continued...

The key to success

What has been most important to Jaci's success?

"Sticking with it. I know people who have lost 100 pounds in a year," she says. "It's taken me 4 years, and I feel like I know how to do it and I know what I'm doing. I feel like I have a better chance of keeping it off.

"I think if you lose weight too fast, it could come back just as quickly as you lost it." She thinks people who do crash dieting haven't had "the chance to really learn what their body needs and doesn't need. I think if you lose weight too quickly, for one, you're not doing something right, something healthy.

"A lot of people I hear, they cut stuff out of their diet in order to lose weight. I don't think that's healthy. I don't think you can always keep something out of your diet-like a food group or a type of food. If you want a hamburger and french fries, have a hamburger and french fries. Just have it in moderation."

"I don't like to say I can't have something. That's when I feel it's more a diet than a lifestyle change."

The importance of support

Jaci is part of a weight-loss program with regular weigh-ins and meetings. "That's a big thing for me, being held accountable."

She likes to go to the meetings for "the ideas and the struggles. Seeing other people go through the same thing is probably the best part about the meetings."

"Once people started noticing and saying, 'Wow, you look great,' even after 10, 15 pounds... that gave me the confidence to know, ?Hey, I can do this.' "

Jaci's story reflects her experiences as told in an interview. The photograph is not of Jaci, to protect her privacy.

For more information, see the topics:

• Weight Management.
• Healthy Eating.