Age: 48
Height: 5′ 5″
Highest Weight: 260 lbs
Kimkins Start Weight: 241 lbs
Current Weight: 158 lbs
Total Lost Overall: 102 lbs
Total Lost on Kimkins: 83 lbs (so far)
Start Shirt: 2-3XL
Final Shirt: small or medium
Start Pants: 22-24
Final Pants: 6-8
Occupation: Registered Nurse, Certified Personal Trainer
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Hi – My name is Debbie (a.k.a. mdsqueen) and I’m a carboholic, chocoholic, food junkie.
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I’ve battled my weight for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of weight issues is from 5th grade (maybe 10 or 11 years old). I remember feeling embarrassed as I was the heaviest kid in my class at 92 pounds. Gee, 2 years ago 92 pounds is probably what my left thigh weighed!
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I remember going on “diets”as a teen with my mom. I remember being embarrassed to change and shower in the girls’ locker room for gym class as I was “fatter” than most of the girls. Not obese by today’s standards, but fatter. I remember the boys in high school teasing me, calling me “Knockers” because I was “chesty” back then. I remember dreading going school shopping for clothes – nothing ever fit right.
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I didn’t have a lot of friends in school. We lived in the country so travel was limited. Food was my best buddy – always there, available, never talked back or hurt my feelings, always comforting. Not to mention the fact I was lazy and hated to sweat, so exercise was not on the top of my “to-do” list.
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When I moved out on my own and hit the “party” scene, I lost weight – but not the healthy way. I was not eating properly, drinking too much and dancing a lot. I was probably at my lowest weight at about 150 pounds. Then I met hubby and got happy. Settled down from the party scene, gained a few pounds. Then I got pregnant. Three times. Gaining significant weight with each pregnancy (73 lbs, 44 lbs, 28 lbs) and never taking the excess off, topping out the last weight I can recall at about 260 pounds in 2001.
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I’ve tried various diets over the years – Low calorie, Richard Simmon’s Deal a Meal, a system similar to Nutrisystem where you meet with a counselor and buy their food (ewww), Curves diet – you name it, I’ve tried it – would lose a little but gain it back, plus some. But as the saying goes, “try, try again ”
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On my 40th birthday, I made myself a promise at 260 pounds that I was going to lose 100 pounds by my 50th birthday. I was tired of sitting on the sidelines, watching everyone else “live.” I started watching what I was eating and continued with what I would now call a pathetic attempt at “exercise.”
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Over the next 6 years I managed to lose about 18 pounds. I needed to lose the weight before it negatively affected my health. I realized too late though, the damage was already done to some of my joints – my knees, hips, and back. I had just adapted to how I was feeling and moving. I joined a women’s only fitness club and got started with more “serious” exercise in 2005 or 2006.
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On July 22, 2007, I was in the break room at work and saw a periodical laying on the table. The title caught my eye – “Better than Gastric Surgery.” The article was the Kimkins article in Women’s World magazine everyone talks about. At that particular time, two individuals very close to me were considering bariatric surgery, so the title was very intriguing. I wrote down the information from the article and took it home to read.
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I decided that night to sign up for the Kimkins program and started the very next day. It wasn’t long before I found a couple of close-knit groups to join up with – The Sweethearts and The Firecrackers – and have been with them for almost this whole Kimkins journey I’ve experienced. I’ve made so many wonderful online friends and two other groups I’m also enjoying are the Shakers and the Hangin In groups. The challenges and journals are so inspiring and encouraging to read and participate in.
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Initially, I was able to stay on the Kimkins program without any “cheating” for the first 5 months with my weight going from a start of 241 pounds down to 195 pounds. I was sort of doing my own cycling between the regular Kimkins and the K/E programs. Then the Christmas season hit – my first season on the program. There were shopping trips, family gatherings, a birthday – all hitting at the same time. I decided, “I’ve been so good for so long, I’m going to relax a bit for the holidays.”
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Big mistake. That decision resulted in about a 3 week binge where I couldn’t get back on track for the life of me, resulting in some regain of what I’d worked so hard to take off. I felt miserable – I literally felt hung over. Did I learn from that slip up? Yes and no – I learned I don’t like the yucky feeling of carb overload but I still love my food I’ve had little slip-ups along the way, but I’m managing to get back on track quicker. Behavioral management is an important component to weight loss success as well. I’m learning to look at the “why” I want to eat when I’m not really hungry. I’m at the point now, if I over indulge, I have to work it off with exercise. “If I didn’t burn it, I didn’t earn it!”
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I have had to find ways around the different foods that I thought I “loved.” The Cook’s Nook has been a wonderful resource as well as the Kimkins Recipe Box. I copied my favorites and keep them in a 3 ring binder in my kitchen. I’ve come up with some of my own concoctions that most of the rest of my family won’t eat, but hey, it works for me. I learned how to cook again instead of everything being from a can or box for convenience. I learned how to “batch” cook and the pre-planning has been a life saver for me. I have kept a food journal notebook since the beginning and am now on my 3rd book – tracking daily intake, exercise, weight, measurements and yes, even potty habits.
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My lab work has improved too.
