Local woman loses 100 lbs through diet and dedication.

Nikki Ciciora of Vicksburg has lost 100 lbs since her weight loss journey began.

“I’ve always wanted to get back to my BMI,” said Ciciora. To achieve this goal, she consulted Dietitian Michael Abernathy, RD, LD. through BlueCross & BlueShield of Mississippi.

Ciciora explained how she experienced setbacks along the way, “My original journey started in 2014 when I was at my heaviest, 234… I lost 63 lbs and then the pandemic happened and it went right back up.” Disheartened, but far from giving up, she explored options for keeping motivated. “I gotta do something,” she said to herself, which is when she met her dietitian for the first time in 2021.

One of the hardest challenges, Ciciora came to realize, was trusting the process.

“I would have so many do-overs, because I would get frustrated thinking, I’m not losing weight quick enough, but I had to have a tough-love talk with myself,” Ciciora explained, “You’ve got to mentally prepare.” Ciciora had to accept that the progress would occur at the right pace. “There’s no quick fix,” Ciciora said.

Besides her dietitian, Ciciora credited her husband for being supportive of her journey. “I cook a little bit, but he’s the cook,” said Ciciora describing how her husband David helped her with portion control which she explained could be as simple as “cutting things in half,” to dial back on calories.

A dedicated member of community theatre in Vicksburg, both in the Vicksburg Theatre Guild and at the Strand, Ciciora found further motivation in performance. In show’s such as Footloose and Young Frankenstein, choreographed dances kept her active and encouraged her to be healthier: “All that dancing, I thought, ‘I gotta take this weight loss more seriously.”

Not concerned with how society measures weight or beauty, Ciciora stressed how important just being healthy was to her. “I’m not focused on being the skinniest or wearing a bikini every day. I want to feel good and I like the way I look.”

When asked what she would like to say to someone who is just starting their own journey or is in the middle of it but struggling, Ciciora offered the following advice:

“Just breathe, take it a day at a time and say ‘I can do this.’ Surround yourself with a supportive group of people and just do things your way,” said Ciciora, concluding how every journey is a personal process, “Don’t even think of it as a diet; It’s a lifestyle change.”