They Walk Among Us: Kim K.

Welcome to the next installment of They Walk Among Us, a series of interviews with my online and offline friends who have lost significant weight and kept it off for many years. So far we have had Kate, Sheila, Amanda, Shelley, and Phillip; this is Kim K.

Kim K is my first reader to volunteer to be interviewed for the series; after being inspired by the other stories, she mentioned in the comments one day that she too was a maintainer. Of course I emailed her immediately to ask her to join us, and she graciously agreed. I'm so pleased and excited she was willing to share her story (and pictures, I love before and after pictures!) with me, and now I get to share them with you.

Let's meet Kim.



Background: how much weight did you lose, what did you do to lose it, how long ago was it?

I decided I was sick and tired of being sick and tired on August 3, 2008 and lost 55 pounds by counting calories and exercising.  I was down to my goal weight around April of 2009.  I am 5’4” and I weighed 193 on Day 1 and am now maintaining around 137.



Transition: once you lost the weight, what did you do in the beginning to move into maintenance?

While I was losing I always thought ahead to maintenance and decided I wouldn’t do anything to lose weight that I couldn’t sustain for a lifetime.  I was kind of freaked out about maintenance and was scared I couldn’t be a member of that elusive club of people who can lose weight and keep it off.  I actually kept losing a few pounds until I realized I needed to add an extra snack or so to my day.  I once heard the difference between maintaining and gaining could be as little as half a baked potato a day.  That really pretty mind-blowing, but I have figured out how to maintain.  For me, I can maintain if most of my days are around 1800 calories.  I’ve decided I’m not willing to go lower than that.  It’s not about the best life I can tolerate, but the best life I can enjoy.

Maintenance: what do you eat now to keep it off?

I basically eat whatever I want, just in moderation.  I am fortunate that I actually enjoy apples, yogurt, boiled eggs, salmon, fish, and chicken.  I’ve even discovered that I enjoy vegetables; I just like them raw and crunchy (carrots, radishes, spinach, celery).  I used to always have a starchy carb with my evening meal and now I have some kind of non-starchy vegetable.  I have sweet treats as well.  I like ice cream, but I know I have to purchase portion-controlled ice cream sandwiches.  I also like to bake spice muffins with pumpkin and golden raisins.  Most of my meals come from my kitchen so I have control over the ingredients.  I don’t eat out all that often, and when I do, it is a treat so I might choose the healthier option, but I might choose to splurge since it is only an occasional indulgence.

Maintenance: do you exercise? What do you do?

Even when I was heavier I was always fairly active.  I walk or ride my bicycle and do it 4-5 times per week.  I enjoy being outside and crave sunlight so I usually exercise outside.  If the weather is really, really bad I can ride my stationary bike.  3 days a week I will do a 20 routine of sit-ups, push-ups, and dumbbells. 

Self-Image/Attitude: do you think of yourself as overweight still, or have you adjusted to what you look like now? Because I have to admit, when I first saw all of you, I was surprised to find out at all that you had ever been overweight.

This is kind of a tough one to answer.  I don’t want to sugar coat anything around weight loss.  I think I might be more image-conscious now than I was 55 pounds ago.  I try to be a kind, caring, and a gentle person with everyone in my life and I am trying to treat myself as well as I treat others regarding body image.  That one is kind of a work in progress.



Self-Image/Attitude: how do you keep yourself from going slack and gaining it back? What's your motivation from letting yourself tip too far back?

Before I ever started this whole journey I asked myself what I was willing to do forever.  I knew I needed to find some healthy things I was willing to do for the long term or I would be a yo-yo dieter.  I’m always willing to exercise consistently, to track my food daily, weigh daily, and spend a couple of hours weekly preparing food.  I guess the things that are “controversial” are the daily weighing and tracking.  If I had an eating disorder maybe the daily weighing would be a problem, but after doing this for so long I know what is a “real” gain and what is just a fluctuation.  I want to catch any slip-ups immediately.  I’m afraid if I let it get to be 10 pounds I might just throw in the towel. 

Tracking is pretty easy for me because I eat the same foods A LOT.  I track with my own Word document and have also started using LoseIt.com.  I am totally in awe of those who do the intuitive eating thing.  I tried that, but I figure my food intuition has been out of whack for a few decades so I don’t really trust it.  I guess that is the nuts and bolts of how I maintain, but really the biggest struggle is getting the mental motivation.  I have tons of mantras that I read and they usually will be enough to get me to go lace up my tennis shoes for my walk or step away from the snacks.  I read a lot of blogs and books, and whenever I read something inspirational I put it in my little collection of quotes to read on a day when I’m not feeling like following the healthy plan.



(The following is from Jeannette Fulda’s book “Half-Assed” and I read it a lot.) (Kristen's note: I love that book too!)

I have to think about food and exercise more than I’d like to, but that’s the price I pay, and it will probably never go away.  I am in remission.  I will always have to monitor my weight.  I will always have to make decisions about what I eat until the day they stop making food.  There will always be days when the couch and a pair of slippers look more appealing than the trail and my dirty running shoes.  I may have lost the weight, but it could still find me again.

Last question: I know there is no one secret to success, but...what's your secret? :)

I wish I had the perfect answer for this one, but I’m not really sure.  I’m not sure why on August 3, 2008 I started on a journey that would be successful.  I had certainly tried other times, but I never sustained it long enough to see lasting success.  I would encourage people who are struggling, to keep trying and to be patient and forgiving of yourself.  What if you try 35 times and give up, but it would have been the 36th time that would have clicked?  If I can do this, I know you can do it.  Yes – you can do this!  Find blog writers who inspire you, find books that inspire you, go to LoseIt or Sparkpeople and find people who will encourage you.  Find the healthy things you are willing to do for a lifetime.  Start small, enjoy some success, and then add another healthy item.  Don’t wait for the perfect time to start your road to a healthy life, start right now.



Thanks so much for sharing your story and your success with us, Kim!

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This may be the end of the series; I may have one other interview in the pipeline, but I don't know if my friend will be finished by next week. If you are a maintainer and are interested in sharing your story, please email me at lowfatdressing1012@gmail.com.

I have really loved hosting this, and have learned so much and have been so inspired by everyone. I am proud to call all of them my friends.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.