Staff writer
Weight loss became top priority for Ginny Grimmett of Florence when she began to have problems with falling. She had been bingeing on sweets and junk food and had ballooned to almost 300 pounds.
She said her husband was concerned about her health and safety.
“You have to get some weight off,” he said.
“That’s when I decided God has given me this life and I want to honor Him,” she said.
She lost a few pounds on her own and then decided to visit an Emporia doctor who specializes in weight loss. The doctor told her to write down everything she ate.
“I didn’t want to write down the three or four cookies I ate or the binges I went on,” she said. “Something just clicked in me, and I decided to quit eating all sweets and junk food.”
It was a big change, and she credits her faith in God with the strength to do it.
“I was afraid of having a heart attack and dying, and I knew He wanted me to be healthy,” she said.
She joined TOPS KS 1075, Marion, in November for support. She said the weekly weigh-ins keep her accountable, and other members can help her if she has a problem.
After reading a magazine article, she started eating 400-calorie meals three or four times a day and eating yogurt between meals.
She said the weight started dropping off even faster than she had hoped.
She has lost 60 pounds since the October visit to the doctor. She said she focuses more on the reason she wanted to lose weight than on the number of pounds she loses from week to week.
She sets a mini-goal of a five-pound loss and rewards herself with a flower when she reaches it. The flower reminds her of her goal, she said, and motivates her to reach the next mini-goal.
She said compliments from her husband and friends are encouraging. She also is enjoying better health. She said she has more energy, can walk better, and can breathe better.
“Most of all, I feel better on the inside,” she said.