Kicking the yo-yo dieting habit: How this nurse did it

GAME PLAN

Recognize stressors: First, Kim identified her stressors and the life events that had caused her to gain weight in the first place. “I married young, had three kids in four years and had many stressors, especially financial,” says Kim.

Avoid old patterns: Kim was also determined not to make the same mistakes she’d been making over the years. “I never found a plan I could do for life. Even though I told myself I was making a lifestyle change, each time I was always starving, grouchy and prone to reverting back to old habits,” says Kim, who had lost 100 pounds twice in the past, but regained the weight both times. “I found myself gaining weight quickly until I had gained more than 100 pounds back over the course of a year.”

Educate yourself: Kim took the time to learn how her habits (and lack of healthy habits) were affecting her body. “I did a lot of research and learned why what I ate before was causing me to be hungry and irritable all the time. Once I eliminated those items from my diet, I was able to keep my appetite and my weight under control. Now I exercise to maintain my cardiovascular health and because it makes me feel great! My favorite workouts are lifting weights, Zumba and jogging.”

Find your true motivation: Kim took time to reflect on the overall picture and the deeper reasons why losing weight was important to her. “I became a grandmother for the first time and just felt terrible about the way I looked and felt. That was my initial motivation. Once I found that the Atkins plan worked for me, my mental strategy was to truly believe that I am allergic to those carbohydrate-laden foods, and if I eat them, I’ll have an allergic reaction and it could kill me. It sounds extreme, but in the long run it’s true. If I stayed at 339 pounds, I would die young and not get to enjoy my grandchildren.”

What she eats –>