Kris is reaching her weight loss goal through exercise and sensible eating habits

March 19 2007

Kris Robinson

-City & country: San Carlos, California, USA
-Age: 39
-Weight before diet: 196 lbs.
-Weight now: 179 lbs.
-Target weight: 150 lbs.

Common sense when it comes to eating and exercise are keeping Kris on the path to losing weight, and she's certainly succeeding. That's not to say temptation to stray from her healthier eating habits don't come her way, but keeping her goal in sight is helping her stay motivated. Her goal, by the way, isn't just weight loss and better looks. More than those, her goal is to maintain a lifestyle that keeps her in the peak of health.

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
My approaching 40th birthday was a big inspiration for finally getting back in shape. "They" always say that it is much harder to lose weight after you are 40. Also, my family has a history of diabetes and I realized that as I'm getting older I become more "at risk" and a change in lifestyle is not only going to make me look better, it could also save my life.

-What type of weight loss program do you follow?
Common sense. Calories in must be less than calories out. I have taken what sounds reasonable from several different "diets" and made them work for me. Basically I drink a lot of water, eat only whole grains (no more white bread, rice, flour), minimize refined sugar, maximize protein, add as many veggies as possible, and no more soda. I slowly add as many good habits as possible. My goal is to change the way I eat for life, so I don't consider this a diet, but a change in how and why I eat for the rest of my life.

-Why did you choose this weight loss program?
Because I need to have a sustainable plan; one that moves with my busy schedule.

-How long have you been on your weight loss program?
So far, I have been "eating differently" for a little over 3 months.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to maintain your weight and to stay fit?
I invested in a treadmill and I try to do 30 minutes every day, at least 5 days a week. This is challenging for me. As the weather gets better, I plan on adding some outside walking during my sons' baseball games. I also just added some floor exercises to start toning my muscles (abs, glutes, and arms).

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
Having 2 very active teenage boys in the house is a challenge because they are growing so fast and need a lot of food to keep up with their bodies. They are both very athletic and making sure that they have the food they need/want in the house while keeping temptation to a minimum is very challenging. Also, eating out is very difficult because it is hard to count calories that way.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?
Short term, I have a pair of board shorts (and some other clothes) that I would love to fit into this summer. Also, despite advice from many of the "experts," I weigh myself every day! I know that there are normal fluctuations in body weight day to day, but I'm very data driven and seeing where I am day to day keeps me honest.
 
-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
Do what fits into your lifestyle. There is plenty of information out there so do your research. Also, plan, plan, plan. I plan the family meals every Sunday morning for the rest of the week and do the grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons. While I'm doing this, I also plan my other meals (which I mostly eat at work). This way, come meal time (or even snack time) I'm not wandering around wondering what to eat (and inevitably picking something really super yummy vs. something good and smart). Set yourself up for success.

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
This happened to me before! In 1999 and 2000, I lost over 30 lbs. Because of series of really stressful events beginning with 9/11, I became somewhat depressed and completely abandoned all of the good habits I had learned (going to the gym, eating well). This time, I need to be mentally prepared in case something like that happens again. I need to know that I can have a meal, or a day, or a few days where my focus might be away from taking care of myself, but that doesn't mean completely letting go of all the good things that I do for myself. I think that the awareness that it can happen will help me keep it from happening, AGAIN!

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helped or inspired you to lose weight?
Blogs that are helping me are Big Slice of Life, Small Slice of Cheesecake and The Amazing Shrinking Mom.

The Web site that helps me is SparkPeople.com.