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

HEALTHY EATING

Kim’s new lifestyle on the Atkins Diet has meant a complete overhaul of her shopping habits and daily regimen. Her old shopping list, which included bread, flour, sugar, rice and pasta, has been replaced with healthier items like certain meats, vegetables, lower glycemic fruits and healthy fats. “I snack on vegetable sticks, nuts and cheese most often,” she says.

She still enjoys an occasional low-carb version of her favorite pasta and rice dishes, not to mention healthy alternative recipes for holiday and special-occasion treats.

Mealtime habits

Nurses are notorious for having wacky schedules, meaning weight loss depends heavily one key ingredient: planning. Here are Kim’s tips for staying on top of mealtimes:

• Pack it up. “I am now in a managerial position, so my hours are well-suited to my schedule,” says Kim. “However, I work extra shifts on the weekends in the hospital, and it’s really very easy if you plan your day and take foods that can be eaten on the go.”
• Make time for meals! “I typically eat three meals a day. I think it’s very important to not allow yourself to get too hungry, both for your mental sharpness and to keep your metabolism working!”

Kim’s new lifestyle and new body have been well worth the hard work. Besides feeling great and enjoying her new health, she’s also celebrating something else: freedom. “If you haven’t been extremely obese, you don’t know the misery of never being able to find something that fits; even plus-size clothes were too small most of the time,” she says. “It’s extremely liberating to be able to go into any store and know you will be able to find something that you can wear, something most people just take for granted every day.”

Kim Eidson is a nurse and director of OccuMed at Freeman Health System in Joplin, Mo.