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This is my story ...

Nancy Makin's early years were rather unremarkable by most people's standards. In her world "normal" was growing up as but one of a large, all-girl family in Seattle, Washington. Her mother baked blackberry pies, pressed her girls' Catholic school uniforms, took Nancy with her on Saturday mornings to the Pike Place Market on the waterfront to buy food for the family's meals. Sunbeam Bakery was always on their route. Her mother bought bread by the palette for her large brood. If Nancy didn't give her mom any trouble, they'd stop at Nordstrom's candy counter to buy a piece of chocolatey seafoam for the trip home. Her father was employed by Boeing Aircraft as a chemical engineer. Nancy rushed to greet him in the evening as he walked in the house, shedding his dark overcoat and tossing his ever-present fedora from his head onto the cherry wood table near the door. Her dad taught her to play chess, sitting on a bay window seat on the sunporch of their home when she was only four. He'd never give Nancy a break just because she was little. If she complained about being check-mated again after only seven moves, her dad would say, "Nan, what kind of a victory would it be if I told you I was sneaking up on you? Think ahead! Watch and learn!" Nancy loved to ride her hand-me-down, balloon-tired Schwinn up the steep incline to insert a nickel and peer through the telescope stationed atop Kerry Park, out onto the waters of Puget Sound and its heavy boat traffic, or go fishing with her father and grandfather on Neah Bay. She was a carefree and curious child, happiest of all when playing outside shoeless, (Her mother played hell trying to keep shoes on Nancy's feet!) searching for slugs under rocks or for bumblebees that congregated on the lilac bushes in their large yard on Queen Anne Hill. She'’d capture these insects in empty baby food jars, releasing them after careful examination. Each day brought a new adventure;… all was a playground for this child.But at the age of nine, all childhood play was put aside when the jarring decision was made to uproot Nancy and the rest of her family to move into the stifling fold of a religious cult in far-off Quebec. None of their lives would ever be the same.From Nancy’'s early marriage at age fifteen, to motherhood soon thereafter as a sixteen year old, and with her increasing dependency on and misuse of food, her weight gain was at first only an uncomfortable, frustrating, shame-producing issue. But over many, many years of “stuffing” her feelings with food, those poor choices led Nancy into a life of near-total isolation and a very grave, debilitating physical condition. She didn’'t have hope for her future, better or otherwise. She had resigned herself to a life shortened by her choices, confining by her size and shame, by her inability to control her destructive behavior….... or so she thought.Nancy has shared her unlikely story of rebirth, of recapturing her long forgotten self-worth and that discovery’'s resultant 530 pound weight loss with joy, humor and with the rare perspective that can only come from one who'’s lived it. Her book’ is entitled: 703: How I Lost More Than a Quarter Ton and Gained a Life. It is available at Amazon.com, IndieBound.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders Books and through many independent book sellers.Nancy has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, GMTV (London) and the Joy Behar Show, among others.She has also appeared as a guest on XM Sirius radio (Doctor Radio) with Dr. Ira Breite on the NYU campus, and was interviewed regarding her memoir “"703"″ for the 2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.Makin is a writer and lecturer. She is the proud mother of one son, mother-in-law to the lovely daughter she never gave birth to, and grandmother of two precious boys. Nancy resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She loves her family dearly, but her restless heart remains in Seattle where it all began.... and she still loves insects and hates shoes.

About Nancy

Perspectives nancy 28 bott red jacket with skirt

My perspective on the issue of obesity and needed changes in order to garner better outcomes. The "experts" ain't got a clue. It's the obese that have the answers.

