“I have been on so many roller coaster diets that I have probable lost an average of 200 lbs., only to have gained it all back plus more,” claims Kathie Astle.

In May of 2007, Kathie was 269 pounds, unhappy, unhealthy and almost discouraged when her doctor suggested gastric bypass surgery. While Kathie was excited about this possible “quick fix”, she realized she would have some work to do before the surgery.

“I was told that the first thing I needed to do was to prepare my body for surgery. That meant eating healthy and exercising,” recalled Kathie. As she questioned previous bypass patients, she realized that those who did not heed this advice had fallen right back into their old habits and routines. Not only did they gain their weight, but some were experiencing complications. That’s when Kathie decided she was going to do it right.

“I followed a food plan that worked for me, and most importantly, I started to exercise. I joined the Curves for Women club by my home and started going three to four days a week. Working out has taught and shown me to be kind to myself, the importance of compassion, friendship, respect, loyalty and most of all, results.”

As Kathie continued her new program, the weight kept falling off. She was able to postpone her surgery date and continue her progress through diet and exercise. Linda, the manager of the Antelope Curves, was working closely with Kathie and suggested that she re-think her decision for surgery and talk to her doctor. By January of 2008, seven months later, Kathie had lost 48.5 pounds and 37.5 inches. She was motivated and made her decision that she had found her new lifestyle.

Kathie took herself out of the gastric bypass program and has continued to eat healthy and exercise regularly. To date she has lost 78 pounds and looks and feels great.

“I love going to Curves because the women are so encouraging, friendly, inspiring, warm, helpful and all around fun. You meet new women, share stories and lift each other up. What better way to work out?”

Because Kathie knows the benefits of commitment to diet and exercise, she has just applied for a job as an instructor at Curves. Now she can take the great things she has learned and use her success as a tool to motivate others.

My reason for sharing this particular story is because Kathie’s success came from making a quality decision to really do something about her weight. That’s one of the first and most important factors in achieving and maintaining weight loss goals. You must truly decide you are going to do it – no matter what comes against you. Determination is half the battle.

Some of the other factors contributing to Kathie’s success were:
1. Accountability
Kathie realized that she needed to enlist the help of others and found the environment at Curves friendly and non-intimidating – something she could stick with.

2. A flexible goal
While Kathie’s goal was to lose a large amount of weight, she realized she had more options than gastric bypass surgery. She also did her homework about the surgery.

3. Have a plan
With the help of a trainer, Kathie set up a realistic exercise schedule and planned her meals, menus and shopping trips.

4. Short term goals
Each 10 pounds was an important benchmark for Kathie. It makes it a little easier to focus on the short term goals while reaching the long term goal.

5. Don’t grow weary.

Through every temptation, minor setback, craving, plateau and frustration, Kathie stayed strong. If she slipped, she didn’t give up; but got right back on her program.

These are all important steps towards achieving success in weight loss. Keep in mind that weight gain doesn’t happen overnight, so losing it won’t either. In fact, it is easier to maintain the lifestyle changes if your weight loss is steady rather than quick.
Be encouraged. If Kathie can do it, you can, too. Looking better, feeling better, improving health and having more energy are all part of the wonderful benefits to eating well and including regular exercise in your routine.

Make up your mind, and just get started. Keep us posted and we can share your success story, too!