Julia's Weight Loss Story

BEFORE AFTER

I always thought I was fat. When I started to diet I would lose weight and reach my goal only to gain weight again and add 10 more pounds. I did this over and over, going up and down, changing my habits just long enough to take it off, then starting the cycle all over again. I was an emotional eater and my habit was to graze – a little – a little – a little – a little, never sitting, always on the run, never looking at what I was doing. I would exercise gung-ho, or not at all. At 31 I was featured in a fitness ad. At 36 I looked like Kirstie Alley at her heaviest because I didn’t see what I was doing. At that time I stopped looking at pictures. I had four kids, a husband, a job, and was going to school. I always did for them first, me second. You know how that works.

Five years later I looked at a family picture with me in it and honestly had not realized I was that big. (I was wearing a size 22-24 at Lane Bryant.) I thought about this and realized 5 years had gone rushing by. I had continued doing for everyone else, never getting to me. I now weighed 300 lbs. I really couldn’t afford to diet again because if I went up and down 75-100 lbs one more time I would be at risk of developing serious health problems (hypertension, diabetes, a heart condition). I was still working and going to school. My last child was leaving for college and, thankfully, I still had a husband. So I began walking 15-20 minutes daily. I also began journaling what I was eating, just counting calories. As the weight started to decrease, I increased my exercise. At 235 lbs I walked 20 miles for the Race for Hunger. I did that for the next 6 years.

By the third year I weighed 160 lbs and had started to study about food and to plan my meals more carefully. I enrolled in school to study nutrition. I learned that you must plan and document what you are doing or you can fool yourself. I kept all my weight off for 15 years and had stopped journaling and planning but continued to exercise. When my husband became ill I added 20 lbs because of my old “comfort zone habit” of eating emotionally. I put this on the first year he was sick and then was able to maintain during the rest of his illness. Finally, 3 years ago, I began journaling again and in 1 year that weight was off.If I can do this, you can do this. It is about changing your lifestyle. It is about knowing that you CAN eat everything. It is about portion control. It is about planning. It is about understanding your emotional triggers and motivations. And, most importantly, it is about YOU taking control of your life and doing what YOU need to do to get healthy and live a better life. Our weight loss program has three primary goals:

Teach healthy eating habits
Keep you exercising regularly
Provide you with emotional and motivational support from people sharing your experience

Learn more about the program by clicking here and start writing your own weight loss story today!

Yours in health,
Julia Kreis, RN