Jennifer Kirkland-Persson: Living and Loving Her Best Life
Jennifer Kirkland-Persson's Best Life Stats
Starting date/weight January 17, 2007 at 310 pounds
Pounds lost 64
Goal weight 160 (86 pounds to go)
Best Life Status Phase 2/Activity Level 4
Jennifer Kirkland-Persson, 39, mother and student (she's studying to be a high school teacher), shares her weight struggles and explains how TheBestLife.com helped her find a healthier and happier lifestyle.
What was your turning point?
The trigger for me to start living my Best Life was a gradual build up after years and years of trying one diet after another, but never really sticking to it. Also, seeing my mother battle cancer was probably the breaking point for me. It taught me to live my life while I can. I had been fairly depressed about my mom and the state of myself and my weight, and then on January 17, 2007, I read an e-mail that I got from Oprah.com about the Best Life program. That day, I logged onto TheBestLife.com and joined immediately. My thought was this is it--it's now or never. My plan was to join the site for three months and then do it on my own. However, I soon discovered that I wanted and needed to continue with the site for the wonderful help and the support.
What is your favorite part about The Best Life?
The best thing about this plan is that it focuses on getting healthy--not just losing weight. I love the gradual baby steps, too--easing into the phases and making this a way of life. For the first time in my life, I don't feel as if I'm on a diet, but I am losing weight. I'm getting healthy and the weight loss just comes naturally with that.
What is your activity routine?
I go to the gym two to three times a week. I usually do about 10 strength training exercises. And my cardio activity varies--I'll do the stair stepper, cross trainer, treadmill or rower. During the summer, I play soccer once a week and I also do exercise DVDs at home.
Also, I live on a farm in Sweden (my husband is a Swede) and sometimes I do farm work to help my husband. My 15-year-old daughter is also a great exercise buddy and she often encourages me to push myself a little further. This spring, she made me try the power yoga class at our gym. I was very reluctant--I hated the idea of being the fat lady in the class. However, once she got me there, I loved it. I guess you could say my daughter has helped me step outside of my comfort zone at times.
What are your biggest obstacles?
Any carbohydrate--bread, crackers, popcorn, potato chips. Chocolate can be difficult too, but I stick to dark chocolate and can easily limit myself with that. I allow myself treats now and then and I think that helps me from feeling deprived and being tempted by things too much. But I'd have to say that my biggest obstacle is myself, as I have the most difficult time with healthy eating. I make it a top priority to get in all of my exercise every week, but I slip a lot on the food part.
When you start to lapse, what is your strategy?
I make a decision to refocus right away--not tomorrow, but the next meal. I take things one day, sometimes one meal at a time. I have come to learn that one "bad" meal or day doesn't have to mean the end of me living my Best Life. When I find I am slipping, I start planning my meals again, and I let my online friends know that I'm working on refocusing again.
How have your online friends helped you?
I owe a lot of my success to my fantastic support group online. I feel accountable to the friends I've met on the threads. It's very strange that I feel so compelled to be so honest with my Best Life friends, when I often can't be that way with myself. I'm an emotional eater and in the beginning, I would come online and talk about my feelings instead of feeding them. One thing I've come to realize is that I have to do this for myself, not for anyone else, and no one else can or will do it for me. But I don't have to do it alone, and my Best Life friends have helped me enormously.
How are you rewarding yourself for your hard work?
I'm rewarding myself with a trip to Chicago to meet some of my friends from the 100 + to loose thread--that's a big reward. My new friends are definitely my biggest reward of living my Best Life. Of course, feeling better both physically and mentally is a great reward, too. And I really can't complain about being able to buy clothes in smaller sizes!
How do you stay motivated?
Motivators are definitely the gals on the 100 + to loose thread, and other threads. The different Best Life success stories are very motivating, too. And the fact that I feel so much better and can do so much more keeps me motivated as well.
How has your life changed?
