Medical weight loss program helps Katie shed pounds, make better choices

By Angela Foytack

“Last summer I saw pictures of myself, and I decided I wasn’t going to look like that anymore.”

Black Diamond resident Katie Russell was interested in surgical weight loss, but her insurance wouldn’t cover it. So she started the MultiCare Medical Weight Loss program on Sept. 27, 2016.

She met with Karyn Harkins, MD, and a nutritionist and started following a 1,400-calorie diet.

“I log everything I eat, even if it’s a morsel,” she says. “And MyFitnessPal is my BFF.”

Russell was used to eating lots of sugar.

“My downfall is candy, gummy worms, jelly beans, cake,” she says.

Her dietician Jackie Crews has helped her not only make better food choices, but given her coping skills to help with her emotional eating.

“Jackie has given me so many tools. It’s not just the food, she works with me on my stress and anxiety,” says Russell. “It’s about how you’re feeling mentally.”

She’s also upped her game with exercise. She had a gym membership, but it wasn’t part of her regular routine. Now she goes to the gym three times a week. She started swimming and will soon be adding boot camp classes to her schedule.

Russell has worked hard to lose more than 40 pounds in the past few months, and her cholesterol is down 37 points.

“You get out what you put into it,” she says. “You have to hold yourself accountable. It’s not easy.”

But with all that work comes reward. Russell is enjoying adventures that she didn’t think were possible before she lost the weight.

“On a recent trip we went on a hike and then ziplining,” she says. “There’s no way I could have done that before.”

Learn more about MultiCare’s Medical Weight Loss program