A New Beginning

To all my dear friends at Kimkins,

Over the last several weeks I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, researching, praying, crying, reading, and reaching to confirm and determine for myself thoughts and viewpoints that are my own. God places each of us specifically where He wants us to be at given points in time so that, unknowingly even, we can have tremendous impact on this world. Such a time came for me when I discovered Kimkins.

I was at a point of desperation that many if not most of you know all too well. I had lost control of my life and my eating habits. I was centered in a lifestyle that served me. I ate what I wanted because it felt good. I turned to food as a comfort and a friend when I should have been looking up. I titled my blog when it began “My Total Transformation” because I truly believed that is what the Lord was going to be doing through me. And it has been.

I do not and have not ever denied that Kimkins worked for me. I was elated that it worked. FAST! I followed the plan to the letter, measuring weighing, counting carbs, proteins, fats, and yes even calories. The quick loss just fueled my motivation to want more. The compliments flew at me as quickly as the pounds were flying off and my head swelled. People were noticing me and I wasn’t hiding any longer. People liked what they saw when they saw me. For those of you who have struggled for so long like I have, you know what an amazing feeling that must be. But, what was I doing? Really? Had I traded one selfish obsession for another?

My reasoning was that because the program was working so fast that it had to be good. Never having low carb dieted before I never even considered doing “research” and blindly accepted the first thing that sounded reasonable to me. After all, we’ve all been raised that Low Fat is good, and now Low Carb is the way to go to really get those pounds off. But, I also have discovered that I believe there is a certain order to the way that God created our bodies to function. He would not create something for us that was not healthy. After all… didn’t He look at His creation and say “IT IS GOOD.” So while I do agree and whole heartedly support that there is everything to be said for protein sources to be lean, and eating fresh vegetables, there is also something to the fact that God created things like whole grains and fruit for our bodies as well. However, I saw those things as a short term sacrifice for a long term gain. But sacrifice at what cost?

I must confess to you at this time that I did have some side effects of my drastic weight loss. Neither one was of concern to my doctors and were reasoned out and treated. But, I feel as if I do not disclose them to you, it would not be honest. My hair began falling out the month before I began maintenance. I upped my biotin intake to no avail. Becoming concerned I started asking different stylists and they recommended a certain scalp treatment which after increasing my biotin levels even further seem to have stopped my hair loss. The other side effect I had due to the loss of estrogen was a loss of my monthly cycle for about 5 months. Again, this has been corrected by my doctor and is no longer of concern.

My time with Kimkins was filled with love, support, encouragement, and most of all friends. I love you all dearly and I hope at this time you can accept my reasons for needing to move on, some of which are my own. I want to encourage you all though. Do not let my leaving discourage your weight loss efforts. Many, many of you have told me that I inspired you and showed you that there is hope that you can lose weight and finally have a chance at a “normal” life. This doesn’t have to change. Please continue in your journey, however, I do want you to be safe. Please make sure you run your eating plan by your doctor. Show him your menus and guidelines. Just because you are eating low carb does not mean starving yourself. Your body does have certain needs which for your health you cannot ignore. Low carb does not mean high fat. It does not mean no fat either, though. Really look at how I inspired you. It was your heart, the way you view weight loss. I showed you that it is possible, but YOU have done the rest. You made up your mind and determined that this would be your time. It still is. Don’t lose hope, you can make a better healthier life for yourself.

God brought Kimkins into my life at just the right time. He taught so much from my time there, things that are good that I had never known or forgotten. Portion control, learning to listen to my body, and the phenomenal strength there comes in numbers are just a few of the amazing things that I discovered during my journey. Believe me when I tell you that God has used each of you to touch my life in a way I never dreamed possible. I know that with each of your support maintaining my weight loss is not just a pipe dream, but a reality.

Weight loss maintenance is not about the program. It is about the person. True maintenance begins in your heart. Learn to listen to your body and feed it what you know is good for you. Know what will only take you back down the path that you do not want to go.

There is so much more to say, but I do not feel this is the time or place.

I am not leaving my friends. Please do continue to contact me through my blog here, and via email. I would love to speak with you. This is not the end…. But a bright new beginning. I have so many things that God is working in my heart to share with you all. I am excited and joyful over what He is going to accomplish in my life. I will eventually find a new home to begin posting on again, but for now, I am going to take some valuable reflection time with my family and a time to discover all that He is bringing to me. I look forward to a new journey with all of you!

I love you all,

Christin