Karyn's Story

Like many, Karyn Brown was stuck on her weight loss journey. For two years starting in March 2002, the now 46-year-old treasury analyst from Richardson had worked hard and lost 55 pounds. Then after back surgery and two more years of frustrating workouts and starving herself, she plateaued. “I realized something was not right,” she says.

At the Baylor Tom Landry Health and Wellness Center she noticed a flier advertising a weight management program that utilized the dietitians from the Baylor University Medical Center Outpatient Nutrition Counseling Services. Although she was hesitant, she thought she would give it a try. This decision turned out to be the “beginning of my new weight loss quest.”

“I figured I had trusted every commercial diet plan out there and none of them had ever done the trick as far as lasting lifestyle change and weight loss, so it was time to give science a try,” says Karyn. “I vowed to follow this plan to the letter of the law and not interject anything I might believe. All the diet myths were out the window.”

She met with a Baylor dietitian who recommended several changes to her diet and eating routine, including eating smaller portions more often. Karyn also learned how to combine the right foods for the best results. “I learned how to mix a healthy carb with a protein and a healthy fat,” she says. “That is what makes this program easy to work with. They are not saying just eat chicken, rice and broccoli for lunch. They tell you to eat a lean protein, a carb and a healthy fat. They helped me learn what a good protein is, what a good carb is and from there, you can pick your own menu.”

Karyn also appreciated the “real world” approach offered by the Baylor dietitians. “Everybody’s busy,” says Karyn. “You don’t have time to be fixing a bunch of stuff. I walked in and immediately noticed sample boxes of real food that is readily available in the market – things you can substitute in your daily routine and eat much better, without sacrificing a bunch of time or giving up what you like.”

Once she began following the recommendations, Karyn saw the results she had hoped for. “I lost 25 more pounds, but it was not just in weight loss, as it was in inches and overall fat ratio,” she says. “I also brought my cholesterol down from 205 to 149 in 12 weeks.”

She has been so successful, her husband has also begun working with the Baylor Outpatient Nutrition Counseling Services. “We have learned if you eat right, the numbers are going to fall into line. I am a believer.”

Individual results may vary.