I started to gain weight during my 2nd pregnancy. After my second daughter was born, I never lost the baby weight. I thought that doing anything for myself was selfish. And as many moms do, I put myself last.
NAME : Kathy
BEFORE WEIGHT : 222
AFTER WEIGHT : 147
POUNDS LOST : 75
HOW DID YOUR WEIGHT AFFECT ANY ASPECT(S) OF YOUR LIFE? I was heavy and slow moving. I had a hard time keeping up with my daughters’ active lives. I never wanted to be in any pictures. I was ashamed of my size and did everything I could to hide from the camera.
WHAT WAS THE “TURNING POINT” THAT GOT YOU STARTED ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY? My turning point was when my oldest daughter was rushed into the hospital. We never knew she had a heart issue … And wound up having to have surgery. I was terrified. I remember waiting for her to come into recovery and I couldn’t catch my breath. One of her amazing nurses took my blood pressure and it was so high. She held my hand and gently told me… “Her heart is healthy now. It’s time to take care of yours.” She was so right. Danielle recovered beautifully and got a clean bill of health. The same day she returned to school after her procedure, I walked into weight watchers. And I never looked back!
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? Weight watchers was wonderful. They taught me what and how to eat. No food was off limits and I learned portion control and how to eat healthy.
HOW LONG AFTER YOU STARTED DID YOU BEGIN TO SEE RESULTS OF YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS? I felt results immediately. It was amazing. Once you feed your body healthy foods, everything changes. My skin was clearer. My clothes became looser. And my heart was become healthier.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART? I never liked to exercise. But weight watchers encouraged me to try it. So I did small things a little at a time. I began with nightly walks with my daughters. Or Zumba DVDs. When I started, I could barely walk around the block. I’m now running 5ks.
DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP? WHAT KEPT YOU GOING? Weight watchers is not a diet. This concept helped me more than anything. Once I understood that this was a LIFESTYLE… I started to love the journey. I had fun with it. I never deprived myself. I eat out, I enjoy cake at birthday parties, I have treats. But I know how to do it in moderation.
DID YOU HIT ANY WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAUS? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM? Occasionally we all hit plateaus. They push us to push ourselves. My Instagram weight loss family was such a wonderful support system to me. From them and from weight watchers I learned that when you hit a plateau, change something. Get rid of diet sodas, drink more water, get more steps in. There’s always a way to push past any plateau… As long as you keep at it.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO LOSE MOST OF THE WEIGHT? It took about a year for me to lose the weight. I never focused on a timeline though. I failed at diets before by saying “I need to lose 20 pounds this month ” and if I didn’t, I would quit. With weight watchers , I always loved my journey and had fun with it. Time flies when you are having fun!!
DID YOU HAVE ANY NON-SCALE VICTORIES? My biggest non scale victory was all the compliments I would get from my girls and my husband. Seeing how proud they were of me made everything worthwhile! It makes me so happy!
WHAT DOES YOUR DAILY DIET LOOK LIKE COMPARED TO WHEN YOU WERE HEAVIER? My diet is so much more colorful now. I eat tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, a lot of fish, pasta, and whole grains. I feel good feeding my body healthy foods.
HOW DOES YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPARE TO WHEN YOU WERE HEAVIER? I am more active than my kids now. They tell me to slow down! It’s amazing how weight watchers has changed my life!
MY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS & TRICKS
- Love your journey. Have fun with it. Don’t think of this as a diet. It’s a new and beautiful lifestyle change. Your body will thank you for it!
- Move! Do whatever you can to get your body moving. Take a walk, dance, ride your bike, swim, whatever makes you happy.
- Enjoy your favorite foods. Don’t deprive yourself. If you like ice cream, try a lower sugar or lower fat version of your favorite flavor. Eating what you love makes your journey so much easier.
- Find friends with common goals. My weight watchers Instagram family keeps me going every day. I would be lost without them. That and my weight watchers meeting family make me feel like I’m not alone in this. It helps when others are on the same journey as you!
- Treat yourself! Don’t wait until you are at your goal weight to do special things. Get manicures, buy a new lipstick, download new workout music, buy new clothes! Take care of yourself! You are working hard and you deserve it!!
