Erin Shrout’s 75 Pound Journey
Kimberly Mendelsohn, CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
316-841-0466
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The weight loss journey is different for every person. What works for one person, may not work for another. Earlier this year, I interviewed one of my young athletes, Erin Shrout, about how she’d lost 75 pounds and what she’d learned along the way. Here are some highlights from that interview. I hope these provide you with inspiration and some insight and tools that you’ll find helpful as you navigate your own path to weight loss and fitness. Enjoy!
Erin, what got you ready to pull the trigger and get serious about losing the weight?
After having my first baby in 2009, I was bigger than I’d ever been. I hated buying clothes and I just wasn’t happy. My friend, Sarah, invited me to join her in Try a Tri. I thought she was crazy, but I signed up and started in January 2010. After attending the program’s nutrition workshop, I decided to start journaling what I was eating. And, although writing everything down took time and was hard, it made me realize that I had no idea what calories I’d been consuming, and that I had no knowledge about protein, carbohydrates and fats. Writing my food down really showed me that I’d been eating too much, eating out too often and in general just not stopping once I started eating.
Wow! That must have been a real eye opening!
It was. I followed the formula you gave us for figuring calories and every time I lost 10 pounds, I lowered my net calorie goal. It worked. By mid-may, I had lost 17 pounds.
That’s great. How’d you feel about losing 17 pounds?
It was slow! But, I really changed what I was eating and little by little it came off. I figured if I was losing it slowly that it would stay off. That’s been very true.
Ok, once you had lost 17 pounds, what was your next step?
I wanted to get to a total of 30 pounds off. At this point I knew I could do it! The formula worked, healthy foods worked and I was never hungry. By August, I had lost 31 pounds. People were starting to notice and my husband just kept supporting me! If you average it out, I was losing just under four pounds a month. I had learned patience and persistence at this point.
Next?
Well, next a group of us started the “no weight gain” challenge for the holidays. I joined the group, knowing it would provide me with motivation and accountability. But, I knew I didn’t want to just maintain during that period, I wanted to get to lose 20 more pounds and reach my goal of 50 pounds lost.
That’s a pretty tall goal during the holidays, especially considering the average American GAINS 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years, isn’t it?
Yes and no. The group really helped, but I was also very determined. I had one plate of food on Thanksgiving, eating normal portions and avoiding desserts. Now Christmastime, that was a little harder. There’s just food everywhere you know? I was not perfect, but I stayed the course and ended the year losing a total of 53.5 pounds.
Congrats! I know some days are harder than others, aren’t they?
It’s a process, a journey, you know? I’m not a big cook. I’m a picky eater. I had to learn to plan meals and stick to the plan. Sometimes, it was just a battle and I decided at some point that I was just going to do it.
What kept you motivated to win the battle?
My daughter. I want to set a good example for her. I want her to have a healthy self-image. I want her to take good care of herself and I want her to see me taking good care of myself. Also, it was my time. I had an internal sense of urgency to do this. It feels really good to be healthy, it really does.
I know you had a lot to learn. What resources did you use?
I found the website, myfood pyramid.gov, and that helped me a lot. I also, talked to friends and had them share recipes with me. I needed them to be relatively easy and healthy, and I quickly figured out it wasn’t hard to adapt and change a recipe to make it healthier. It’s pretty easy to improve a recipe.
Give me your top three things you’d tell someone who wants to lose some weight.
Well, number one is you have to start by keeping a food journal! You’ve got to know what you are putting in your mouth. Secondly, I’d tell them there is no quick fix! That’s the truth. You’ll have good days and good weeks and you’ll have bad days and bad weeks. But, you’ve got to get back to it. Don’t beat yourself up. You told us that weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise – that’s very true. The good days add up, so keep the focus. Lastly, surround yourself with people who will both support you and hold you accountable; People you can be real and honest with.
Excellent advice from someone who knows. You’ve now lost a total of 75 pounds right? What has surprised you the most so far in this journey?
Yes, 75 pounds. It is still hard for me to believe. One of the biggest surprises is that I am a size 6. I never imagined that I could be a size 6! I hope that doesn’t sound too shallow. At my heaviest, I was an 18 and I thought getting to an 8 would be amazing. I can run! I started out in Try a Tri having to walk to keep my heart rate in the right zone. But, now I run. My knees and hips don’t ache. I run with the same heart rate I used to walk with!
What’s your ultimate goal?
I’d like to get to 140. My husband said he’d buy me a new wardrobe. So, I want to get to 140, get the new clothes and then hopefully get pregnant again!
Awesome. I’ll bet you aren’t worried about losing the weight after the new baby are you?
No, because I know I can do it.
(Since this interview, Erin dropped to 145, and decided to hold there. Got some new clothes. Got pregnant. She’ll hit her goal of 140 after baby number two arrives. Of that I’m sure, aren’t you?)