Co-worker's Incredible Weight Loss

When I was looking for inspiration for the kick-off week to our Saltmarsh Slim-down, I did not have to look far. Trevia Buckner, in our Tax & Accounting Services Department of our Fort Walton Beach office, has lost an amazing 101 lbs.!

Please read about Trevia’s journey below:

I’m not sure “my story” is an exciting one…or even one that will work for anyone else. For years I’ve tried all the fad diets…no carbs, no fat, no taste…whatever, but I wanted the plan to work for me versus me working with a plan. I’m not sure that that makes sense, but I just recognized that I was unhappy with how I looked and how I felt and then I decided what I could do to fix me. I’ve always been a “stress eater”. So that was the first thing I knocked out. By being aware of that I was eating just to be eating, I avoided the snacks at work and no longer kept them in the house. Then I just focused on how much I was eating. I typically have a smoothie of some sort for lunch and then I have whatever I want for dinner. Sodas were also replaced by water and fruit juices. For the first few months, it was strictly a change in eating habits. I didn’t add any exercise. But just the change in eating made a really big difference. After tax season last year, I started going to the track to walk in the evenings. At first I could hardly complete one lap walking, but over time it got easier and I can run 3 miles now. (I’m still really, really slow but I can do it!!)

Most of what I had going on was personal to me. I guess the main thing is just don’t give up…because it is so hard at times and I went weeks at a time when I lost nothing…and it’s easy to give up.. And it’s very motivational to me for someone to notice that I’ve lost the weight. I know that’s probably vain, but I think most people feel the same way…and I think sometimes we’re hesitant to acknowledge that someone has lost a lot of weight because maybe we’re saying “oh my god you were fat”…but I can tell you from this side…that’s not what you hear at all…so if you see someone losing weight…tell them you notice…

I’ve lost 101 lbs….yea!!!!! and I have about 20 more to go before I’m at my goal. I did that over about a 14-16 month period of time by still eating things that I liked (smaller portions), exercising regularly and making the lifestyle change work with me.