Success story: Fran Kelly

Fran Kelly, before and after

Amount lost: 25.8 pounds
How: First Place 4 Heath program

Fran Kelly blamed her excessive weight on an “extremely hard childhood.”

She battled emotional, physical and sexual abuse for more than 10 years. She found comfort in food, during stress, sadness, happiness or “whatever the mood was.”

She first joined First Place 4 Health, a Christian weight loss program that encourages participants to strengthen their faith while making lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off. She lost weight, but gained it back when she left the program.

“I’ve struggled with my weight most of my life and before I knew it I was over 225 pounds,” she said. “My doctors told me the same old story we all hear but God was telling me something different. Get healthy for ‘me’ and with God leading the way I knew I could.”

In February, she returned to First Place weighing 214.6 pounds, and with the help of a friend, lost 25.8 pounds.

In addition to the weight loss, “God also brought wonderful spiritual leaders to guide me through this session,” she said. “The friends I’ve made give amazing comfort and encouragement and the Bible study keeps me grounded and continually leads me to a closer relationship with God.”

Kelly said she hopes others can find what she’s found in the program.

“I knew that only by God’s grace, he pulled me through this and made me the person I am today,” she said. “God is doing wonderful and mighty things in my life and showing me how to live and eat healthy is just the beginning.”