No diets, no programs, Kate Smith took charge of her health – and is now a fitness instructor
By Lynn Colburn
Kate Smith never dreamed of teaching a fitness class. Smith’s wake-up moment: “It was July [2022] and I went to put my shoe on for work and I was struggling to put my foot up on my knee and I thought, ‘This is ridiculous, something has to change. I can’t live like this forever.’”
She and her husband, Mike, were about to have their Fourth of July cookout and she said, “It is going to be hard to start now.”
Kate Smith has always had an eating addiction, she says, “But it has gotten worse and worse over the years.”
She and her husband agreed to start their weight loss journey after that cookout. She shares, “So, we started together and that helped a lot. I knew it was the right time, it just felt different. We just went for it. I’ve tried to diet before, but something was different this time.”
Smith shares exactly what was different this time: “This time I didn’t deprive myself of any foods. I didn’t restrict ice cream or cookies or anything. I just eat it in moderation now, way less. Instead of a whole sleeve of Oreos, I eat two or three … or take a handful of chips out of the bag and then put the bag back. It gave me some control. It was mind over matter for me. I learned I just needed just that taste, enough to satisfy the craving, without going overboard. You learn little tricks to do to help you like setting your fork down between bites to slow yourself down, giving your body time to register the fact that you’re eating, because it takes like 15 minutes to register.”
“As I keep saying, something was different this time, I don’t know. It actually worked and I’ve sustained it. I was able to do it all on my own. No medications, no powders, no pills, no program. Calorie deficit, so that’s what I chose. And then I worked out at home for about six months first doing walking videos and some Jillian Michaels [American fitness trainer] stuff. Then I said, ‘I think I’m ready for the next step — a gym membership. So, I chose the [Bob Freesen YMCA] because there was a different vibe here. I felt like I wasn’t going to be judged. It is a good environment. It makes you want to be here. I looked forward to coming and seeing everybody here every day. It is such a supportive community. Very uplifting and encouraging. I’m so glad I picked the Y! I bought my membership in January and my husband got a gym membership, too, so that helped. Kept each other accountable.”
Even though they could not go at the same time, Kate and Mike Smith talked about their gym experiences. Telling each other about specifics or exercises motivated them both. Kate Smith says, “And then I started to join classes, I did PiYo and MOVE! and Spin with Mary in the mornings.”
This all led up to Smith becoming a spin teacher herself. She finds it funny when she thinks about initially taking the Spin with Mary class as a student, “because I never in a million years thought I’d be a spin teacher!”
She continues, “I was never active at all, I would cringe at the thought of exercise. And now I’m the spin teacher. It is just weird how life works. So that is a really big accomplishment … it keeps me motivated. Because I’m here Monday through Thursday regardless now because I have to teach. But I love it!”
Smith became a spin instructor at the YMCA in November 2023. She shares, “Spin is more than just bike riding. It’s intense. It is a lot of cardio, but I love cardio. I think I have the best luck with cardio. I also walk on the treadmill, the sometimes I do some little arm workouts and I do MOVE! class on Thursdays.”
The feedback she has received has been great: “I actually saw an old co-worker the other day who I hadn’t seen in four years and he said, ‘Where did the other half of you go?’ because I have lost like a half of a person now.”
Smith weighed 207 pounds when she started her weight loss journey on July 5, 2022. She says she lost 35 pounds at home on her own and then lost the other 35 pounds at the Y, which allowed her to meet her goal of losing 70 pounds.
“I wanted to be 137 [pounds]. I reached my goal April 3, 2023. So it took me a long time, 21 months, but I did it slow and steady and I wasn’t in a hurry. I just wanted to do it a healthy way. As far as clothes I was wearing a size 16 jeans and now I’m a size 6. And shirts I was wearing a 2X and now I’m down to a medium. I even lost a shoe size! I was a size 9 wide and now an 8, not even wide anymore. My feet were so swollen!”
The focus for Smith was the readout on the scale. “I was scale-focused, other people have different focuses such as pants size or something like that. I probably wouldn’t recommend being so scale-focused, I weighed about 4 or 5 times a week because I didn’t want to go up and your body naturally fluctuates some.”
Smith states, “It is crazy to look back and pictures now and see myself, but I’m glad I took those pictures. The weight didn’t change who I was, but I feel so much better mentally. You feel healthier. I can run around and play with my son [Westley, 6] now and simple things like housework I felt tired.”
Not only has Kate Smith made huge strides in her weight loss journey, but husband Mike has also lost 70 pounds.
She encourages everyone, “If I can do it, anybody can. I mean that. It takes hard work and dedication. You can say I want lose weight all you want but you have to want to put in the work and take it one step at a time. It won’t happen unless you’re serious.”
Smith shares more thoughts, “My advice is take your time. Find what works for you. Don’t rush. You have more time to tone your body if you aren’t doing it too fast. I think I would have had a lot more loose skin if I had just done it with food alone and not worked out at the same time. My other advice is, don’t do it to be skinny, do it to be healthy. You will live longer and better in the long run. Also, be patient and persistent. It took a while to put it on, it takes a while to take it off. People need to remember that it takes 21 days to form a habit.”
She adds that it is also important to look at working out as a lifestyle, not a chore: “Make it a hobby. It is you time. Everyone needs a little of that. Something that you are doing for yourself to feel better. Find something you like to do, do it with a friend or group you like.”
Smith ends by saying, “I feel good because I proved to myself I can do something that is hard. I have the patience and I have the wisdom to accomplish things like that! I put in the work and accomplished a goal.”
