VW woman keeps New Year’s resolution

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

It’s a new year, and a new life, for Katie Dickinson-Mosier. The formerly quiet and shy 20-something has a fresh outlook on life after losing 83 pounds (and counting) in 2012.

With a new husband on her arm, a new attitude and a new (and much smaller) wardrobe, Dickinson-Mosier is less than 20 pounds away from her goal of losing 100 pounds. She spent New Year’s Eve morning at her home away from home, the Van Wert YMCA, sweating buckets on the treadmill, determined to finally get to her goal weight.

Her weight loss journey began, simply enough, when her then-boyfriend, Jason Mosier, popped the question August 31, 2011. “When I got engaged, I just kept thinking I didn’t want to be a fat bride,” she said, adding, “I really wanted to look good in my dress.”

Less than a month after becoming engaged, she began her journey and slowly, and surely, the pounds began to melt away. “It honestly didn’t seem achievable to me at first,” she said. “And in those beginning months, I thought I’d never get there.”

She did get there, and in October 2012, Dickinson-Mosier proudly showed off her hard work when she walked down the aisle in a dress that was half the size of her pre-weight loss dress. “I was too scared to get a smaller dress, so I got one that fit me before I lost any weight,” she said. “But it got too little for it. It was the best feeling when I started fitting into smaller clothes.”

The new physique came with a new attitude and a renewed spirit to get out and experience life. “It’s hard not to picture myself how I used to be,” she said, adding “but I have so much more energy now. I’m definitely more comfortable doing things.”

Describing her old self as “far from outgoing,” Dickinson-Mosier has noticed not only a change in herself, but also how others perceive her. “It just seems like people treat me differently now…like they’re more friendly to me now since I’ve lost weight,” she said.

While she has suffered the occasional setback, “I get so mad at myself if I gain a pound,” Dickinson-Mosier is staying the course and typically runs anywhere from three to six miles a day. “I’m really hoping to get to do a half-marathon this summer,” she said.

Along with a daily exercise regimen, Dickinson-Mosier had to completely adjust her lifestyle and focus on not only how much she was eating, but what she was eating. “I eat food now that I never would have imagined I would like,” she said. “I was really picky and didn’t like a lot, so before I would just eat pizza or other bad stuff.”

She gave up soda about three years ago when she developed kidney stones, and she’s replaced French fries with fruit…a lot of it. “I eat tons of fruit now,” she said. “I also eat turkey sandwiches and salads and just try to change it up.”

At 24 years old, Dickinson-Mosier is intent on staying healthy and maintaining an acceptable weight. “I broke my back when I was eleven years old, and I gained a lot of weight then because I literally couldn’t move,” she said. “I played sports all through high school, but I just couldn’t get the weight to come off. I would yo-yo back and forth all the time.”

As the new year rings in, Dickinson-Mosier is concentrating on keeping her weight off, and losing the last 20 pounds she needs to reach her goal. “Hopefully I’ll get there before my 25th birthday, which is May 31st,” she said. “Honestly, anyone can do this if they put their mind to it. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m such a different person now. I’m not grumpy anymore and I’m so much more outgoing. I’m just all around a better person.”

Dickinson-Mosier is grateful to the YMCA for providing the facility she needed to help her along in her journey. “Honestly, just get a membership,” she said. “Once you lose that first pound, you feel that sense of accomplishment and it just keeps getting better as you keep going. If I can do it, anyone can do it.”