A Balanced Life

In Kendra’s words

In winter 2011, after an ice storm, I slipped outside and cracked the back of my head. After one month of recuperation, my doctor told me, “If you don’t lose weight and reduce stress, you won’t see your sons graduate high school.” I was taken aback. My sons were 8 and 10 years old.

My husband had mentioned that some of his colleagues found success with Weight Watchers. I had seen the Jennifer Hudson ads, and found them inspiring. My husband is my college sweetheart and my best friend, and we do everything together. I had done many other programs with minimal success. So we joined Weight Watchers meetings on our wedding anniversary and started losing weight together.

Motivated at meetings

When we walked in to our first meeting, I knew we had a good crowd. The people seemed really excited to be there. I was skeptical. But I immediately loved my Leader, Trudy. She’s so engaging! I’ve been at goal since March, but I never miss a meeting. Plus, there’s always something to learn that I didn’t know before. I can also feel other people getting encouraged by what I share. I’m lucky that I have them and vice versa. And with my Monthly Pass, even when I travel, I find a meeting.

It’s a numbers game

Since I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, numbers make sense to me. My biggest challenge was portion control and tracking. I’m an emotional eater, with a fast-paced job and eating was a soothing activity for me. Tracking has taught me is to eat with intention. One thing I love about the Weight Watchers program is that nothing is forbidden. After all, I’m not going to not eat chocolate. This was a program where I could eat what I wanted but in the right portions and PointsPlus® values. Now I track every day.

Reformed southern eater

I’m a Southern girl that loves oil and butter. Now, it’s less salt and less oil, and I’m always experimenting with spices and different cuisines. The way I ate before was out of control. There was no such thing as just one cookie — it was half the box. Vegetables weren’t high on my list, and certainly not prepared in a healthy manner. Now, I’m all about farmers markets and healthy oils. I broil, steam and grill much more and I don’t eat fried foods anymore. I just took them off the table.

Fun with eTools

I love to cook, so I have a lot of fun with the Recipe Builder. I also love to check out Success Stories when I need a little extra encouragement from seeing the faces of people who have done it and are still doing it. And I’m able to follow the Plan on the go, by tracking on my phone or my laptop.

The best part

Before I felt a bit out of control. Now I have balance. The best part is that I’m in a body that works. Before Weight Watchers, I was a certified couch potato. I used to get winded going up and down stairs. Now I’ve run a half marathon and I love doing triathlons. Now, it’s just a matter of whether my sons can run as fast as me at their graduation!