Whatever you do, don't tell Jaci that you can tell she's been on a diet. The 30-year-old mother of two feels strongly that losing 65 pounds over 4 years was the result of permanent lifestyle changes—not dieting.
"I actually get mad at people when they say, 'You've been on a diet.' I'm not on a diet. I've never been on a diet. I just changed the way I eat. I changed the way I live."
If you're looking for an example of how making small, gradual changes can make a big difference in how you feel and look, Jaci's the one to turn to.
Jaci says she was watching her two boys grow and felt like she was missing out. "I was too shy, too self-conscious to go out and do anything," she says. "I didn't like meeting new people. I didn't feel good. I didn't feel like me. I didn't want to go to the park."
So she started eating smaller portions, and she cut down on fast foods—little steps that still allowed her to eat some of her favorite foods (like french fries, cheesecake, and chocolate chip cookies) once in a while. And she started exercising.
She lost about 50 pounds and then hit a plateau. "I got stuck for a year," she says. "It wasn't a big deal, because I felt like I was maintaining it. I think my body just got comfortable where it was at."
For Jaci, more exercise was the key to breaking through plateaus. Her two boys started football, and she began walking and running around the track while they practiced. "Instead of going home like a lot of people do, I do the track while I'm at football practice."
These days, exercise is a regular part of her life and her family's life. "We ride dirt bikes. We do a lot of outdoor activities. We started skiing again last year. That's been a new thing since I lost the weight. We started waterskiing again last summer."
Now Jaci tries to exercise at least 5 days a week. When she's not running around a track, she uses an elliptical exercise machine, a treadmill, a recumbent bike, a regular exercise bike, and weights. She also has a gym membership. She varies her exercise throughout the year—running track when her kids are in football practice and playing basketball with them when they have basketball at school.
Ask Jaci what has helped her lose weight, and she rattles off the list:
What has been most important to Jaci's success?
"Sticking with it. I know people who have lost 100 pounds in a year," she says. "It's taken me 4 years, and I feel like I know how to do it and I know what I'm doing. I feel like I have a better chance of keeping it off.
"I think if you lose weight too fast, it could come back just as quickly as you lost it." She thinks people who do crash dieting haven't had "the chance to really learn what their body needs and doesn't need. I think if you lose weight too quickly, for one, you're not doing something right, something healthy.
"A lot of people I hear, they cut stuff out of their diet in order to lose weight. I don't think that's healthy. I don't think you can always keep something out of your diet—like a food group or a type of food. If you want a hamburger and french fries, have a hamburger and french fries. Just have it in moderation.
"I don't like to say I can't have something. That's when I feel it's more a diet than a lifestyle change."
Jaci is part of a weight-loss program with regular weigh-ins and meetings. "That's a big thing for me, being held accountable."
She likes to go to the meetings for "the ideas and the struggles. Seeing other people go through the same thing is probably the best part about the meetings."
"Once people started noticing and saying, 'Wow, you look great,' even after 10, 15 pounds… that gave me the confidence to know, 'Hey, I can do this.' "
Jaci's story reflects her experiences as told in an interview. The photograph is not of Jaci, to protect her privacy.
For more information, see the topics:
Current as of: September 23, 2020
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Anne C. Poinier MD - Internal Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica MD - Family Medicine & Rhonda O'Brien MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
© 1995-2021 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
Follow Us
Disclaimer
Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Group Universal Life (GUL) insurance plans are insured by CGLIC. Life (other than GUL), accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and disability plans are insured or administered by Life Insurance Company of North America, except in NY, where insured plans are offered by Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York (New York, NY). All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.
Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna website. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Details