It was December 31, 2011. I found myself at a New Year's get-together, sitting at a table next to my friend, a retired doctor, Dr. Robert Easton, known affectionately as Dr. Bob.
I was pouring my heart out to him. I was 43 years old. I had gained weight that winter, and I was embarrassed. My face was all broken out. I had recently had a cyst grow on the side of my face that I had to have removed by a dermatologist. I wasn't well. I had fairly severe anemia, as my hemoglobin level was just 8.3 (which should be between 12 and 16). I was weak and tired. For the first time in my life, I had arthritis in my hands. My body felt like a giant blob of inflammation. I would barely bump something and feel sore. My hormones were a mess. I'll get into more details of my condition in my lessons, but suffice it to say for now that I had just seen another specialist, and had learned the sobering news that I was going to need surgery. I was depressed and demoralized.
Dr. Bob said to me, “You know, Tonya, you can turn this around.” He talked to me briefly about changing my diet. He left, went home, and returned with a book, The McDougall Program for Women, by Dr. John McDougall, which he loaned me.
That encounter with Dr. Bob, along with that book, changed the trajectory of my life. I soon read one book after another of Dr. McDougall's and watched every lecture I could find on the Internet. By February of 2012, I was following Dr. McDougall's diet. In June of that year, I attended Dr. McDougall's 10-day live-in program in Santa Rosa, California. My body was healing. I no longer needed surgery.
Dr. Bob has since passed away, but I will feel forever indebted to him. And just as he shared information with me that day that changed the course of my life, I have been all too eager to share this information with others. I have held several classes on how to lose weight without hunger in my home, and I've taught classes through the park district in my city. In fact, Dr. Bob enthusiastically attended my first class, and encouraged me to continue.
And now some friends have encouraged me to do more to share what I've learned via the Internet. Taking a chance, I've decided to pursue this, at least on a trial basis, and just see where it goes. I look forward to your feedback. I hope that you find my information to be of value. I know the power it has to transform lives, as it transformed mine.
The day that Dr. Bob gave me that book was tantamount to the beginning of a second chapter in my life. And for that reason, I call my journey and my program “Chapter 2.” I hope you'll come with me on this journey. . .your second chapter awaits!
