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Five years ago, 62-year-old Kim-Anne Phillips decided it was time to start taking care of her health. “I was tired of being overweight. I was miserable. I wasn’t happy with myself,” she tells TODAY.com. “I wanted to be able to move around.”
Phillips wasn’t overweight as a child, but her father did comment on her size: When I look at the photos, I can see that there is no way in the world that I am fat. But that image was embedded in my head,” she says. “When people disrespect or make fun of children, it has a huge impact on them when they grow up. It confused me for a really long time. I went through a lot of depression.”
She said that she gained weight after having her two children and over time, she faced several health problems related to her weight, mainly high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Additionally, she had bad knees and joint pain, especially from playing basketball. “My symptoms got worse as I gained weight,” she says. She also has celiac disease, which made her joint pain even worse.
It affected her life, even though her weight increased to 360 pounds and she became 6 feet tall. I couldn’t even go for a walk. ”
Today, she has lost 106 pounds. She walks regularly, eats well, and feels better than she has in years. Her blood pressure and cholesterol levels have improved and she doesn’t have as many headaches.
She noticed a huge difference after losing the first 40 pounds. “I felt so much better. I could move and my knees didn’t hurt,” she says.
Plus, you can now shop wherever you want. She’s 6 feet tall and was tired of having to buy her entire wardrobe from Lane Bryant. “They had clothes for big girls,” she says.
Now she can shop anywhere. she says: “One of the happiest days since I lost weight was when I was able to wear buckle jeans and buy sparkly jeans. I paid $80 for those things, and I still I had them. It was amazing. I never dreamed of walking into a store like that. My daughter and I were jumping up and down in the store, thinking, “Now I can wear blue jeans.” I was very happy. I can’t go back to size 28! ”
Here’s how she does it:
she learned to overcome obstacles
Five years ago, Phillips was about six months into her weight loss journey when her husband passed away. They were married for 36 years. His death, and more recently a devastating breakup from another relationship, both caused mental health struggles.
“I wake up every day, dig deep mentally, tell myself, ‘You can do it,’ and try to be as positive as possible,” she says. “But the depression was severe. I was on medication at one point, but then I went off the medication and tried to do it myself. I’m now back on antidepressants, although I don’t like taking them. , to be honest, it has saved me from crying so hard every day,” she says.
She also had a breast cancer scare and had a lump that required a needle biopsy. Although it turned out to be non-cancerous, the experience was terrifying. “My mother died of breast cancer, so it runs in my family. I was stunned,” she says.
And recently, she discovered a tumor on the sole of her foot. To remove it, a nerve had to be cut, which could lead to a complication called foot drop, where the patient struggles to lift the front of his foot. “I was freaking out,” she says. Fortunately, the surgery was successful and she is recovering.
Through it all, Phillips hit plateaus, even going back to 30 pounds at one point. However, she continues to trend her weight in the right direction overall. “I think the reason I haven’t been able to gain the weight back is because I lost it slowly. I was able to stay on track,” she says.
She makes walking a part of her life.
When Phillips was at his heaviest, walking for exercise wasn’t an option. “I used to walk around the store because I was a supervisor, but I couldn’t go for walks. Now I can. It’s a big difference,” she says.
As he recovers from knee surgery, he has had to limit his walks to about a mile these days, including walking his dog near his home in Clinton, Missouri. But she would like to increase the distance if possible.
She currently works an office job, so she’s looking for reasons to move around all day, like taking out the trash. “I go crazy when I can’t walk. I can’t sit still. I’m one of those people who always have to move. I get up and walk around. I like to move. Yeah. “I think it keeps my joints and everything working better,” she says.
Support helps her journey
Ms. Phillips relied on her husband for support before his death. “My husband always told me I was beautiful, even when I was at my heaviest. He never teased me like my dad did. It makes such a big difference, especially when it comes to weight. “When you’re trying to lose weight, you need encouragement and support. He was my biggest advocate,” she says.
She also relies on her religious beliefs. “One of the things that really got me through is my faith. It’s just No. 1. Every morning I wake up, I have to dig deep, and I’m like, God is getting me.” I know God wasn’t always happy with some of my decisions, but he definitely had my back,” she says.
she is a member of Start a Facebook Group Today For about 3 years. “Reading those stories and seeing women achieve great things has helped me move forward. It turns out it’s not just that. It’s a really close-knit, positive and encouraging group,” she says.
She ignores advice that doesn’t work for her
“Everyone says, ‘Don’t step on the scale every day.’ Well, the scale is my best friend. It keeps me in check. When I’m on track, I wonder if I need to get back on track. I can tell,” she says.
Phillips is aiming to lose an additional 30 pounds, which is the right weight for her, even if it’s not the weight others recommend. “Everyone says you have to weigh a certain amount. No, that’s not true. I’m a big-boned girl and I’m very tall. The classic 180 pounds is just not going to cut it for me. 225 I think that’s the perfect weight for me,” she says.
