Tana Lost 102 Pounds With Kimkins

Age: 62
Starting Weight: 235 lbs
Final Weight: 123 lbs
Total Loss: 102 lbs
Start Size: 22W
Final Size: Misses 4 or Junior 5
Start Bra Size: 42DD
Final Bra Size: 34C
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The Fastest and Quickest Loss Ever In My Life!
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My weight loss struggle began when I reached my middle 40′s. When I remarried in 1987 I was about 135 pounds. During the course of the next 20 years, the pounds just kept adding on. Some of this was due to my working schedule. I always worked the night shifts, usually 10 or 12 hour shifts. I worked for many years in the medical field, but did work as a 911 dispatcher for about 4 years, adding even more pounds as I ate because of stress. I later returned to the medical field doing sleep studies, requiring a 12 hour shift again.
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In 1999 I had my first symptoms of what would take about 5 years to diagnosis. It started with tinnitus in the first year, and progressed to episodes of vertigo and vomiting. By November of 2001 I was no longer able to do my job. Over the next few years, I developed profound loss of hearing on one side, along with the loss of balance function. By 2003, I finally received the diagnosis of Meniere’s Disease.
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The depression caused by the isolation I felt due to the hearing loss, and the inability to do many of the daily routines of a normal life only lead to further weight gain. It took almost a year for me to be able to walk without falling, unless I was going along a wall. The episodes of vertigo and vomiting lessened, but the anxiety caused by never knowing when an attack would happen caused even more withdrawal from social events. Loud noises, large crowds, weather changes … all could precipitate an attack. Since these same conditions can still cause problems, I still avoid a lot of social events because of that.
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Finally by 2006, even though my balance issues and hearing difficulty remain the same, the vertigo attacks lessened and I began trying to regain my life back. I had also been taking care of my mom in my home, but her declining health made it necessary to place her in a nursing home. That was in June of 2006, and that was when I also started to take charge of my health, beginning with the obesity.
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On June 1, 2006, I started the Atkins way of eating. I had done that in the past and had some success with it. I have the original Atkins book, the 1972 version, so I had lots of practice. I was finding that, since I could not really exercise due to the imbalance/dizziness issue, I was going to have to go much stricter to lose the weight. I also was tired of being obese and wanted to lose a good portion of it quickly.
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That is when I decided to do the KE/Kimkins plan. Around the 18th of June I started doing strict KE, and by November I had lost 68 pounds, putting me at 164. The fastest and quickest loss ever in my life!
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Now that I was looking fairly normal, I wanted to slow it down and hopefully feel comfortable enough to continue on to a healthy weight for my 5’3″ size.
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I decided at this time to modify my eating, and add more fats into my food plans. I researched many other low carb sites, also, one of my favorites being LivinLaVidaLowCarb.com with Jimmy Moore. I also used sites to help determine the calorie deficit I needed to reach my goal weight, considering my fairly sedentary lifestyle up to this point.
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I settled on a short term goal of 1-2 pounds per week. Sometimes I made it, and sometimes I didn’t, but I never considered it a failure if I didn’t. Instead, I would look at my Fitday food log. To see the number there was all it took to convince me to stick to it.
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I still eat low carb, adequate protein, and do adjust calories based on my carb intake. I often have Designer Whey protein shakes as a meal replacement because I like them. I have now combined several eating plans to suit my needs, and my way of eating evolves from day to day. I give credit to all the information I have learned from many websites, plus the support of others who support the low carb lifestyle.
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By December, I was starting to go to my local Kohls store at the mall to do a little walking. They were kind enough to let me take one of the shopping carts out into the mall area, and I would walk for maybe an hour, albeit at a fairly slow pace. I tried to do this at least 3 times per week. I also have to say that being smaller certainly helped with finding things on the bargain racks!
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I began my journey wearing size 22W and 42DD bras, now wearing size 4 (junior 5) and size 34C bras. I reached GOAL at 129 lbs. on April 18, 2007.
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I am disabled due to hearing loss and constant imbalance issues from the Meniere’s. Losing the 100 pounds did not change that fact. It did, however, make getting up from a fall a lot easier (to say nothing of hitting the ground lighter).
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Within the past month, my doctor started me on some balance-retraining physical therapy to hopefully make walking easier and less chance of falling. The therapist recommended Trekking Poles, so I ordered them and soon will be trying that out.
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Hopefully, I will be able to walk around my neighborhood without having to depend on my husband to go with me. (And I haven’t seen any shopping carts on the sidewalks, either!) I also will be getting my German Shepherd puppy next month, and will be self training it for hearing alert and balance assistance.
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I tell my story (even though I am embarrassed to show some of these photos) so that others can believe in themselves enough to win the battle against obesity. If I can do this, anyone can! I only ask that you try to overlook the wrinkles on this “almost” 62 year old happy face.
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There are many great low carb sites available. You have to pick out the information that you can use for your body. We are all different. The success lies in being committed to yourself.