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ENLARGE
Editor's note: Kristin Dorough shared her personal weight loss story to inspire those who might need an extra push to get off the couch and “just do it.”
“I didn't want to be the fat girl with the pretty face,” said Kristin Dorough, who lost more than 113 pounds through gritty determination and education.
Dorough, a vibrant woman of 28, with sea-green eyes, a froth of curls and a bouncy personality, always knew she was bigger. She endured the teasing that comes with being different since sixth grade. Naturally gregarious, Dorough began to feel “this is who I am” as she got older. Now she knows she doesn't have to be that way. “That way” means 323 pounds.
From January to September 2006, Dorough prepared for her October wedding with Weight Watchers and lost 75 pounds. After she moved from Pollock Pines to this area, she stopped going to the gym. She stopped Weight Watchers. And gained back the poundage, plus 15.
A picture's worth a thousand words. The one that fell from her 'fridge one day spoke multitudes. It was a snapshot of Dorough, topped out at 323 pounds, posed behind bars, wearing horizontal stripes for a Muscular Dystrophy benefit. Dorough said “never again.”
“Seeing that picture I thought, Oh my gosh, this is how far I've come? I don't want to go back [to being fat],” said Dorough.
It just so happened gal pal Larissa was planning a trip to climb Mount Whitney. Dorough wanted to go, too. She started out slowly, dieting and working out. The weight started “falling off.” Then she hooked up with Jill Whisler, MS, RD with the Tahoe Forest Health System.
“A person's success is a combination of their personal drive and ability to stay focused,” said Whisler. At the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports Performance, Whisler and her colleagues custom tailor programs that include fitness and nutrition.
For Dorough, it was a BodyBugg and weekly nutrition check-ins. “We all think we eat well,” said Whisler. “But the national average shows 48 percent of carb consumption in the U.S. is junk — no fiber, no vitamins, no quality.”
“Jill told me how to eat things differently,” said Dorough. “I cut out red meat, and eat a lot of turkey for protein. Doing it in the healthiest way possible is the most important thing.”
Wearing the BodyBugg, a device strapped to your upper arm, is a tremendous tool. It helps count the calories you burn. The supporting software monitors food intake. Essentially, you track calories in and calories out. And the TCHSP keeps track of your progress. Whisler emphasizes you don't have to go it alone. The venues at TCHSP are there for support.
Dorough husband and family are there for her. “They've been amazing, although weight is a family issue. My mom even bought me a food scale,” she said. This helps control portions. The average American dinner plate size is 11 to 12 inches, about 3 additional inches from a few decades go. Dorough dines on a salad plate and works out “like crazy.”
Dorough's schedule seems hectic, as manager at the Gateway Center Starbucks in Truckee. She gets up at 3:30 a.m., works for eight hours surrounded by snack temptations, then travels home to run 7-8 miles or a session at her apartment complex gym. “It becomes a want, not a need,” she explained. She made herself a priority. After spending so long not taking care of herself, Dorough is committed to her health, so she can care for her family.
Seventy-eight pounds earlier, Dorough used an inhaler for asthma. Now, she rarely needs it. The positive results are more than a health factor, however. “People [customers] come in and don't recognize me, even day to day,” she explains. Dorough takes her health regime day by day, as well. She advises to have those little splurges. If you can work a taste of Taco Bell or a slice of pizza, do it. Remember, it's not a treat if it becomes a habit.
“When I fall off the wagon, it never makes me feel better. I am very OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). This I can control, I am in charge of my destiny, I feel better, and the compliments are great.”
Climbing Mt. Whitney, Dorough's initial impetus, is off the schedule — her gal pal is expecting. Dorough now has a half marathon in the works for May. Good luck and go get 'em, Kristin.
“I didn't want to be the fat girl with the pretty face,” said Kristin Dorough, who lost more than 113 pounds through gritty determination and education.
Dorough, a vibrant woman of 28, with sea-green eyes, a froth of curls and a bouncy personality, always knew she was bigger. She endured the teasing that comes with being different since sixth grade. Naturally gregarious, Dorough began to feel “this is who I am” as she got older. Now she knows she doesn't have to be that way. “That way” means 323 pounds.
From January to September 2006, Dorough prepared for her October wedding with Weight Watchers and lost 75 pounds. After she moved from Pollock Pines to this area, she stopped going to the gym. She stopped Weight Watchers. And gained back the poundage, plus 15.
A picture's worth a thousand words. The one that fell from her 'fridge one day spoke multitudes. It was a snapshot of Dorough, topped out at 323 pounds, posed behind bars, wearing horizontal stripes for a Muscular Dystrophy benefit. Dorough said “never again.”
“Seeing that picture I thought, Oh my gosh, this is how far I've come? I don't want to go back [to being fat],” said Dorough.
It just so happened gal pal Larissa was planning a trip to climb Mount Whitney. Dorough wanted to go, too. She started out slowly, dieting and working out. The weight started “falling off.” Then she hooked up with Jill Whisler, MS, RD with the Tahoe Forest Health System.
“A person's success is a combination of their personal drive and ability to stay focused,” said Whisler. At the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports Performance, Whisler and her colleagues custom tailor programs that include fitness and nutrition.
For Dorough, it was a BodyBugg and weekly nutrition check-ins. “We all think we eat well,” said Whisler. “But the national average shows 48 percent of carb consumption in the U.S. is junk — no fiber, no vitamins, no quality.”
“Jill told me how to eat things differently,” said Dorough. “I cut out red meat, and eat a lot of turkey for protein. Doing it in the healthiest way possible is the most important thing.”
Wearing the BodyBugg, a device strapped to your upper arm, is a tremendous tool. It helps count the calories you burn. The supporting software monitors food intake. Essentially, you track calories in and calories out. And the TCHSP keeps track of your progress. Whisler emphasizes you don't have to go it alone. The venues at TCHSP are there for support.
Dorough husband and family are there for her. “They've been amazing, although weight is a family issue. My mom even bought me a food scale,” she said. This helps control portions. The average American dinner plate size is 11 to 12 inches, about 3 additional inches from a few decades go. Dorough dines on a salad plate and works out “like crazy.”
Dorough's schedule seems hectic, as manager at the Gateway Center Starbucks in Truckee. She gets up at 3:30 a.m., works for eight hours surrounded by snack temptations, then travels home to run 7-8 miles or a session at her apartment complex gym. “It becomes a want, not a need,” she explained. She made herself a priority. After spending so long not taking care of herself, Dorough is committed to her health, so she can care for her family.
Seventy-eight pounds earlier, Dorough used an inhaler for asthma. Now, she rarely needs it. The positive results are more than a health factor, however. “People [customers] come in and don't recognize me, even day to day,” she explains. Dorough takes her health regime day by day, as well. She advises to have those little splurges. If you can work a taste of Taco Bell or a slice of pizza, do it. Remember, it's not a treat if it becomes a habit.
“When I fall off the wagon, it never makes me feel better. I am very OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). This I can control, I am in charge of my destiny, I feel better, and the compliments are great.”
Climbing Mt. Whitney, Dorough's initial impetus, is off the schedule — her gal pal is expecting. Dorough now has a half marathon in the works for May. Good luck and go get 'em, Kristin.
Kristin's Tips to Take it Off
• Drop the soda and caffeine — she went cold turkey from a 2-liter a day habit• Get enough sleep
• Think ahead, pack healthful snacks, use snack-size baggies
• Think lifestyle change, not diet
• Take it day by day with small, attainable goals
• Call the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports Performance at 587-3769
