Over the course of 14 years, Kelly Feick lost and regained between 80 and 140 pounds five times. Then, a haircut changed her life.
Kelly was the kind of girl who got a lot of compliments on her hair. Blond and thick, flowing to her waist, it hadn’t been cut in 14 years. It seemed to be the only thing that people noticed about her. And at 315 pounds, the young McKeesport, Pennsylvania, nurse was glad. She liked to believe that her hair hid her body.
But by the time she turned 28, Kelly was a mess, physically and emotionally. She couldn’t look into the mirror without crying. Every joint in her body ached. Bitterness began to show in her features. She realized that she needed to renew her weight-loss efforts. More important, she needed the results to stick. She vowed to change her life, not just her weight.
To do this, Kelly decided to take a risk so drastic that it would prove her commitment to her efforts. “I knew that if I could handle getting my hair cut off, I could get through anything,” she says. And cut off her hair she did, all the way to the middle of her neck.
The change sparked a sense of purpose and commitment in Kelly. She began making better food choices, cooking healthier, and
walking every day. In just 1 year, she lost 185 pounds, going from a size 30 to a size 4.
These days, Kelly is letting her hair grow back a little. But those pounds have stayed away.
WINNING ACTION
Throw away your security blanket. As Kelly discovered, making a major non-weight-related change can serve as a stepping stone to permanent weight loss. Think of something daring that you’ve always wanted to try— even something as radical as bungee jumping or skydiving. Meeting a challenge builds your self-confidence and makes you feel empowered: “If I can do that, I can do anything!”
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