Jackie Adair Lost 100 lbs.: “I felt like a different person”

Weight-Loss Win is an original Yahoo series that shares the inspiring stories of people who have shed pounds healthfully. All photos courtesy of Jackie Adair.

Jackie Adair is 55, 5 feet 9 inches tall, and currently weighs 171 pounds. After realizing she wasn’t fit enough to play with her grandchildren, she decided to take charge of her weight problem once and for all. This is the story of her weight-loss journey.

The turning point

I remember my weight​ becoming a problem after I turned 30. By that age, my kids were getting older, so I was moving around less. I was sitting all day while working, and my eating habits were bad. My metabolism seemed to slow down, and it was harder to lose weight. In 2008, was diagnosed with PTTD (Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction) in my left foot and had to have surgery to repair it. While recovering from surgery, I lost weight from a combination of a low-carb diet and not being able to hop to the fridge, but then regained it all.

I remember one particular night when my grandkids were visiting. They​ were playing with their toys and I felt so frustrated that I couldn’t physically get down on the ground to play with them. I could only watch from my chair. On that night, I made the choice to take charge of my eating and lose weight.

The changes

The next day, I started Weight Watchers and bought a Fitbit. I​ relied on their program to begin changing what I put into my body. I was given a point system and had to write down everything I ate. No more chocolate donuts and fried food; they were too many points! Instead, I ate more veggies and fruits, since they had no points, so I could eat all I wanted. I ate less bread and starches. I hated recording what I ate, and the time it took to type in the foods, but I loved the Weight Watchers app and knew it was helping me. I was learning how much of which foods I could eat sensibly.

I bought fat ­free cheeses, low-calorie bread, yogurt, veggie burgers, fresh veggies and fruit, and stopped buying high-calorie foods like cookies and cakes. I started buying foods that were low-fat and had less calories. There was a lot of experimenting to figure out what I enjoyed and what I needed to give up entirely.

But I needed to get moving. I began turning on some music and walking and dancing in my living room. Ten minutes was all I could do the first day, then 15 minutes the following week. My goal was to reach 30 minutes nonstop. My Fitbit helped me to focus on counting steps and motivated me to walk more —up to 10,000 steps a day! I bought two-pound hand weights and then five­-pound ones after a couple of months, because my strength was increasing and I could tell, too. ​

I felt in control that first week and knew I had to keep it going. Giving up wasn’t an option. I knew it would take as long as it took.

The “after”

​I started to notice right away that my clothes were starting to feel bigger on me, and that really motivated me. I went from a 3X to a medium, and my confidence was blooming. I even bought a full-length mirror, because my bathroom mirror had only let me see myself from the waist up. It was finally fun to shop again and go to stores that weren’t for plus-sized people! I bought a swimsuit to take an exercise class at the YWCA. When I started in April 2014, I was a size 26, and 100 pounds later, in July 2015, a size 12!

I found that people were really starting to notice me, and I think part of that was because of how I felt about myself. I felt like a different person. I liked having my picture taken again. I was no longer tired doing the dishes or standing for more than a few minutes. I got down on the floor with my grandkids and helped them with a puzzle for the first time since they were born.

The maintenance

My eating has changed since I lost​ weight. I am eating regular foods again, but not to the extent I was before weight loss. I still eat fat-free cheese, low­-calorie bread, yogurt, veggie burgers and less fried food, but I haven’t eaten a donut since 2014! I remember my Weight Watchers practices and use those occasionally. Writing down what you eat is very eye-opening. I try to make sure to have more veggies and fruits with my meals and eat smaller portions of foods that I want.

​I still use my Fitbit to count my steps. During weight loss, I was walking 10,000 steps a day, and now I have cut down to about 5,000.

My husband, family, and work keep​ me motivated. I want to be around to see my grandkids have their kids. My husband was there for me the whole time, playing music at night while I exercised, and putting up with my bad days. I think he enjoyed watching his quiet, shy wife blossom with self­ confidence.

Advice

Start small! It’s a day-to-­day process. Some days are good, others not so​ much, but it’s about doing something — anything — to get moving and putting less in your mouth. I lost 100 pounds and only walked and danced in my living room. I wasn’t inspired to run a marathon or climb a mountain; I just wanted to lose weight and play on the floor with my grandkids.

Weight-Loss Win is authored by Andie Mitchell, who underwent a transformative 135-pound weight loss of her own.

Have a weight loss or beauty story you’d like to share with us? Email YStyleBeauty@yahoo.com.