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Shedding pounds requires a commitment

Rasmussen makes a point of following the WeightWatchers program to success
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Kevin Rasmussen was much bigger in his face and upper body previously. He knew he had to do something to slim down. (Photos submitted)

(This is the fifth in a series of articles on local people who’ve attained a substantial weight loss).

Kevin Rasmussen considers himself a very private person. Putting himself out there for all the world to see is definitely pushing the limits of his comfort zone.

But Rasmussen, who turns 56 in April, feels it’s important to share his story about a massive 110-pound weight loss and hopes it will help others struggling with the same issue that plagues so many people in their lifetime.

Rasmussen, who grew up in Chemainus and has been a longtime resident of Ladysmith, is well-known throughout the area. He’s a big guy at six-foot-five, but felt his weight had gotten away on him and he had to do something.

Rasmussen weighed 374.6 pounds on Jan. 8 0f last year, 2018, and “I’ve never been on a diet in my life,” he conceded.

Rasmussen and wife Christina decided to go on the WeightWatchers program, now known simply as WW, together. Slightly more than a year later, Rasmussen is down to 265 pounds and looks rather svelte at that weight for his size.

“So many people would go on WeightWatchers and fail,” he noted. “The most important thing is you have to find foods that are good for you and fill you up. If they don’t fill you up, you’re snacking all the time.”

Rasmussen said his weight reduction was fairly consistent throughout the year that bodes well for him to keep it off.

“I’ve gone a month, a month and a half where I didn’t lose anything,” he noted.

But Rasmussen lost enough at other times for a significant weight loss overall.

During his youth, Rasmussen had an early growth spurt and towered over rival players as he progressed through minor hockey. He continued to play hockey for several years as an adult that kept his weight in check, but said over time, “I just slowly got bigger and bigger.”

After hitting the weight he considered above and beyond where he should be, Rasmussen set the wheels in motion.

“My first 70 to 80 pounds, I never did anything,” Rasmussen conceded. “It was all eating, no exercise.”

A change at work to a more physical position has helped him balance food intake with the necessary increase in activity.

“I never thought I’d be in this position ever,” Rasmussen pointed out.

Following WeightWatchers’ point system worked out better than he imagined.

“Honest to god, it was easy,” he said. “I found these foods, I like them.”

Rasmussen started out with a food intake of 55 points per day and has since reduced it to 40. He’s found he can still eat many delicious foods within those guidelines and it’s not too restrictive.

“There’s other aspects of the food you have to be concerned with,” he added.

Cholesterol in eggs and sugars in fruit all have to be considered, but Rasmussen said it all comes down to shedding longtime habits.

“You’ve got to be committed,” he noted. “You’ve got to take an attitude you can cheat if you want, but you’re only hurting yourself.

“It’s not a diet for me anymore, it’s a life change.”

Rasmussen figures he could still stand to lose another 30 pounds to get down to around 240 and stay there.

He knows what he can eat now whether he stays on WeightWatchers longer or not and will just need to add another element.

“The gym is the next thing on my list,” Rasmussen emphasized.

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Kevin Rasmussen knew he had to do something to slim down. (Photo submitted)
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Life was too much of a beach, Kevin Rasmussen finally decided. (Photo submitted)


Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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