80 Pounds Lighter and a New Lease on Life
When most people were thinking about indulging in holiday fare, Vicky began to think about making healthier changes. Many of Vicky’s family members were suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol and other medical problems. As a nurse Vicky knew that being 5’4” and 225 pounds put her at an increased risk for many of these and other diseases, especially with her family history. So, during Thanksgiving, Vicky decided to make some changes.
The first change she made was to incorporate exercise into her schedule. In the past, she had been an inconsistent exerciser. After losing weight, she would stop exercising and the weight would come back. This time it would be a life change. A local gym was offering a free week membership, so she decided to give it a try. Vicky found that she felt comfortable at this smaller, locally owned gym. And the staff was friendly, supportive and concerned for her health and safety. At the end of the first week, Vicky was hooked and signed on for a full year. Today, she still enjoys the gym and works out approximately three times a week for at least an hour and a half.
During the holidays, Vicky was able to make exercise a habit and decided it was time to tackle another change – healthier eating. On New Year’s Eve, Vicky started to search the web. She was specifically looking for an online program because she didn’t feel comfortable going to meetings or “weighing in” in front of others. Finally, Vicky came across this online weight loss program.
Although she had checked out other online dieting sites, Vicky found that this online dieting Web site had all the tools she had been looking for and more!
“This program had more tools than other programs and it had everything that I was looking for. And, the Food Diary was invaluable. You can’t ignore those calories once you see them in print or online.” Vicky also found the articles to be very helpful and she liked the fact that this online weight loss program provided a common sense approach. She wasn’t forced to purchase certain products or supplements. “I took advice from the site and just took it one day at a time. I made small goals and when I hit those goals, I would move on to the next goal.”
Taking her goals one step at a time really paid off. After all those steps, Vicki reached the following year's holidays 80 pounds lighter and feeling better than ever. “My number one goal was to get healthier. Although I can’t change my genetics I can change my lifestyle.” The change in Vicky is so drastic that many people have asked if she had surgery to reduce her weight – but Vicky lost weight by reducing her portions, reducing fat, counting calories and exercising – all with the help of online dieting!
“I never felt deprived – even during the holidays. Over the holidays I was able to enjoy myself and eat what others ate – I just ate less of it.” Now Vicky is facing the future with a new lease on life and a goal of maintaining her weight loss. She feels that she can now judge her calories and portions based on what she learned from using the Online Food Diary daily. She plans to use the online weight loss program to help her maintain her weight and she knows she can access the Food Diary whenever she needs a little extra help.
So what’s her pearl of wisdom for other members? “Don’t beat yourself up. Take it one day at a time and know that if you take it slow, day by day it will happen.” And, Vicky is living proof that it will happen.