Kath

Weight Loss Story

I like food. Real good food. My family likes food. And we like to eat it together. We like celebrating with a good meal and think cocktail hour is the best time of day. We don’t really eat junk food – we aren’t the Big Mac types – but we just like the process of eating. And we talk about food a lot . But we also have always talked about nutrition and ways to balance our love for consuming good food. Thankfully, my family also loves to exercise. In fact, I would say my family talks about nutrition and exercise as much as we talk about food, which must be the reason none of us is obese (or even more than a little overweight).

The Gain

I maintained my weight around 130 throughout high school and my early years in college, thanks to a love for running and varsity soccer. I used exercise to keep my weight down, but much to my inconvenience, a birth defect in my left foot became symptomatic during my sophomore year of high school and got much worse in college. I had to limit my workouts to the elliptical and bike for my last 2 years of college. While I did exercise almost every day, the less-intense workouts combined with large portion sizes and too many glasses of wine put a good 20 pounds on my small frame. During my senior year of college, I topped the scales at 151 pounds. I remember looking at myself in the mirror just after Christmas and thought: “I am more than just a little overweight.” I also remember sitting in my classes wondering what backside looked like in the chair. And of course, every photo that taken of me was just “a bad picture.”

The following spring, my senior year, I had foot surgery to un-fuse the sub-talar joint in my foot and was on crutches for a month. After the surgery, I decided I wanted to turn my life around.

A New Outlook

I graduated from Davidson College a few months after my surgery and was finally able to cook for myself, limit dining in restaurants and put an end to late college nights full of snacking. I was excited to be able to take control of my weight with a new lifestyle. I started tracking my daily calories in an online food journal at CalorieKing.com, which I kept up throughout my weight loss and a year into maintenance. Counting calories really helped me get a handle on portions and realize how much good food you can eat if you focus on fresh ingredients. My husband (then boyfriend) and I developed a love for cooking with healthy ingredients in our recipes.

When my foot was ready, I gradually started exercising again, and went to tons of spinning classes, which were easy on my recovering foot. I was finally able to beginning running again in October of 2005. My goal when I started was to lose 20 pounds – to get from 151 down to 130. And I hit that goal 9 months later.

Progress

When my weight reached 130 pounds in the spring of 2006, I realized I felt fabulous but still had weight to lose. I decided to keep my focus on eating healthy and being active and wherever my weight ended up was fine with me. I was shocked when I hit 129. A year before, you couldn’t have paid me a million dollars to convince me I’d ever be in the 120s. But I just kept exercising, cooking healthy meals with my husband, and chugging along.

Goal: 120

It’s now been a few years since my foot surgery and I’m down 31 pounds to my happy weight of 120. I have never been happier with my body image and lifestyle. I feel radiant every day, and shopping for clothes has a whole new meaning. And photos are almost always flattering!

I heartily believe that exercise is the key to losing weight and keeping it off with ease. Luckily, I’ve always enjoyed exercise and try to get some form of physical activity in every day – whether it’s a challenging spinning class, weight lifting and light cardio machines at the gym, or simply walking outside. I am back to running 4-6 miles once or twice a week and am so glad I was able to add my passion back to my routine. Nothing clears the mind and body like a good run. I try to keep my workouts varied and take rest days if I start to feel run down.

I eat as many Superfoods as I can and keep a general calorie tally in my head to ensure I’m eating the right portions. My focus is on eating whole foods and balancing my day with all of the food groups. I honestly find eating healthy so fun!

A Happier Life

When I decided to lose weight, I had no idea I would be so successful. I’m smaller now than I was in high school! I have never felt better about myself or been happier about where I am in life, and I believe that all stems from a boost in self confidence. I got married on June 2, 2007 and know the day wouldn’t have been as wonderful if I were 30 pounds heavier, but instead I had people telling me all evening how tiny my waist looked in my dress!

The bottom line is, you can get to your happy weight if you want to. Make the choice. There’s no secret. Move more, eat healthy. If you put your health first, weight loss comes naturally.

R.D. To Be

In January 2008, I embarked on a 2.5-year journey to go back to school to become a Registered Dietitian at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. I am also pursing a masters degree in human nutrition. Assuming I am able to complete the required dietitic internship the spring of 2010, I should be able to sit for the national exam that summer!

I graduated from a small liberal arts college, Davidson College, with a bachelor’s in history in 2005, and after 2.5 years working in publishing and public relations, I was not thrilled by the direction my career was headed. I had toyed with becoming an R.D. before, but I had little to no science classes on my transcript and would need to start from scratch. After my wedding in June 2007 and some research, I decided if there was ever a time to go back to school, now was it. I had to start over with basic chemistry and have 2 years worth of coursework in both nutrition and related subjects, but I am thrilled to be pursing this dream.

Weight Loss Advice

• Exercise a lot so you can eat more and never feel deprived. This is the number one reason I’ve been successful. I plan a workout into my days when I know it will be most convenient for me. I also try to walk whenever I can and get as much movement as my day allows. I even walk with magazines for some entertainment! When you’re bored, choose to do something with movement (reorganizing a closet) instead of something sedentary.

• Plan, plan, plan . When you know you’ll be rushed, plan ahead. When I’ll need a lunch to-go, I pack my lunch and snacks for the day the night before as I’m making dinner. While I have the cutting board and ingredients out, it’s much easier to put together a lunch than during the morning rush. I also spend my Sunday afternoons cooking or pre-packing things for the week. I will often roast a batch of root vegetables or a big spaghetti squash on Sunday afternoon. Or cook lentils or make tuna salad so I just have to grab it in the morning. It’s so much easier to prepare healthy food when you have time rather than rushing to pack healthy foods in the morning or going through life relying on packaged food.

• Mix up your exercise . I do a variety of cardio machies (the Stairmaster is the best/hardest in the gym!!), lift weights a few times a week, go to spinning classes once a week and run once or twice a week. I’m always trying to challenge my muscles with different exercises, which also helps with boredom.

• Eat whole foods. Especially ones that are low in calorie but high in weight and volume. It’s amazing how much more volume you can eat when you choose foods that aren’t processed. Would you rather have a big bowl of plain yogurt topped with berries and drizzled with honey or a 100 calorie bar the size of your thumb? I try to add vegetables in to lunch and dinner for bulk.

• Walk whenever you can. I go for walks almost every day the weather is nice and sometimes choose to walk while chatting on the phone to my mom or reading a magazine (yes, I read and walk at the same time!)

• Drink water. Chug water. It sounds cliche, but water works. I get “hungry” about 2 hours after a meal, but I have found that a glass of water (or a distraction!) takes that “hunger” away. Sparkling water keeps you hydrated and keeps your mouth busy with all the fizz, yet it doesn’t have the artificial sweeteners of diet soda.

Books That Helped Me Along The Way

Please visit the Recommended Reading page.