thought about it for a couple of days, I called and talked with Aunt Marsha again and then I called Positive Changes for an appointment.

I don’t know how to explain the changes that started from that appointment. This free evaluation appointment was fun and encouraging. I met some great, positive, upbeat people at Positive Changes. After my first hypnosis session, I woke up the next day thinking that I should notice something new, at least be thinking “diet”. But I wasn’t and I was getting worried that maybe this isn’t going to work. So I had my normal breakfast that morning along with my normal coffee and went to work. When lunch rolled around I noticed that I really wasn’t all that hungry. I couldn’t complete my “normal” lunch. It started going uphill from then on. I could hear the messages from my hypnosis sessions and then I would slip up and start doubting myself and the program. But things kept dropping out of my normal eating routines like French fries, candy, cookies, toast and my favorite ice cream. I never thought I would give up ice cream but I wasn’t craving for it anymore. After two weeks I stepped on the scale for the first time and had lost seven pounds. By my second session I had lost 11 pounds and told Mary, my great Positive Changes hypnotist, that I wanted to change my size goals to a smaller size. I have never been as happy with a weight loss program as I am with Positive Changes.

I had a six month program and by my last session I had lost 47 pounds. July 2007 was my one year anniversary and I haven’t gained any of the weight back. I no longer crave potatoes; I haven’t eaten French fries for over a year. I don’t stop and have a Blizzard every time I drive by Dairy Queen and my favorite thing to drink is water. I haven’t had a soda for over a year. I crave fresh fruits and vegetables and my favorite snack is almonds and grapes. If I have to eat fast food then I choose grilled chicken or a salad. With Positive Changes I have NEVER EVER felt “deprived or forced” and the word “diet” was never used.

Thanks to Positive Changes, I have taken on a new attitude that will be with me for the rest of my life. I love the way I think about food; it’s for the health of my body and I only need so much of the right stuff to keep it healthy. My confidence level is higher than it has ever been. I take vitamins every day instead of prescription drugs. I can now shop in the Misses section again for clothes, (which is my downfall now—I love new clothes). My chores around my little ranch are no longer chores, they are my exercise program and my back and knees haven’t complained. And thanks to Positive Changes Hypnosis I no longer need that rock to climb into the saddle.