By cutting down on portions and exercising, Nicole is well on her way to reaching her weight goal

March 09 2007

Nicole W.

-City & country: Virginia, United States
-Age: 38
-Weight before diet: At least 270 pounds (I didn't even own a scale until three months into my weight loss, so that's a conservative guess), and quite possibly more.
-Weight now: 168 lbs
-Target weight: Ideally 135, but I won't beat myself up if I don't get that low.

Nicole’s weight-related health problems are now a thing of the past as she works to achieve her target weight. Being more nutrition-conscious, watching food portions, exercising, and keeping herself motivated have produced positive results for her.

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
My weight had soared to the point that it was seriously affecting my health. My blood pressure and heart rate were high. And I hurt all the time; my knees, hips, and lower back ached constantly, and I'd actually wake up with backaches. When you're so overweight and unfit that sleeping makes you hurt, it's really time for a change! Beyond the health considerations, I couldn't find clothes that fit me in most stores and I was starting to have issues fitting into seats and restaurant booths. Finally, a quiet little voice somewhere in my mind said "You know, we really need to do something about this. It's time."

-What type of weight loss program are you following?
I didn't follow a set program. I did get useful advice from books like “Volumetrics," but I focused on cutting my portion sizes way down, working more fruits, veggies, lean meats and nuts into my diet, eating slowly, and paying attention to when I felt full.

-Why did you choose this weight loss method?
I've never had much success following diet plans. I also knew I had to develop eating habits that I could live with for the rest of my life, so I chose not to follow any plans that restricted certain types of food. Food isn't my enemy; poor eating habits are.

-How long have you been doing this weight loss method?
I began in January 2005 so it's been two years, two months, and counting.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to maintain your weight and to stay fit?
When the weather allows, I love riding my bike. I'm also a fan of swimming, weight lifting, yoga, and just plain walking. I've tried to turn myself into a jogger, but I'm having only intermittent success with that one.

-What are the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
At first, I had to work hard to ignore my usual negative self-talk and convince myself that it didn't matter if my last few weight loss efforts had failed, because *this* one was going to stick. I'm also an emotional eater and it was really hard for me to break the habit of reaching for a bag of chips if I'd had a bad day.

More recently, it's been a rude awakening to find that the closer I get to my goal weight, the harder I have to work to keep losing -- that just seems so unfair.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?
Being able to fit into sizes I hadn't seen in years was a major motivator. I was also thrilled with being able to walk longer without getting sore or tired, and to climb stairs without having to sit down for a half-hour afterwards. After an entire lifetime of telling myself that I was lazy and weak, I was delighted to realize that I actually enjoy working out and lifting weights. Who knew? It also helped immeasurably that my husband was losing weight and working out right along with me; on days when I was feeling lazy and unmotivated, he was around to keep setting a good example.

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
Above all: Be kind to yourself. Being overweight is a problem to solve, not a moral failing or a reason to hate yourself. Give yourself lots of praise on your strong days, forgive yourself the falls off the wagon (everyone has those), and never give up.

I'd also recommend that if you're just starting out with exercise, start SLOWLY. I'm talking "ten minutes at a slow pace on the treadmill" slow. In the beginning you should be focused on forming an exercise habit, and I believe that will be easier if you don't work yourself to complete exhaustion in your initial exercise sessions. (Trust me: there will be plenty of time for you to run yourself into the ground later on.)

And don't overlook offbeat forms of exercise such as Dance Dance Revolution; something like that can shake up your routine and keep things fun. I believe in having lots of fun while you're doing this.

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
I wouldn't say "easy," necessarily, but I have found that if I don't stay vigilant and focused, the bad habits will start creeping back in. Reading diet and fitness books, newspaper articles, and blogs really helps me to keep my goals in mind.

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helps or inspires you to lose weight?
Well, there's my blog: A Dumbbell In A Home Gym. Feel free to drop by and say hello. You can also see the weight loss blogs I read listed on my sidebar -- there are a lot of great ones out there.

www.mindlesseating.org -- This is the site for Dr. Brian Wansink's book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," which I cannot recommend enough; it's a really thought-provoking look at how much our eating is affected by external cues.

Stumptuous is a fantastic site for anyone thinking about starting weight training; it's focused towards women but I don't see why it couldn't help men out as well.

I use SparkPeople to track my calories and my exercise; I also enjoy their articles.