Weight Loss Stories – Karen Hayford Lost 116 Pounds

Name: Karen
Age: 37
Family Status: Married
Occupation: Stay at home mom
Hometown: Sayre, Pennsylvania
Pounds or Inches Lost: I lost 116 pounds! Went from size 20 to size 6 in just over 1 year!
Height: 5’4″
Starting Weight: 246 pounds
Current Weight: 130 pounds

Karen’s Weight Loss Story!

When did you become unhappy with your weight?
When I was brought a diet coke and I did not order one.

What made you decide to lose weight?
My family. I wanted to be healthy for my children and my husband.

What were the most important changes you made to lose weight?
Cut out fried foods, soda, bread and pasta.

What was most challenging about losing weight?
Nothing really, it was pretty easy to follow my diet.

How long did it take you to start to see results?
I started seeing results about 2 weeks into my diet. I had lost almost 20 pounds in 2 weeks.

How long did it take for you to reach your current weight?
1 year and 3 months.

How long have you maintained your weight loss and how do you do it?
I have maintained what I have lost now for over a year. I have not gained 1 pound in a year!

How has your life changed now that you’ve lost weight?
I am able to buy clothes that I want to wear. I’m able to sit in chairs more comfortable, go on rides with my kids and even run a 5K which I could never do before!

How did ShapeFit help you reach your weight loss goals?
ShapeFit’s weight loss success stories are very motivational.

Karen’s Weight Loss Tips!

Weight loss tip #1:
Cut out fried foods.

Weight loss tip #2:
Cut out breads and sodas.

Weight loss tip #3:
Drink tons of water.

Weight loss tip #4:
Exercise at least an hour a day, 5 days a week.

Weight loss tip #5:
Stay focused on your goal.

Karen’s Weight Loss Eating Plan!

Breakfast:
Special K and skim milk, coffee or tea.

Lunch:
Diet shake or Healthy Choice meal or turkey sandwich on flat bread.

Dinner:
You can have salad with low-fat dressings, green vegetables (no white vegetables), meats like chicken, turkey and fish. I get rotisserie chicken and divide it up, take skin off. I eat shrimp also with lemon and pepper and cook it on the grill. I use spray butter that has zero calories and zero fat, and extra light olive oil for cooking. Healthy Choice steamer dinners are really good too. I have been eating them (just watch your calories).

I recommend drinking 64 ounces or more of water a day. I put Crystal Light in my water so it isn’t plain. I recommend not exercising for 2 weeks so your body can get used to the diet. To get results, you have to be strict with NO CHEATING!

Snacks or Mini Meals:
Handful of almonds (oven baked), oranges, apples, string cheese and 100 calorie snack packs.

Karen’s Weight Loss Workouts!

Weight Training:
15 minutes of weight training (arms, legs, abs).

Cardiovascular:
The more you workout, the more you will see results. I do 40 minutes to 1 hour at the gym. The more cardio you do, the faster the weight comes off. Bike and treadmill and elliptical are great cardio. I run now to music. I run one song on my iPod and then walk the next like that. Work your way up to running as many songs as you can.

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