Success Stories

Lori Hilton
Address: Wichita, KS
Medical Weight Loss Treatment Plan: HMR Low Calorie Diet
Total pounds lost: 50

Body Mass Index before HMR: 33.7
Body Mass Index after HMR: 25
Physical activity before HMR: 500-1000 burned per week
Physical activity after HMR: 2500-3000 burned per week
Triglycerides before HMR: 133
Triglycerides after HMR: 100
Blood pressure before HMR: 124/80
Blood pressure after HMR: 110/65

"My name is Lori Hilton. I’m 48 years old, and I’m a recovering diet addict. I should be referred to as the “weight loss expert.” Right? After all I’ve been dieting for 40 of my 48 years! So what was my problem? Until recently, I was even more of an expert at regaining those lost pounds, plus more!"

"Every time I would successfully “finish” a diet, I’d think “now that I’m thin, I can start eating what a “normal” person eats – pizza, hamburgers, fries, and of course, ice cream. Especially ice cream! After my weekly weigh-in at the diet center du jour or upon reach goal weight, I would rejoice with fellow dieters... Then I’d run to my car and head straight for the nearest Dairy Queen for a celebratory Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard (large, of course). After all, I deserved a special treat for all my hard work, right? "

"Each and every time I would try a new diet and reach my goal (140 lbs.), I would remain at that weight for about 15 minutes... the time it takes to drive to DQ. Then the whole sickening cycle would start again... and again... and again... "

"I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with food, especially ice cream, candy, cookies – anything with lots of sugar and fat. Even as a child, I can remember using food as my reward for being good, as my friend when I was lonely, as my medicine when I was depressed. Food was my life. After so many years of overeating and then starving myself as punishment, I had lost the ability to feel “normal” hunger. "

"My relationship with my “best friend” – food – had become extremely dysfunctional. I reached the lowest point in my life in December 2003. I weighed over 200 pounds, suffered health problems, and was dangerously depressed. I prayed to God that the pneumonia I had at the time would end my life. I remember the day my life changed. It was just after the holidays, the first week in January 2004. I went to bed one night feeling particularly depressed and listless. I awoke very suddenly in the middle of the night thinking I was having a heart attack. My chest was heavy. I could hear and feel my heart beat in my ears. I remember very clearly thinking “so this is it ... this is how I’ll die.” I remember begging God to either take me home to Him that very night or for Him to please, please help me get better once and for all. Amazingly, I awoke the next morning feeling different. I had an idea to call Via Christi Regional Medical Center about a medically supervised weight loss program I had heard about from a man at church. I found the phone number on the Via Christi website and called them. They told me that I had called just in time – the deadline to sign up for the orientation class was that day. I attended orientation and signed up that week, had my lab work done the following day, and started my first Core weight loss class January 14th, 2004. I truly believe that God led me to the HMR program at Via Christi. It saved my life."

"My 16 weeks in Core flew by. I loved attending the weekly classes taught by Sheryl Baker, Health Educator. Sheryl’s enthusiasm, knowledge, sense of humor and coaching skills made learning such a fun experience. She constantly challenged us to do more than we thought we were capable of... and we usually achieved or surpassed the assignments she gave us! Dr. James Early’s visits to our class were also extremely motivational, educational, and fun."

"After each class, I would return to my office singing the praises of good nutrition, physical activity, the “success cycle,” the importance of tracking calories in and out, truthful record keeping, and the emotions connected with eating. Oh, I almost forgot one thing – I was losing weight! Notice how I didn’t mention the weight loss first?! It wasn’t as important to me any more. I just wanted to be healthy and to have energy and a positive outlook on life. "

"For the first time in my life, I was gaining control of my future because of my newly acquired knowledge. I wasn’t just buying into the lies being fed to me by the other “diet centers.” I know some of my coworkers got tired of hearing me preach to them, but I didn’t care. I was on a mission to save the world (and I still) am)!"

"The HMR Program at Solutions for Life is phenomenal. The numbers on the scale kept going down, the numbers on my lab results were starting to look like those of a normal, healthy person, and my self-confidence was soaring! I had lost over 50 pounds by the end of Core [16 weeks], and I continued to lose while attending Maintenance class. I feared eating “real” food at first but quickly got over it! I was enjoying wonderful fruits and veggies that were in season that summer. I added them to my daily food “budget,” along with my beloved HMR shakes. I started out in Core using HMR 800 but lately I’ve become a fan of HMR 120, both chocolate and vanilla (and I love the fact that the vitamins are included in the formula). Drinking shakes as meal replacement makes it so easy to get the good food my body craves, and since I work out 6 days a week, I need lots of nutritious food!

"By July 2004, I had reached my initial goal of 140 pounds. I kepy losing over the next few months, down to an all-time low of 131, for a total loss of 70 pounds! I stayed in the 135 pound range for the next several months, and then my body leveled out again at around 140."

"I KNOW that HMR program is the answer to health and wellness. It is the foundation of my healthy lifestyle... and it will be for the rest of my life. Temporary setbacks can and will happen, but now I possess the knowledge and the tools to make the necessary corrections to my behaviors through healthy food and exercise. "

"A recent example of a setback: I experienced unusually high levels of stress at work for a few months, resulting in a temporary weight gain of 15 pounds. For those few stressful months I abandoned what I had learned over the past 2 years. I fell backwards and used stress as an excuse to self-medicate with food. I realized I had to refocus on the basic principles I learned in class. I confronted my negative behaviors, wrote down a specific plan to regain control. I am actively working my plan and the pounds are coming off again. My physical activity is back on track (over 3000 PA / week), and I’m feeling great! I’m also drinking 4 delicious HMR shakes per day. But most importantly, I’m faithfully attending Maintenance class again, as I will for years to come."

"The name of the HMR program at Via Christi – Solutions for Life – truly sums up the fact that it’s a sensible, long-term and “do-able” life-long program for anyone who wants to feel healthy and fit. I highly recommend it to everyone!"