* I, like millions of others, used to say, “If only I could lose “X” number of pounds, I’'d be so much happier! What I'’ve learned along this unforeseen, meandering path of self-discovery is just the opposite. Rediscover your birthright, your innate value as having been born human, valuable only because you are human, and the excess weight comes off easily, naturally. I believe that overeating is only a side effect, a symptom of a deeper emotional turmoil.* For those of you who are concerned with a stubborn twenty or thirty pounds you'd like to shed, I believe your dilemma is only a matter of elevating your activity level and tapering calories. As simple as that. A gravely obese person suffers from a vastly deeper disconnect; they are literally killing themselves with food. It is their weapon of choice. Their lives are not just inconvenienced by their weight, but severely restricted. * Society's attitude toward anyone wearing any size beyond a 10, certainly doesn't engender acceptance of these "outsized" people. And who wants to go where they don't feel welcomed, only ridiculed? No one with a brain does. Contrary to some people's belief system, fat people DO have brains.... and remarkably, feelings. Add to this societal shunning the fact that the obese person is a master of the art of self-loathing and you've got a recipe for human disaster. Fat people despise themselves far more than society does, and that's saying something!* It was in beginning to see myself as far more than the unsettling physical image that greeted me in the mirror every morning, that I finally broke free from overeating's shackles. You have to love the creation before you AS YOU FIND IT TODAY; the "project," you, must be considered valuable, or no amount of investment in that project will bear lasting fruit. * This is the very reason so many obese people refer to what they go through as a "struggle." They are attempting to change through sheer force of will, the "window dressing" to fit their own off-kilter measurement of value! I firmly believe with my own decades-long experience as guide, that the reason this thinner image doesn't remain over time, is due to the new exterior not matching the unchanged, self-demeaning and harshly judgmental interior. These folks have not yet changed their INTERNAL assessment of WORTH. Thoughts, both positive and negative, are exceedingly powerful things.* The human being is composed of three things; spirit, mind and body. The first two components, intangible qualities, fuel the latter. In the case of the overeater, if the spirit and mind aren't doing their job, the body will wear the sad evidence of that internal deficit in the form of unwanted pounds. The body has no choice in the matter; it's only following "orders from headquarters." Food has become for the overeater a "consolation" prize for not feeling worthy of living a full, rewarding life. Recapture belief in the many gifts we each possess beyond the purely physical and you will unleash a wondrous rebirth! My own history is evidence, I AM the evidence that what I profess is valid. If it weren't so, someone else's fingers would be tapping on these keys, not mine! Society had me labeled as worthless; dead and buried a long time ago. Fooled them, eh!? I'm still kickin'! Very much alive!* My message is not only for the obese. It is meant for anyone who knows or encounters someone in my former circumstance or in any other debilitating condition for that matter. Reach out to these souls because they need your “touch; they deserve your care and concern. Use any means at your disposal to make an impression for good on the lives around you. Start with a simple acknowledgement when you see a suffering person in public. Smile at them; say hello! Help them grab something they're struggling to reach on a shelf. These tiny acts will “fill” you and in turn help someone else come to realize that what they’'ve carried inside and had misplaced so long ago is still there within, begging to be recognized and unleashed. These people will rediscover their dignity, their very humanity, one kindness at a time. And you, by reaching out in that selfless act, may heal your own demons, whether you display them on your shell or carry them within where no one can see your very private, soul-starving pain. * My advice to the obese person is the same; the same principle applies. This is the very thing that saved my life! Reach beyond your physical limitations with your own God-given gifts. Be creative. Saying "I can't" won't save you! Do you think I'm unique? Is your life more "pitiable," more hopeless than mine seemed to me at 703 pounds!? What makes you so unsalvagable, so different? If you say you are without value, helpless, then YOU have become the very barrier to recapturing what I now possess! If you continue to dwell only on what you have not and refuse to focus on what you already have, then your life will remain the same as its been. * You must reach outside of your "comfort zone" to find your salvation, friends. Being "comfortable" does not always entail feeling cozy, but inhabiting a place we know; it is familiar to us and so somehow consoling, not frightening in our confinement. Please ask yourself a question here: So, how's that workin' for you!? Sorry, I was channeling Dr. Phil for a moment! Your self-image has become so damaged, so skewed, that you may not yet be able to clearly see the gift you are to the world. I assure you, you have gifts to give! Get busy dolin' 'em out, friends! You can't take 'em with you when you leave the planet! Use them! They will be your salvation!* Use your energy in searching for them and then utilize these talents in any way you possibly can. Small or large things, it matters not! You will see a seismic shift in what you perceive as your future! No one, no outside force or "program" can do this for you, it has to come from within! Act and flourish or stay in your comfort zone and wither. The choice is yours! Choose wisely.... and remember, please... when we don't make definite choices on our own, eventually comes the time that others will make them for us. Please don't let yourself be caught in that trap; the trap of neglect and inaction.