Kristine PetralitoWHAT SHE ATE THEN…
BREAKFAST: Two bowls of cereal with bananas and three tablespoons of sugar.
MORNING SNACK: One roll smeared with butter and peanut butter.
LUNCH: Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
AFTERNOON SNACK: One large ice-cream bar.
DINNER: Chicken and pasta with marinara sauce and grated cheese.
DESSERT: One quart of premium ice cream.
…AND NOW
BREAKFAST: One slice bacon, one slice cheese and one egg on half a roll.
LUNCH: Half a tuna sandwich on small sandwich bread with salt and pepper. A few slices of cucumber or tomato. One glass of unsweetened iced tea.
SNACK: One cup of Italian ice.
DINNER: Two small chicken wings with a few spoonfuls of coleslaw and one biscuit.
DESSERT: A couple of spoons of ice cream.
SNEAKING STARTED EARLY: Growing up I was naturally thin, though if there was something sweet in the house, I’d wait until no one else was around and grab as much of it as I could. During dinner my eyes would be on the top of the refrigerator because that’s where we kept the dessert. I swear, looking at it made my heart beat faster.
BABY FAT: That kind of eating caught up with me during my first three pregnancies, starting when I was 21. I told myself I was eating for two, but it was more like 200. I tried Weight Watchers but it felt like a job, assigning points. After my third child we moved from New York to Maryland, and my weight went through the roof. I was alone, I had these kids and I turned to food for comfort all the time. By the time I reached 205 pounds I was grasping at excuses for my weight problem: My maternal grandmother had been obese and died of a heart attack at age 64, so I told myself I had gad genes.
ROCK BOTTOM: One of my neighbors was moving, so we had a group pictures taken for her of everyone on the street. We blew it up for everyone to sign. When it got to my house I couldn’t believe it was me in the photo. I looked like my grandmother. I kept thinking, I’m going to die young, my kids are going to be fat because of me and then they’re going to die young. I felt hopeless.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: My sister-in-law told me about a weight-loss program she was trying through our church called the Weigh Down Workshop. I had always gone to church weekly, sometimes twice weekly. So in the back of my mind I thought, if it drops in my lap, maybe I’ll do it. Then it did. Two days later I was at a church service and the woman standing next to me said, “Somebody just left our Weigh Down class. And I have all these extra materials.” I said, “Okay, I’ll take them!”
HOW I LOST IT: I never realized till then how much time I spent thinking about food. In the first week of the program we were asked to cut our food portions in half and to eat only when we were hungry. I’d serve myself that set amount, finish it and think, you know, that isn’t enough. It was a struggle getting rid of all those old preconceptions of what I thought a meal should be. It took me almost two months to accept what a normal portion size looked like. The key was getting my heart to stop desiring food and to eat only what my body needed. I learned to pray and say God give me strength to resist whenever I was having a tough time and wanted to overeat. As I lost weight, I naturally became more active; I love to walk, because it lets me appreciate the world around me. I go to the gym with my kids, and the girls and I walk around the track together.
FALLING OFF THE WAGON: It was Thanksgiving. I had made a few different pies for dessert—apple and pumpkin. I was pretty full after dinner, so I had a little slice. Then I went and had another slice. But I knew as soon as I was done that I’d eaten too much. I hated the feeling of being so full.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: I rethink the meaning of mealtimes. Sometimes I won’t be hungry when it’s time to have dinner with my family. But I’ll sit at the table and sip some water anyway. I’ve learned to appreciate spending time with my husband and kids, even when it doesn’t involve food.