FEED YOUR BODY RIGHT: 95 POUNDS IN 1 YEAR: WEIGHT LOSS FOR THE RECORD BOOK

For Kelly Jens, food was once an all-consuming passion.

“I was always thinking about what my next meal would be,” says the 28-year-old Glenwood, Iowa, native. “When I’d go out to eat, I’d try to pick places with the biggest portions or the most courses. I especially liked Quarter Pounders with Cheese, nachos, pizza with extra cheese, and anything with Alfredo sauce.”Always on the hefty side, Kelly couldn’t stop eating—or stop: gaining weight. By Christmas 1997, she had reached 220 pounds. “In a picture with my husband and my two kids, my little 1-year- old looks like a doll in my huge lap,” she recalls. “I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want my children to have a fat, unhealthy mother/”

It was time to change her life.

Using information she gathered from magazine and books by weight-loss guru Richard Simmons, Kelly determined that she would need to trim her daily calorie intake to 1,400 in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Obviously, that was far fewer calories than she had been consuming. To help herself stay on course, she began keeping a food diary. Kelly would write down every morsel she ate and every drop she drank—usually before she ate or drank it. She also noted the calorie and fat content of each item.

To help herself burn calories, Kelly started using a Health Walker, a nonimpact machine that allows the legs to swing back and forth to simulate striding. At first, she worked out for 15 minutes per session, then gradually built up to an hour a day—a schedule that she still maintains. She also does strength training twice a week, exercises to a kickboxing video, and jumps rope.

In 1 year, Kelly lost 95 pounds. And the weight hasn’t come back. For that, she credits her food diary. “I never really knew how much I was eating until I starting writing it down and reviewing it,” she explains. “Even though I’ve learned what I can eat and how much, I still keep a diary. It’s a good tool for helping me maintain my present weight.”

WINNING ACTION

Keep a diary. Buy a small spiral-bound notebook and carry it with you. Immediately after meals and snacks, write down what you’ve consumed, along with the food’s fat and calorie content. Studies show that people tend to be more true to their diets when they keep a record of what they eat. At first, you’ll probably be amazed at how much—and how often—you eat. Later, you’ll be proud of the positive choices that you’re making.