* Americans shell out an astounding 58 billion dollars per year on weight loss-related items; pills, potions, self-help books, invasive surgeries, on treadmills, rowing machines, any and every diet plan known to man and yet statistics show that each year we grow heavier as a nation. Worse yet, there is an avalanche of weight gain occurring today amongst our most precious commodity: our children. Obese adults have a hard path; society’'s reaction to these folks is shameful, just plain ignorant.. But our children face even more pointed ridicule, from both peers and the community at large, and at a time of life when all they are trying to do is “fit in. Our children have even less understanding of themselves and place in the world than adults do; how devastting it must be for them to have so much emphasis placed on their physical fitness or lack thereof while trying to formulate their worth as a human being. Every child's value is immeasurable. We need to shift this false paradigm we cling to in order to change outcomes for all of us.* If these so-called "experts," weight loss gurus know so much, then please ask yourself... Why aren't we all thin!? They have all the answers, right!? If we will only bow at their altar, and we do have so many altars to choose from, don't we, then all will be well, won't it? Why does that sound laughable on its face? More important to think about, is why we continue to return countless times to fatten their already bulging wallets!? My history, my journey has led me to this answer: It is because we feel helpless and hopeless without that "external" assistance. We no longer trust our own judgment. We have come to believe ourselves incapable and so have replaced self-belief with desperate hope placed in some "program" or person outside of ourselves in order to accomplish the task at hand. I am here to shout from the rooftops... Back off Mr and Mz Guru! I am my own best go-to expert! And I have far better ways to spend my money and time!* These self-designated demi-gods with rock-hard abs are nothing more than snake oil salesmen, my friends. They sell false hope in bottle, pill or freeze-dried form, and somehow still manage to sleep well at night. It's not a particular diet plan that will turn the tide; there are hundreds of them out there. If followed to the letter, most any "program" will bring temporary desired results on the scale. The "magic cure" you so yearn to procure has been residing within you all along and comes free of charge to the owner.... YOU. We are ourselves the "cure" that we've longed to embrace. Start embracing your power!* God doesn't create junk. That tanned and toned, porcelain-veneered creature sweating on stage and urging you onward, has no more worth, no more cards to play than anyone else does.There is no "magic" combination of food and exercise that will bring us happiness. I found my own path to wellness; it will be different than yours. It's not a "program" that will lead to lasting physical change. This shift needs to orignate from within. Those who struggle, who walk a tightrope every day to "fight" the urge to eat more than their body needs, have still not found their value, thus they constantly war with the compulsion to fill that void with food. Theirs is an everlasting battle. They've not yet rediscovered their worth. * These precious folks batter and beat themselves into submission, anything to keep the slimmer form so admired in the mirror. If they eat a piece of chocolate, all is lost! They berate themselves, scold the "bad" girl or boy that dared to be human! Crazy, isn't it? To expect the best from one who is deemed unworthy with the slightest misstep. How can we ever hope for the best from one whom we believe to be such a clumsy, failing, misbegotten fool!? * These people are only cementing within themselves the idea that they can never succeed! They're sentencing themselves to round after round of this form of self-abuse! I DO know the drill, friends! I did the same thing for decades. And that first "bad" piece of chocolate always led me to raise the white flag of surrender and plow through the rest of the box of chocolate. We were already BAD, right? We might as well enjoy the consolation prize.... Such crazy thinking. Defeatist; and a perfect excuse to do further damage. There are NO bad foods! Lord. I eat chocolate! I love chocolate! Chocolate isn't my enemy.... We can unwittingly become our own worst enemies.... too many of us have done just that. I now choose to be my best friend. I'm a pretty nifty human being, and yes, I do say so myself!* It was in realizing my value as I found myself at 703 pounds, that the switch permanently flipped "on" for me. Since that wonderful moment of reawakening, of the restoration of my wounded spitit, I've never looked back.... I've never had to. No more fear that I'd slip back into that chasm of self-destruction! I began to love and trust myself as I had as a little child; I was becoming reacquainted with the real Nancy. She'd been waiting for so long. In that transformational instant, I became a caterpillar in its chrysalis, feeding on the nurture of self-belief and reemerging from its cocoon as a beautiful butterfly... And so it was. We were ALL meant to have wings. And we are what we eat, you know. Not all "food" is of an edible nature. Chew on that one, people.* My interior change unfolded first, followed closely on its heels by natural, external changes; I was blissfully unaware of my bodily transformation in the beginning. At 703 pounds you don't notice a 50 pound loss. It is only a drop in the bucket. Weight loss wasn't my focus. I wasn't trying to lose weight.... I only knew I was happier, felt more content and worthwhile. As a result of this new feeling, I wanted to treat myself as the valuable creation I finally knew I was; the creature I was born to be. This new evaluation of self showed in attention to small details; carefully combing my hair, lotioning my neglected hands and cracked, overburdened heels, putting on a different pair of earrings every day even if no visitors were coming to see me. I would see me; that was more than enough reason to care. * I no longer felt the need to damage myself with food. I began to eat when and as my body's needs dictated. I was feeling tummy rumblings for the first time in decades! I listened to these signals.... I didn't stuff myself BEFORE that internal dinner bell rang anymore! There was no particular plan; I ate what I liked to eat, just a lot less of it entered my mouth! I was free of the mindless compulsion to stuff feelings! I didn't think about eating constantly as had been the case for decades! I was about the happy, gratifying work of filling myself with other, more lasting "food." And so, eating began to take its proper place in my life. * Food had never been my enemy. It had been my harsh judgment regarding self-worth that had caused me to abuse food, a wonderful, nurturing gift meant to be enjoyed, not feared. I began to trust my instincts, my own gut feeling. I didn't need some outside power to lead me along the way. It was ME that I had always needed, all I had ever needed. My decades-long search for belonging was over... I had found a new home.... a place called Nancy.

