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Jeanine lost 41 lbs! See her Before (bottom right) | | |
My Healthy Lifestyle Story
Jeanine Gould-Kostka
My “Healthy Lifestyle Story” begins with a really depressing moment in my life. I was dressing for work on the morning of March 4, 2009, and couldn’t button one of my size 16W pants. Weight gain can happen gradually until suddenly you discover you no longer fit in your clothes. I just got angry with myself. I had no intention of spending hard-earned money to buy new clothes in a larger size. When I got to work, I told my co-worker that I was tired of being a “pudge”. My co-worker is an active member of a weight-loss group, so I asked her if I could attend the meeting that day with her. The decision to do something positive for myself instead of wallowing in self pity put me on the path I continue on today. I weighed in on March 4, 2009, with 206 pounds on my 5’6” frame. As of September 17, 2009, I have lost 41 pounds and weigh 165 pounds (I can update the weight when we get closer to the event). Today, I fit easily into a size 12. My favorite visual is that I have lost more than six 5 lb. bags of potatoes from my body!
On the day I started attending meetings, the leader at the weight-loss group shared a quote with the class that has inspired me to stay focused on my goal of a leaner me: The chief cause of failure or unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment. During a recent stay in Ocean City, I walked by the Fractured Prune on my way to a bay-side park for a walk and caught a whiff of donuts fresh out of the fryer. Instead of succumbing to instant gratification, I walked right by, all the time remembering the quote shared by the weight-loss group leader.
I know how I got to 206 pounds and I own it…every bite of it! Life comes at you fast and furiously sometimes, and you can be unaware of how you deal with it. A couple of pregnancies, a couple of back surgeries, and some stressful situations…before you know it you are 206 pounds. In my case I stopped making the time to eat right and exercise. My hope for the future is to focus on staying healthy and fit while eating mindfully. No more opening a bag of Tostitos and thinking a serving is the whole bag. I read the nutrition labels all the time now. Everyone should read nutritional labels and pay attention to serving sizes.
Since I began my weight loss journey in March I have been committed to doing at least thirty minutes of physical activity per day. I take 1-2 brisk walks with my husband most days for 30 minutes to an hour per walk. I use arm weights several times per week while I watch TV in the evening. I park the car further from the store to get more steps in. I take the stairs at work and when I visit office buildings rather than take the elevator. I try to walk to the grocery store when I have only a few items to pick up, and put them into a backpack instead of driving to the store. I found a used bike on Craig’s List and now bike around the neighborhood. All of that activity has helped me shed my extra pounds. None of the exercise I have done is fancy or requires expensive equipment. Get some inexpensive weights and some good walking shoes and you are ready!
Losing weight has changed my life. I have so much more energy now that I have lost over 30 pounds that I have taken on all kinds of do-it-yourself home improvement projects. My sons and I tore out our old garage storage shelves and rebuilt and painted our garage in a weekend. I painted my youngest son’s bedroom and completely updated the look for him now that he is beginning middle school. I have never had the energy or the courage to accompany my husband and sons on their Boy Scout outings, but did so over the Memorial Day weekend, biking 25 miles one day on the Alleghany Trail and 25 miles the next day on the C & O Canal towpath. If I can give any advice at all to others thinking about taking off weight, it would be this: Take your life back! Enjoy yourself and become active again!
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Weight Training:
We offer a wide variety of high quality weights and exercise systems through our health club affiliates (and coming soon!!...downtown Silver Spring Studio), including both free weights and weight machines. Our weight room also includes efficient abdominal weight machines and benches. |  | Cardio Training:
The Fit Solution’s cardio training affiliate facilities are second to none. Bikes, steppers, treadmills and elliptical trainers - we have access to machines to fit all your cardio needs. |  | State-of the-Art Clinical Fitness Testing:
Resting Metabolism Analysis and VO2 Max Cardiovascular Testing are offered exclusively for The FitSolution clients. All of our consultants are highly qualified and can create effective custom designed fitness programs from the test results. |  |
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