I am so excited to have Kirsten here today to tell you her weight loss story. She learned that exercise alone isn’t enough. If you don’t change your eating habits, you WILL NOT lose weight no matter how much you workout!
She shows that through determination and hard work, she lost 82 pounds in 10 months through Weight Watchers!
Truly amazing!
Enjoy her story…I am off to finish the Falcons game! Rise Up!
Tell us a little about yourself, your family, your job, etc…
I am 36 years old and have been overweight my entire adult life. I have been married to my husband, Joe, for 13 1/2 years and we have two boys, Neil (8) and Brock (4). My husband is a pastor of a church in Kansas City and so that means I am a pastor’s wife! I also work part time at our church as the Creative Arts Director. I volunteer and serve as the social media coordinator for Honduras Ministries and have just recently been to Honduras on a Missions trip.
How long did it take you to get to your ideal weight? Are you there now?
I started Weight Watchers in February 2012. I had done Weight Watchers before but failed to stay with it. This time was different. I have lost 82lbs in 10 months. I have 20 more lbs to lose and want to reach that 102lb goal.
What was your motivation to lose weight?
I started running 18 months ago at 250lbs!
I thought that would make me a healthier person if I exercised and ran. I thought people would look at me as a larger, active person. I ran a 5K and it felt awesome! I was doing all this work of running several times a week but never changed my eating habits. If anything, I ate more crap because I could get away with it since I was more active. We would eat a frozen pizza in bed and then have Rocky Road ice cream while watching shows like Biggest Loser. In January of 2012, I decided to commit to run a Half Marathon. I knew that I had to make a change in what I ate in order to run faster and in order to get through 13.1 miles so I decided to walk into my local Weight Watchers.
What made you decide to start your weight loss journey?
After running for months and not losing weight I decided to change my life. I wanted to run faster, I wanted eat and be healthier. I used to drink a Rt. 44 Root Beer or Limeade drink from Sonic at least once a day. I wanted my boys to have a healthy active mom that they not only could look up to but be proud of and not embarrassed of when they grew up. On February 9th, 2012 I drank my last Sonic Rt 44 and walked into Weight Watchers with my neighbor who was well along in her journey.
What kept you on track losing weight?
I set small goals. I had done this before and knew that I needed to set obtainable goals so that I could meet them and celebrate. Of course I didn’t meet all my short term goals but I worked really hard at it. I didn’t let things throw me off and get me off track. I kept running so that I was regularly active and signed up for races because they were fun and all different kinds of people, big, small, large, tiny and even obese people were at those races and they motivated me. I was so emotional at each race to see how hard people were pushing themselves. It was thrilling.
Going to Weight Watchers meetings also kept me on track. I needed that accountability. It was also like pushing a reset button each week. If I didn’t lose as much as I hoped, I knew I just had to change or tweak something for this new week coming up.
Tell us about a typical day in terms of eating and exercise.
I get up when the sun does. I like to run first thing in the morning (about 4-5 times a week).
I run outdoors year round (and yes it is very cold in Kansas City in the winter) and enjoy the time by myself. I run anywhere between 3-6 miles on weekdays. I come home and have a small breakfast – usually Bob Evans Turkey sausage and an egg white (I cook in the microwave). I eat a piece of fruit for a snack and then have an early lunch.
I do like to go out to eat. Who doesn’t? I have managed to eat out most of my lunches and still lose a lot of weight. I eat at Chipotle most of the time but I don’t get what I used to. I get a Fajita burrito bowl, with white rice, lots of fajita (peppers and onions), chicken or Barbacoa, and salsas – No cheese- No sour cream. Sometimes I get guacamole on it.
I get super hungry after I pick the kids up from school around 3-4pm and must have a planned snack or I will eat the kitchen sink. I usually have a piece of fruit (usually and apple) with me and ready to eat.
I eat dinner at 5:00 or soon there after. My favorite meal to make is salmon with rice pilaf and green beans. I bake the fish in the oven and do Uncle Bens rice packets that are easy and dinner is literally done in 10 minutes. Such a healthy and fast meal.
Sometimes I will have a snack after dinner. It usually is 100 Calorie Microwave Kettle Popcorn but really I don’t snack at night very often.
What is the biggest difference you have noticed because of your weight loss?
I feel great.
I feel like I look great.
I also have a healthy outlook on life because I take time for myself now and exercise. I am much more positive and I like that about myself. I am also teaching my family how to eat and be healthy and make better food and activity choices. As a Pastors wife, I have people who are paying attention to my loss. I have heard from several of them that they are inspired by what I have done but I hope that I can make a difference in their lives and help them and encourage them in their own struggle.
How do you keep the weight off in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
I stay active. I also know that if I don’t daily pay attention to what I am putting in my mouth those pounds will sneak back on quickly. It is a daily and sometimes an hourly thing that I have to constantly be paying attention to.
What advice can you give to others struggling to lose weight?
I have struggled for many years to lose weight and stay on track.
I believe Weight Watchers has helped me do just that.
My advice to a lot of people it to make sure you are eating enough. I hear so many people tell me that they can’t lose weight but then I hear what they are eating, they aren’t eating enough to lose weight. If you are exercising and dieting or just dieting and not exercising, you can’t starve yourself to lose weight. You must take in enough in order for your body to lose it. I eat a lot more food than I ever thought I would be aloud to eat and I lose weight each week!
Give us a quote or a motto that you have used to keep you focused.
When people say that a diet doesn’t work – I say, “Diets don’t work for you – You work for IT!”
“Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!”
True that Kirsten! What an amazing job you have done! I totally agree that Weight Watchers meetings are key in staying accountable!
THANK YOU for sharing your story! You are a true inspiration to my readers and I know you are going to reach your goal very soon!
If you want to follow Kirsten on her journey, you can read her blog, Kirsten’s Story, follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