Perspectives

Essays

The Futile Pursuit of Trying to Measure Up

The Straight Skinny on Living Large

Modern-Day Lazarus: as published on Oprah.com

Essays

Press

GMA Interview with Diane Sawyer

Time Magazine article: Can Surfing the Internet Help You Lose Weight?

Grand Rapids Press

The Joy Behar Show

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Book of the Month - June: the ModelifeHow I gained (and lost) 530 lbs.Intervew with FitsMe for Moms - Losing Weight: Change from the Inside Out

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703

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Mom and I debate April 1996
Myself and grandson Ian
At son's house on Christmas
Mom and I at baby shower
Nephew's wife Cynthia and self
Mom and self
Dad and daughter Nancy
Son Chris comes for a visit
Saying something important
August 2008
Look what I caught Ma!
Me
Nancy and Gail Saltz
Happy Nancy
And another.....
And another yet!
The studious pose

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Nancy Makin Speaking Engagements

“Without human touch, she withered. With it, she has blossomed and been given a new life with rare perspective.

Her story sends a message of hope to those whom society has misunderstood and marginalized; indeed, it holds a message for us all.”

Whether to share excerpts of her story, consult product/medical/corporate/nonprofit organizations, or provide a living example in the classroom, Nancy is accepting engagements for public speaking.

If you would like Nancy to speak to your group, please send the following information in an e-mail to the address below:

1. Group name and purpose

2. Venue

3. Number in audience

4. Date of engagement

5. Topic of interest

6. Contact name, telephone number and e-mail address

Once this information is received, Nancy will contact you regarding detailed booking information (expenses, requirements, travel, etc.).

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NancyMakin.comAnything is possible ... If you'll believe!Futile PursuitStraight Skinny