Every year people make New Year’s resolutions and for most, these resolutions soon die out, not making it into the month of February. Many set goals for themselves to lose weight and to change their eating habits, but within weeks they find themselves falling back into old habits. That can be said for most, but not all. Junior Katey Brawley made a resolution and has not looked back since.
According to Brawley, she decided in January 2012 that she wanted to try to lose 50 pounds and eventually lose 100 pounds. She was determined to reach her goal.
“I’ve always struggled with weight…” Brawley said. “Everyone always sets a New Year’s resolution, but I was determined to do it. So I went to the doctor in January and told him I wanted to lose weight, but that I also wanted to make it a habit.”
The doctor devised a plan for Brawley to help keep her accountable; once a month, Brawley goes in to weigh in at the doctor’s office. She said she keeps count of her calories on her iPhone using her My Fitness Pal app. Brawley said that losing weight has not involved doing anything out of the ordinary, but simply exercising, staying away from fast food and starchy foods and keeping track of calories as her doctor suggested.
So far Brawley has lost 112 pounds with her ultimate goal being to lose 175.
“I feel so much better, obviously, and it’s really encouraging when people tell you that they can tell that you have lost weight,” Brawley said. “I know that’s silly, but it makes me feel better that people can notice, and pairing that with just feeling better and having more energy has been my motivation… People have definitely been an encouragement.”
Brawley said being in school has presented some challenges, especially with balancing her school schedule and trying to make time for exercising and cooking her own food. During the breaks, she said she has more time to focus on her goal and to work out and make wise decisions concerning her diet. Convenience and time are both items that Brawley said have been the biggest challenges throughout her journey, but are things she has learned to overcome and replace with healthy habits.
“Our age is kind of the best time to get in habit,” Brawley said. “We’re at our peak and we’re forming habits that we will most likely hand down to our children, so I think this is really the time to make changes.”
Brawley said one of the greatest achievements for her has been being able to clean out her closet and get rid of clothes that she could not wear anymore. She said a lot of times you cannot really tell how much weight you have lost until you put clothes on and realize they are too big. She has been able to donate her old clothes to people who needed them, which has been a blessing, Brawley said.
