Weight Loss Without Travel
Every time I’ve gone to a European city I’ve lost weight because I walked everywhere! Not so though back in the US. I had 95 lbs to take off that I gained while grieving over my little granddaughter’s diagnosis of cancer and an incurable autoimmune disease. I turned to Weigh Station for help.
My blood pressure was 140 over 90; I had weak knees and a painful back On the outside though I wore my fixed smile; on the inside my heart was in so much pain. I had always fought my weight, but I had never been this heavy.
I immediately felt comfortable at the Weigh Station. I also was filled with hope. Maybe this would be different.
I began to feel different as the weight started to fall off. I was eating better and didn’t feel bloated or stuffed anymore. I looked forward to my fresh fruit for snacks. I learned to use portion control even with the size of the fruit. As I kept learning new habits of eating my weight continued to come off.
It wasn’t always easy. The accolades I got from the Weight Station staff helped so much during the struggles. I learned to ask for help when I needed it—something new for me. A staff member was always there to answer my questions and to encourage me to continue losing.
Reaching my goal of losing 95 lbs was a huge victory, but maintaining the loss is even bigger. A good part of my success here hinges on the accountability with free monthly follow-up maintenance visits I’m doing for a full year at Weigh Station. I started eight months ago and I’m finding these monthly visits essential in keeping me focused because it’s all new and questions pop up as well as concerns about maintaining. The staff is caring and encouraging and gives me the support I need to go back out into the real world armed with the knowledge I need to maintain my loss.
Meeting with the registered dietician when I first reached my goal taught me how to transition from losing to maintaining my weight. This was an area that scared me, but I learned I could maintain my new weight by gradually adding back in healthy foods in the right portions.
Today we are saving money as we prefer to eat at home rather than dining out. Nobody grills fresh veggies as my husband does. But when we do eat out, I now know what to order from the menu to enjoy and still maintain my weight. I continue to make my large crunchy salad for lunch and look for the same when I eat out. I usually ask the restaurant to modify theirs a bit and add more veggies. The variety of our menu is endless. Our food choices are so much healthier than they were before Weigh Station.
Although I didn’t exercise regularly while losing, I did take a water movement class 3 times a week and now I take an aerobics class. I’ve gone from a size 20 to a size 10. My blood pressure is a youthful 120 over 70. All the help I needed was right here in Christiansburg; I didn’t need to go back to Europe to accomplish my dream!