Wash. woman shares her big weight loss tips Tips For Your Family's Health

Wash. woman shares her big weight loss tips

November 7th, 2010 Leo Dicks Leave a comment Go to comments

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — A woman in Ridgefield, Washington is getting national attention for her major weight loss success. She lost the weight of an entire extra person and then some.

“I look at those pants and I can’t believe that was me,” Renee Kuhn said.

Two years ago, Renee Kuhn could barely fit into those XXL-6X-sized pants. She was pushing 400 pounds.

“I used to wear these when I weighed my highest,” she said while holding up the pants. “Now it makes me happy because I know I’m going to be here when my son has kids.”

She committed to losing weight because she realized if she didn’t, she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be alive.

“I wanted to be there for my son and watch him grow up. I wanted to see him get married and I knew on the path I was heading down that I would not see any of that,” she said.

Renee joined Weight Watchers, an intimidating feat at first, she said, for someone who had never been on an organized weight loss plan before.

“I remember her sitting by the door, kind of one leg off to the side, just in case she had to make a fast exit because she knew no one in the room; she just came in all by herself,” said Bee Tipp, Kuhn’s Weight Watchers leader.

With the help of Tipp, other coaches and friends, Kuhn learned to eat right, read labels and start moving.

When Kuhn first started her weight loss program, she could only manage to walk about five minutes each day. Then, she worked her way up to ten. Now, she and her walking partner are up to 3.5 miles each day.

“You can’t just start out running. You have to build your strength up. You have to build your body up,” said Kuhn.

Then, she set another goal.

“I decided that this year is huge for me. I’m turning 40 and what a better present to give myself than to reach my weight goal?”

The night before she turned 40, she reached her goal weight of 144 pounds. She has now lost a total of 252 pounds and wears size 8 pants.

“You have to stop making excuses. You’re not too old, you’re not too young and you’re never too heavy,” said Tipp.

Kuhn added, “it’s never too late to start. Start now. Move a little bit everyday.”

Kuhn was recently named one of the nation’s Weight Watchers’ role models of the year. She said she has ten more pounds to go to reach what medical experts say would be her ideal healthy weight.

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