I have energy and feel so much better, and that's made me more positive and self-confident. It's also helped me to strive to enjoy life to the fullest. I was never a really negative person before, but The Best Life has made me look at things in a more positive way!
www.thebestlife.com
Starting date/weight January 17, 2007 at 310 pounds
Pounds lost 64
Goal weight 160 (86 pounds to go)
Best Life Status Phase 2/Activity Level 4
Jennifer Kirkland-Persson, 39, mother and student (she's studying to be a high school teacher), shares her weight struggles and explains how TheBestLife.com helped her find a healthier and happier lifestyle.
What was your turning point?
The trigger for me to start living my Best Life was a gradual build up after years and years of trying one diet after another, but never really sticking to it. Also, seeing my mother battle cancer was probably the breaking point for me. It taught me to live my life while I can. I had been fairly depressed about my mom and the state of myself and my weight, and then on January 17, 2007, I read an e-mail that I got from Oprah.com about the Best Life program. That day, I logged onto TheBestLife.com and joined immediately. My thought was this is it--it's now or never. My plan was to join the site for three months and then do it on my own. However, I soon discovered that I wanted and needed to continue with the site for the wonderful help and the support.
What is your favorite part about The Best Life?
The best thing about this plan is that it focuses on getting healthy--not just losing weight. I love the gradual baby steps, too--easing into the phases and making this a way of life. For the first time in my life, I don't feel as if I'm on a diet, but I am losing weight. I'm getting healthy and the weight loss just comes naturally with that.
What is your activity routine?
I go to the gym two to three times a week. I usually do about 10 strength training exercises. And my cardio activity varies--I'll do the stair stepper, cross trainer, treadmill or rower. During the summer, I play soccer once a week and I also do exercise DVDs at home.
Also, I live on a farm in Sweden (my husband is a Swede) and sometimes I do farm work to help my husband. My 15-year-old daughter is also a great exercise buddy and she often encourages me to push myself a little further. This spring, she made me try the power yoga class at our gym. I was very reluctant--I hated the idea of being the fat lady in the class. However, once she got me there, I loved it. I guess you could say my daughter has helped me step outside of my comfort zone at times.
What are your biggest obstacles?
Any carbohydrate--bread, crackers, popcorn, potato chips. Chocolate can be difficult too, but I stick to dark chocolate and can easily limit myself with that. I allow myself treats now and then and I think that helps me from feeling deprived and being tempted by things too much. But I'd have to say that my biggest obstacle is myself, as I have the most difficult time with healthy eating. I make it a top priority to get in all of my exercise every week, but I slip a lot on the food part.
When you start to lapse, what is your strategy?
I make a decision to refocus right away--not tomorrow, but the next meal. I take things one day, sometimes one meal at a time. I have come to learn that one "bad" meal or day doesn't have to mean the end of me living my Best Life. When I find I am slipping, I start planning my meals again, and I let my online friends know that I'm working on refocusing again.
How have your online friends helped you?
I owe a lot of my success to my fantastic support group online. I feel accountable to the friends I've met on the threads. It's very strange that I feel so compelled to be so honest with my Best Life friends, when I often can't be that way with myself. I'm an emotional eater and in the beginning, I would come online and talk about my feelings instead of feeding them. One thing I've come to realize is that I have to do this for myself, not for anyone else, and no one else can or will do it for me. But I don't have to do it alone, and my Best Life friends have helped me enormously.
How are you rewarding yourself for your hard work?
I'm rewarding myself with a trip to Chicago to meet some of my friends from the 100 + to loose thread--that's a big reward. My new friends are definitely my biggest reward of living my Best Life. Of course, feeling better both physically and mentally is a great reward, too. And I really can't complain about being able to buy clothes in smaller sizes!
How do you stay motivated?
Motivators are definitely the gals on the 100 + to loose thread, and other threads. The different Best Life success stories are very motivating, too. And the fact that I feel so much better and can do so much more keeps me motivated as well.
How has your life changed?
I have energy and feel so much better, and that's made me more positive and self-confident. It's also helped me to strive to enjoy life to the fullest. I was never a really negative person before, but The Best Life has made me look at things in a more positive way!
www.thebestlife.com
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