“I would tell people that if they want to lose weight or if they’re having a struggle in losing weight, to take it slow, really slow. Slowly try each day.”
For 25 years, Olga Perina lived in the Czech Republic. During that time, she barely ate any fast food, but enjoyed the local dumplings and cabbage dishes. Then in May 2016, her mom died and she moved back to the United States. As she coped with her grief and the move, she turned to American food for comfort.
After years of enjoying “delicious” fast food, she was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease in fall 2020. “It was very overwhelming because it’s a shocker,” she said. “When I found out , I went to Dairy Queen and I had a BR Blast, and that was the last ice cream I ever had.” When Olga Perina's doctors wanted her to exercise and follow a heart healthy diet, she first said no. But then her health worsened, and she decided she needed to do something about it.would boost her quality of life. She started adding in more fish, fruit and vegetables into her diet. To help her, she used the Lose It! app, which made it easier for her to track her calories and eat proper portion sizes. At first, she lost weight quickly and worried.