The sibling tandem of Keely and Kyle NeSmith, of Statesboro, were named second place winners of Weight Watchers “2007 Inspiring Stories of the Year.” Chosen from over 1,700 entries around the country, they were awarded with American Express gift certificates and Weight Watchers products. Combined, they lost 105 pounds over a six to eight month period.
Kyle and Keely work together daily, running their business NeSmith Construction.
Kyle said, point blank, that his sister talked him into going.
“She wanted someone to go with her and, since we work together and eat lunch together every day, I guess she thought I was the best candidate for the job,” said Kyle. “I was kind of skeptical — being a male going to Weight Watchers — I was kind of nervous about people finding out. But after I did it, lost the weight, started feeling better and was able to do things I couldn’t do before, I was proud I went.”
Lisa Craig, public relations director for the Southeast Region of Weight Watchers, said part of their decision to pick the NeSmiths is that they are brother and sister.
“One of the things we loved about their story was that they worked together and that they helped each other succeed,” said Craig. “We were delighted to have them attend weight watchers together. They are great representatives of our program.”
Keely explained her motivation to join Weight Watchers and why she felt it necessary to take her brother along for the ride.
“We both kind of struggled with weight for a long time, and I had really got to the point where I was sick of being overweight and not being able to keep up with my children,” Keely said. “Plus Kyle had sore feet. The combination made me think that I had to do something about it.”
She said it really helped to have someone there who could help her do right, especially on those days when she was stressed out and wanted to do something else.
“I needed a food buddy. We work together all the time, so I needed the support of somebody being there with me and I knew he needed the help — it was good for both of us,” she said. “I had never gone to a weight company before. I was going into the unknown and sometimes it can make you nervous going to a place you’ve never been by yourself.”
They said the biggest benefit to joining Weight Watchers was the education they received about eating properly.
“The biggest benefit was going to the meetings and learning what to eat and what we did not need to eat,” said Kyle. “Neither one of us knew what a correct portion was or what fruits and vegetables we needed to eat.”
Keely echoed the value of the education.
“We learned that even fast food can be healthy. We’re always on the go - but you can find healthy alternatives at fast food restaurants,” said Keely. “I always thought, ‘ugh, who wants a salad or a grilled chicken sandwich,’ but they’re pretty good. Once you get your mind set that it’s good and you don’t need a lot of food to fill you up, it worked. We found things that we’re very healthy and that were good, but we didn’t know existed before we joined Weight Watcher’s.”
“They give you a dining out guide,” she added. “So regardless of where you go, you can find something that works for you. We found the salads at Holiday Pizza are fabulous.”
Both of them said the commitment to lose the weight was not without added cost. In fact, each of them said it was a bit more expensive to live a healthy lifestyle — but worth it.
“Between the cost of Weight Watchers and all the new clothes, my husband says he needs a raise. But it’s all good,” said Keely. “I did retool the wardrobe — I lost six dress sizes. Is that a good way of saying it without saying it? That is a very exciting thing - to buy clothes that are of an appropriate size. It was fun. That was the highlight.”
“I had to go out and buy new clothes,” Kyle said. “The biggest thing for me was that my waist went from 38 and now I’m maintaining a 34 - so I lost about four to five inches. I was wearing XL shirts and now I’m in medium shirts.”
Kyle also added that feeling better was worth the added expense.
“Eating healthy is not inexpensive either, but once you make your mind up about losing weight and you want to feel better about daily activities ,the money is secondary,” said Kyle. “It’s worth it because it definitely makes you feel better, gives you more energy, makes your mind sharper and makes everything you do during the day work better.”
“Definitely made my feet feel better.”
Kyle and Keely work together daily, running their business NeSmith Construction.
Kyle said, point blank, that his sister talked him into going.
“She wanted someone to go with her and, since we work together and eat lunch together every day, I guess she thought I was the best candidate for the job,” said Kyle. “I was kind of skeptical — being a male going to Weight Watchers — I was kind of nervous about people finding out. But after I did it, lost the weight, started feeling better and was able to do things I couldn’t do before, I was proud I went.”
Lisa Craig, public relations director for the Southeast Region of Weight Watchers, said part of their decision to pick the NeSmiths is that they are brother and sister.
“One of the things we loved about their story was that they worked together and that they helped each other succeed,” said Craig. “We were delighted to have them attend weight watchers together. They are great representatives of our program.”
Keely explained her motivation to join Weight Watchers and why she felt it necessary to take her brother along for the ride.
“We both kind of struggled with weight for a long time, and I had really got to the point where I was sick of being overweight and not being able to keep up with my children,” Keely said. “Plus Kyle had sore feet. The combination made me think that I had to do something about it.”
She said it really helped to have someone there who could help her do right, especially on those days when she was stressed out and wanted to do something else.
“I needed a food buddy. We work together all the time, so I needed the support of somebody being there with me and I knew he needed the help — it was good for both of us,” she said. “I had never gone to a weight company before. I was going into the unknown and sometimes it can make you nervous going to a place you’ve never been by yourself.”
They said the biggest benefit to joining Weight Watchers was the education they received about eating properly.
“The biggest benefit was going to the meetings and learning what to eat and what we did not need to eat,” said Kyle. “Neither one of us knew what a correct portion was or what fruits and vegetables we needed to eat.”
Keely echoed the value of the education.
“We learned that even fast food can be healthy. We’re always on the go - but you can find healthy alternatives at fast food restaurants,” said Keely. “I always thought, ‘ugh, who wants a salad or a grilled chicken sandwich,’ but they’re pretty good. Once you get your mind set that it’s good and you don’t need a lot of food to fill you up, it worked. We found things that we’re very healthy and that were good, but we didn’t know existed before we joined Weight Watcher’s.”
“They give you a dining out guide,” she added. “So regardless of where you go, you can find something that works for you. We found the salads at Holiday Pizza are fabulous.”
Both of them said the commitment to lose the weight was not without added cost. In fact, each of them said it was a bit more expensive to live a healthy lifestyle — but worth it.
“Between the cost of Weight Watchers and all the new clothes, my husband says he needs a raise. But it’s all good,” said Keely. “I did retool the wardrobe — I lost six dress sizes. Is that a good way of saying it without saying it? That is a very exciting thing - to buy clothes that are of an appropriate size. It was fun. That was the highlight.”
“I had to go out and buy new clothes,” Kyle said. “The biggest thing for me was that my waist went from 38 and now I’m maintaining a 34 - so I lost about four to five inches. I was wearing XL shirts and now I’m in medium shirts.”
Kyle also added that feeling better was worth the added expense.
“Eating healthy is not inexpensive either, but once you make your mind up about losing weight and you want to feel better about daily activities ,the money is secondary,” said Kyle. “It’s worth it because it definitely makes you feel better, gives you more energy, makes your mind sharper and makes everything you do during the day work better.”
“Definitely made my feet feel better.”