SUCCESS STORY / Kimberly D. Boykin, 51: From 326 pounds to 220 pounds
Former weight: 326 pounds
Current weight: 220 pounds
Pounds lost: 106 pounds
Height: 5 feet 3 inches
Age: 51 years
How long she's kept it off: She started in May 2017 and reached her current weight in July, but she plans to lose 3o more pounds.
Personal life: "I work for Delta Air Lines," said Boykin, who lives in Atlanta. "I'm a single mom, my son is a junior in college."
Turning point: "My turning point was last year when I really got serious," Boykin said. "I battled with weight most of my adult life after I had my son. My brother passed away in May 2017, he was only 41. He was diabetic, he didn't take good care of himself. I started thinking, I need to start controlling what I can control. I can control what I put in my mouth. … I didn't want to leave my family like my brother left us." Last year, she decided to have weight-loss surgery. "Even with the weight-loss surgery, so many people think the weight will just fall off, but it doesn't — you have to work at it. … Why go through all that and be right back where you were two or three years later? I had my surgery in October, and I got a personal trainer in December."
Diet plan: Breakfast is a protein shake along with eggs and bacon. Lunch and dinner are a salad with salmon, shrimp or chicken.
Exercise routine: She works out three days a week with a personal trainer. "With her I do core. … She's getting tougher because these last 30 pounds are the toughest to get off," Boykin said.
Biggest challenge: "Honestly, it's mind over matter," she said. "What took so long for me to get started and stick with it was believing I could do it. … Not allowing life to set you back, when you experience a lot of tragedy and a lot of loss. Not knowing what to do with those emotions, you go back to what you know — that has been a challenge. Got to keep people around you that will support you. … Know that it's OK to have a setback because you can reset from a setback."
How life has changed: "I told somebody one day you don't know you don't feel good until you feel good," Boykin said. "You go around thinking you are working at 100 percent, but until you are working at 100 percent, you don't know it. … I have a different perspective on life now. I want to help my other friends that are dealing with the same weight issue. I want them to realize if I can do it, they can do it, too. … I can wear clothes I never thought I'd be able to wear. I can sit on that airplane and not wear a seat-belt extender. I can sit in a middle seat and feel like I am not imposing on somebody else. I fly for free wherever there's an open seat. … To be able to sit anywhere on the plane — that is huge to me."
Share Your Success: Each week, Success Stories focuses on an individual’s unique weight loss journey. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not endorse any specific weight loss program but includes names and links for the benefit of readers who want further information. Have you lost weight successfully with a healthy lifestyle change? If you would like to share your story with our readers, please include your email address, phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG), and contact us at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
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