Kathy Brown is 50 pounds lighter because she stopped carrying cash.
In 1994, at age 40, Kathy weighed 185 pounds. And she knew why: She just couldn’t resist those fast-food drive-thrus around her hometown of Atlanta. In fact, there were few days when Kathy didn’t hit one fast-food joint or another. The greasy breakfasts were her favorites, though she ate more than her share of cheeseburgers and fries, too.
Disillusioned by gaining so much weight, Kathy decided that her fast-food feasts had to end. But giving up what had become an almost daily event wouldn’t be easy. “I knew my weakness, so I had to figure out a way to overcome it,” she says. Her solution was to leave all of her cash at home. She had her bank cards and credit cards to cover other expenses, but no money for the drive-thru.
With fast foods all but gone from her diet, Kathy had to find something to fill the void. Vegetables and bread became her new dietary staples, supplemented by smaller amounts of fruits, dairy products, and other proteins. “I never used to eat vegetables, never. I didn’t even eat lettuce,” she says. “Now, I eat all kinds of vegetables. My problem was that I had never tried them, so I assumed that I didn’t like them.”
These days, a typical meal for Kathy is stir-fried vegetables sprinkled with soy sauce and served over rice, with a baguette on the side. When she craves the convenience of fast food, she reaches for a low-fat frozen entree, instead.
By improving her eating habits, Kathy was able to trim 50 pounds from her 5-foot-5 frame. She’s so confident of her ability to maintain her healthy weight of 135 pounds that she has even relaxed her fast-food ban. She treats herself to whatever she wants, but only once every 2 weeks—on payday.
WINNING ACTION
Detour around the fast-food route. Kathy found a unique way to break herself of the fast-food habit. In addition to traveling without cash (you may want to have some on hand in case of an emergency), you have a couple of other options. When you drive to and from work, use a route that doesn’t pass through the local fast-food district. And stock your glove compartment with nonperishable low-fat foods—pretzels, dried fruit, small boxes of cereal—to tide you over in case you get hungry.
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