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In November 2007 / November 2008
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Cholesterol: 188 (norm 127-199) / 185
Triglycerides: 63 (norm 0-149) / 54
HDL: 49 (norm >40) / 73
LDL: 127 (H) (norm 0-99) / 102
Very low density lipids: 12 (norm 8-27) / 10
Cholesterol; HDL ratio: 3.8 (norm 0-4.5) / 2.5
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Improvement in all areas. I’m anxious to see what they’ll be this year!
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In 2008 I discontinued my membership at the women’s only fitness club as I seemed to have come to a standstill in my exercise program and I moved to a different fitness club with more to offer and continued to work out for about a year on the cardio and resistance machines. In April of this year, I again felt I was at a stand still in my progress so I hired a personal trainer – who, by the way, has his own exercise DVD on functional fitness training:
FIT-N-FUNCTIONAL
FIT FOR BEGINNERS
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I’m currently working on strength training with a goal of being able to squat my own body weight at least one repetition. I can squat 95 pounds, bench press 75 pounds, and military press 60 pounds – yes – TOOT TOOT!! I’m pretty proud of what I’ve accomplished by working out and staying on my diet plan.
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Making the decision to hire my personal trainer was one of the best investments I’ve ever made in regard to my health (next to my Kimkins membership fee of course! ) Even though my weight numbers aren’t dropping as quickly as they were in the beginning of the program, my inches as well as my body fat percentage continue to go down and people are constantly asking me if I’ve lost more weight. There have been times when some of my own family members didn’t recognize me!
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I would recommend to everyone, as soon as you are able to start moving, do something for exercise. When you build muscle, you are increasing your metabolism which in turn increases your calorie burn and starts the toning process to help somewhat with the appearance of the sagging skin.
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My measurements before and after and total lost:
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Bust: 45.5 – 36.5 = -9
Waist: 44.5 - 32.5 = -12
Abs: 53 – 37 = -16
Hips: 49.5 – 38 = -11.5
Arms: 16 – 12 = -4 (-8 total)
Thighs: 26 – 21.5 = -4.5 (-9 total)
Calves: 16.5 – 14 = -2.5 (-5 total)
Total Inches Lost So Far: 70.5″!
Body Fat % Start: 46.5%
Body Fat Current: 27.9%
BMI Start: 40.1
BMI Current: 26.3
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My clothing sizes have changed from 2-3XL in nursing scrubs to size “SMALL”. Jeans – size 22-24 down to size 6-8 depending on the style and brand, tops – 2-3XL down to small or medium. NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS would I have imagined I’d ever be here!
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I’m currently researching and considering having skin reduction surgery. I never thought I would consider surgery if I was able to lose the weight. I felt it was a vanity issue. Not!! The loose and sagging skin is uncomfortable – pinching and twisting.
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Eating low carb and exercise will forever be a part of my life now – following the Kimkins program I’ve learned I can no longer eat the sweet treats and platters of spaghetti with slabs of thick bread and butter the way I used to. Those foods are poison to me and I have to consider myself “allergic” to them.
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In fact that is what I tell saboteurs when they try to tempt me with foods I need to stay away from – “I’m allergic.” I’m too sensitive to carb action and certain foods are “triggers” for me. I think what helped me to stick with the program in the beginning was the fact I was able to eat as much lean protein as I wanted. It satisfied my appetite and I was not hungry.
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I do have to say though that what Kimmer has said time and again is true - CALORIES COUNT! Starting out on the program counting just the carbs was an easy way of reducing my overall caloric intake. Once I was used to counting carbohydrates, I eventually I started counting calories as well – and have been attempting to keep my calories between 1200 -1500 per day. I have officially become a “label reader.”
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Thanks to Kimkins and my trainer and lots of hard work and sweat, I’ve reached that ultimate goal I set for myself on my 40th birthday by losing the 100 pounds, over a year ahead of schedule.
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Since the start of Kimkins, I’ve lost around 85 pounds. My pattern has been that I drop, drop, drop, bounce back up, drop, then stabilize for a while before I start dropping again. So I know all about the infamous “stalls.” I’m getting very close to a “goal” weight now and I’ve switched my eating over to a more “normal” diet by incorporating more fruits and vegetables and some whole grains – not a lot, but more carbs than the regular Kimkins plans recommend. This is a part of maintenance, relearning another way of eating now that will keep me at a healthy weight.
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In the past, I missed out on a lot of quality time doing things with my husband and kids. I was too tired, too sore, whatever excuse I could think of to not be physical. Now, they have a hard time keeping up with me and if I want to spend time with them, I make them go to the gym with me! I have grand kids now and I’m so enjoying being able to get up and down off the floor with ease, to run and to be able to keep up with them as they play.
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I’m inspired to work toward another goal in my spare time – I’m studying to become a certified personal trainer and nutritional specialist. I want to help others learn how to live a healthier, more productive life.
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Special thanks to Kimmer for this site and to EVERYONE on the site and in my life who has supported me on my journey – you ALL know who you are!
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My Kimkins Personal Journal: Journal for the Journey
Debbie, registered nurse, certified personal trainer
