For Carissa Schmidt, the first step to weight loss didn’t involve diet or exercise. “It was having the courage to admit I had a problem,” she said.
Schmidt had been exercising to control her weight since 2019, but when COVID-19 hit, she was forced to stop. When she finally got back to the gym, “I hit it hard, but no weight came off whatsoever,” she said. At that time, she was 220 lbs.
“I never wore shorts; I quit swimming; I thought that everyone was judging,” she said. “Eating in front of people was upsetting. And my energy was so low.”
Schmidt teaches 10th grade English and theater in Metro Nashville Public Schools. She learned about the MyMedicalWeightLoss Bundle through an email from work. She enrolled, and with medication, counseling and help from a nutrition specialist, she has lost 70 pounds. People noticed.
“It was like I was invisible before, and suddenly I’m a human being again,” she said.
Schmidt credits her counselors for much of her success. “I was emotionally eating when I was bored or stressed, and I wasn’t aware I was doing that,” she said. “The group and individual therapies were very helpful. It was a multilayered approach. Plus, a doctor is on hand to help monitor any behaviors that affect your weight.”
Schmidt started her journey with weight loss pills, but when her weight plateaued, she needed to move to injections. After her physician helped her overcome her fear of shots, the weight came off rapidly.
Today Schmidt is more active and started working out again. She’s moving around the classroom more freely. She’s not as tired and says she’s cleaning her home better. “The rooms were disasters,” she said.
She even goes to the trampoline park with her kids. “I’m actually able to jump even though I’m almost 50 years old!”
