WHAT KIMKINS MEANS TO ME

About this time last year I was less than 10 pounds from the 300 mark. It not only scared me, but picture all that weight on a frame that barely reached 5’ 2” tall.

I held a BBQ for my dad who was visiting us from California.  I have a picture of me at the BBQ (and someone snuck that one because I avoid photos). But now I'm glad I have it, because when I forget how much weight I have lost or what I used to look like, well, there's that picture of this poor huge woman. 

And what is she doing in the picture?  Stuffing her face!  At that time I was wearing a size 26/28 and they were not loose. I was looking online for Omar the Tent Maker since size 28 is about as big as Wal-Mart and other “normal” stores carry. 

• At 291 pounds I could barely tie my shoes.  If any of the grandkids were around I'd ask them to do it for me. If I did it for myself, I had to contort my body ... and the bow was always on the side of my shoe.  Just that task left me red faced and breathing hard.

• If I took a flights of stairs, I was panting like I just ran a marathon. I had zero energy and was dragging myself through the requirements of the day.  By 3:00 pm I was wiped out.

• I began to have serious problems with my legs. Not only were they hugely swollen, but sometimes weepy with water blisters. My right leg developed a painful large hard knot that eventually scared me enough to go see a doctor. I don’t have insurance; it takes a lot to get me to see one. She told me to take water pills and put my legs up as much as possible. I joked that the only profession I knew of where I could make money laying flat on my back with my legs in the air was totally illegal in most states.

• My heart had strange rhythms, I'd wake up in the night gasping for air as I had stopped breathing.

• Sometimes I woke up with a feeling of my heart fluttering instead of beating.

• There were times the pain in my hips and legs were so bad I almost could not get in or out of my truck. Instead of hauling my own groceries up my few stairs and into my house, I would drive over and pick up a grandkid to do it for me.

To survive financially I work as an in-home aide or in front of a computer at my online business.  Neither job goes well if I'm flat on my back, but I did my best. At that time I started KK [Kimkins] and was beginning to lose weight.

I joined KK in June 2007 because even though I promised myself NO MORE DIETS, I was desperate. I wanted to avoid diets because I was sick of getting my hopes up only to FAIL AGAIN.  But I recognized that it was life or death.

Right after I joined KK, I wanted to get into a challenge and decided the best way was to start one.  So I started the First 20/20 with the idea that 20 women would help each other lose that first 20 pounds. But we got so attached to each other and were such great support that we kept expanding it.

Now the First 20/20 group is very close to losing a full Ton of weight. We are in a June Challenge called HITTIN A TON AND GETTIN ER DONE. It is amazing to me that this little forum has lost nearly 1000 pounds!

The KK WOE (way of eating) fits me.  I’m never battling that hungry feeling and I feel good. But the real difference for me this time is the support. Our little family here, the First 20/20 forum, truly loves each other ... and we refuse to let anyone fail.

We all hit walls but we have a motto at 20/20:  I WILL NOT QUIT.  So, when it gets difficult, life throws us a curve or we seem stuck for awhile with little or no loss, we don’t throw up our hands.  Instead we post our frustration and cry out for help in the forum.  Or we pick a sister from the 20/20 and PM her for added encouragement.

I still have a lot of miles left on that yellow brick road to Onederland, plus another 50+ pounds beyond that to reach goal. But I know as long as I live by our motto I'll get there.

With just 50 pounds gone so far, see my progress:

• I'm wearing a 20/22 instead of a 26/28.

• I tie my own shoes and the bow is straight!

• I don't pant even after I carry my trash up the hill to the highway.

• I no longer think about trading my truck in just because I'm in so much pain getting in and out of it.

• My legs are still swollen at times, but no pain, no weepy blisters forming and so much improvement.

• I haven't woken in the middle of the night gasping for air in many months.
  

What does Kimkins mean to me?  It saved my life. What does the First 20/20 mean to me?  It has filled my life with great and wonderful friends and brand new adventures. I love the Kimkins WOE , it is my good friend. 

Thanks, Kimmer, for providing us a great place to tackle this weight problem, meet new friends, make new sisters and work through all the difficulties of losing weight in a safe place.

Thanks again.
Donna

KIMKINS CHALLENGE GROUP SPOTLIGHT

When Donna (above) started the First 20/20 challenge group, little did she know what a snowball effect it would have!

Perhaps the most stellar achievement of this happy bunch is collectively losing 1,870 pounds so far!  Some of the ladies have dropped 50, 60, 80 and 90 pounds since joining.

The First 20/20 started as a weight loss challenge, but has evolved into both a continuing weight loss challenge and support family. It goes way beyond a support group.

Weight loss is tackled in 20 pound “bites” [cute!] plus they’ve adopted motivating slogans as the basis of their amazing weight loss success:

• IT IS ALL ABOUT TEAM WORK – The 24/7 support is what many have found to be the best part of Kimkins. We work as a team to make sure we not only reach our own goal, but help everyone in the forum to reach their goals, too.

• I WILL NOT QUIT - If we do not quit, we will find our success. When it gets hard, we will not quit.

• NO ONE LEFT BEHIND - We are doing this weight loss journey individually, but also corporately. Our happiness will be diminished if we arrive at goal but leave our sisters to struggle on their own. So, we are doing this together. When someone reaches goal, they move to the mermaid list and stay with the group while they do maintenance.

• WHATEVER IT TAKES - Sometimes the going gets difficult, so we do whatever is necessary to stay focused and keep losing.  That might mean increasing our activity, making sure we get our water in, cutting down on sodas -- whatever it takes to push past any stalls.
  

To keep the group a manageable size and encourage bonding, the First 20/20 is only open to new members a few times a year. The overwhelming verdict is that the girls in the 20/20 have a love and devotion that creates true sisters!

They formed such a tight bond that mini-groups spontaneously began finding ways to meet up with each other. In fact, last week, girls from Ohio and Indiana drove to Arkansas to pick up another gal, then they drove to Hot Springs, AR, where two ladies from Texas came up to meet them. Another trip is planned in July where 7 or 8 girls will be meeting in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Weight loss is always a plus, but what's really exciting are significant health improvements!  Medical tests are coming back greatly improved and their doctors are very pleased. In fact, one lady was told she’d be in a wheelchair by the end of 2008.  Nope, she’s now walking miles every single day!
Nice job ladies!  Keep up the outstanding work!!!