Kathy Reed Lost 130 pounds and won the fat war!

About 2 years ago, while watching my 1-year-old granddaughter coo and play, my eyes filled with tears. I suddenly realized that unless I made some radical changes to my life, I wasn't going to live to see her get married. I was only 43 years old, but I weighed 263 pounds and wore a size 22; my blood pressure was 235/110, and my cholesterol was 260.  

I had begun to experience chest pains. My body was falling apart. In the past year, two of my cousins, both under the age of 50, had died--one of obesity-related causes. And as a nurse, I knew I was being a terrible role model to my patients.  

I hadn't always been heavy, but when my father became ill in the early 1990s, I started steadily gaining weight. Eating seemed to turn off my worries, at least for a little while. My 12-hour work schedule didn't help either. The long days were my excuse not to exercise, and when I'd get off work late at night, I'd eat a huge dinner and dessert. To top it off, I have an underactive thyroid, which slows my metabolism. 

Over the years, I'd tried lots of diets and quick-fix fads, but the weight always came back on. I drank Slim-Fast shakes like they were water. I tried diet patches and pills. I even did Atkins; I lost 6 pounds but had to stop because it sent my cholesterol skyrocketing.

A Link to Hope
I was surfing the Web one day when an advertisement for eDiets.com popped up on my computer screen. It caught my interest immediately. The eDiets plan is a Web-based weight loss program that costs $65 a quarter and provides customized meal plans and workouts based on your lifestyle. Weight loss counselors and personal trainers are available to provide support anytime you have a question. There's even a toll-free number to call for guidance when you're away from the computer. 

The program offers a variety of diet options. I chose a low-calorie, low-sodium, low-cholesterol meal plan that combined home-cooked and frozen foods. That way, I got recipes I could make at home, and Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers meals that I could take to work.  

Every Monday, I'd log in my weight and receive my meal plan for the coming week. I usually started the morning with a small serving of oatmeal. At lunch, I'd have healthy leftovers from meals I'd cooked on my days off, or one of the recommended frozen meals. If I needed a snack, I'd nibble on an apple or a graham cracker.

One Pound at a Time
Dinner was the biggest change. No more late-night meals; I took frozen dinners to work and tried to eat before 6 pm. If work was too hectic, I'd settle for a small bowl of cereal or salad when I got home.  

Since I was eating more consistently, I didn't get overly hungry, even though I was eating smaller meals.  

I used my days off to re-energize. I'd surf eDiets for motivating tips and recipes; then I'd shop and cook for the coming week. Always having new recipes to choose from kept my meals interesting, and receiving a weekly shopping list automatically generated by eDiets saved me time. 

At first, I steadily lost a pound or two a week. Since I knew that exercise would speed things along, I started walking because it was convenient. A half-mile stroll took me 45 minutes in the beginning, but after 4 months, I was walking 5 miles each morning.  

Sometimes I wouldn't lose any weight for as long as 3 weeks at a time, which was discouraging. When that happened, I'd e-mail the experts at eDiets for a little extra support. They would remind me that plateaus are like storms that have to be weathered. They also offered suggestions such as increasing my activity. That's when I added exercise videos to my regimen. Later, they provided me with great toning exercises to help firm up my flabby spots.

The 24/7 support was particularly helpful when late-night cravings would strike. I'd just hop online for the encouragement I needed to keep my hand out of the cookie jar at 11 pm. After a year and a half, I had successfully lost 130 pounds.  

Today I fluctuate between 133 and 137 pounds and wear a size 6. I'm a new person. My blood pressure is down to 106/74, I no longer have to take blood pressure or thyroid medications, and those chest pains are history. At work, I'm an example and a voice of encouragement to my patients. But the best part is that when my 2-year-old granddaughter says, "Chase me, Grandma," I can!

Current Age: 45
Weight Lost: 130 lb
Successful Strategies: Cooking extra meals on weekends to take to work for healthy eating all week long source: prevention.com