Who: Katie Regier
Occupation: Motivator at GoodLife Fitness
City: Niagara Falls
Age: 32
By The Numbers: 336 pounds at my heaviest, currently fluctuate between 180 to 190 pounds, for a total weight loss of 146 pounds.
The Weight Gain: I was always pretty active growing up, trying to keep up with my two older brothers. I wasn’t necessarily small, but I was athletic.
I really started to gain weight during college and over the next 13 years. My lifestyle contributed to my weight gain, I stopped doing anything active, and I would work crazy hours for six months of the year, and then become a hermit when I got laid off.
My eating habits were horrible. I wouldn’t eat all day while at work and then eat way too much fast food for dinner.
Final Straw: I don’t really have just one final straw — it was more a steady stream of them over the years: wearing jeans to the beach because I didn’t own shorts or a bathing suit, deleting all pictures of me at family functions, not fitting properly into carnival ride seats, backing out of plans or turning down opportunities because I was uncomfortable, and many, many more.
"The first step was getting rid of a lot of food that was in my house... home cooked food became the norm."
Story continues below.
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Lost It: Weight Loss Success Stories
The Plan of Attack: My fitness was non-existent. The only activity I got was running around at work during the summer, and shovelling the snow in the winter.
For me the first step was joining a gym. When I joined Goodlife Fitness on January 29, 2015, I weighed 305 lbs. One year later I weighed 190 lbs.
The Exercise Factor: After the first few sessions with my personal trainer Rebecca, I decided that I needed the help and the support to make the changes that I wanted to make.
I owe a lot, if not all, of my success to Rebecca. She’s the one who kept me dedicated, motivated, and helped me realize that it was possible. She has become one of my best friends. I knew after our consultation that we had things in common, but I never thought how close we would actually become.
These days, I try to be active seven days a week. I’m usually with my trainer two times a week doing weights, but I’ve also just started a boot camp two times a week to start preparing for my Tough Mudder in September. The other three days I usually do some light cardio, interval training, yoga or core work.
The Food Element: The first step was getting rid of a lot of food that was in my house. Home cooked food became the norm. Quinoa pasta, rice, lean meats, oatmeal, fish, turkey bacon, eggs, protein shakes, vegetables, chicken, and spinach all became regular additions to my fridge. I even went four months without buying any fast food.
The hardest adjustment was portion sizes. I was so used to making large quantities and eating it all in one sitting rather than have leftovers, or buying enough fast food to feed at least four people. Once I started doing some meal planning and meal prep, it became easier. I would cook enough food for a few days and then split it up into separate containers so it was easier to grab and go.
"Maintaining the weight is all about sticking to the plan and staying active. I’m not too focused on losing weight now, although I would still like to lose a few more pounds."
I was more interested in getting the nutrients I needed to fuel my body, rather than counting calories. It’s kind of funny but I’m actually eating more now then I was at some of my heavier times.
The Current Day-to-Day: My days now usually revolve around the gym and working out. I feel “off” if I don’t do something active now. So it’s usually get up, eat, go to the gym, eat, run errands, eat, meal prep, eat, go to work, eat and then sleep.
Maintaining the weight is all about sticking to the plan and staying active. I’m not too focused on losing weight now, although I would still like to lose a few more pounds. Even if I don’t feel like doing anything, I have a good support system that won’t let me slack off and keep me motivated.
I also try not to “cheat” too often on my food. Once a week I usually have a treat. I don’t really have any restrictions, I just try to maintain a healthy ratio between the “good” food and the “bad” food.
"It’s not as scary as you think. You can do it, you just have to make the decision that you want to change, and it does have to be YOUR decision."
At the beginning I was most proud of all the little things that I was able to do. The first observation that I had was that I could tie my shoes without sitting down. I was actually able to bend over at my waist and tie my shoes! I couldn’t remember the last time I was able to do that. Soon after that I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed I had less surface area to shave on my legs. I know, that’s weird thing to say but it actually made me really happy.
I always thought I was strong but when I started out I realized I wasn’t as strong as I thought. When I started out I couldn’t even do a body weight squat without assistance or do a bench press with the empty bar. Now I’m able to press 80 lbs and I can back squat 135 lbs.
My only regret is that it took me so long to do anything about my weight. I look back over the years and realize how much time I wasted being scared, and how much I missed out on.
My advice? It’s not as scary as you think. You can do it, you just have to make the decision that you want to change, and it does have to be YOUR decision.
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