Sometimes, it takes a breaking point to know change is needed. Pain, fatigue, and frustration pile up until something has to give way. That’s where Southern Shores resident Vicky Katona found herself. Struggling with chronic inflammation and a strong feeling of malaise, she could barely walk by the end of each day.
“It wasn’t about how I looked,” she recalls. “One day, I just realized I shouldn’t feel this bad.”
When her primary care provider Rachel Johnson, PA-C, of OBH Family Medicine–Nags Head confirmed her LDL levels were very high and she was in the diabetes range, it ignited something within Vicky that pushed her to give this transformation journey her all. Rachel encouraged her to visit Outer Banks Health’s Center for Healthy Living, where she met Family Nurse Practitioner Marielle Silk and Certified Life Coach Denise DePedro.
Vicky had tried a variety of weight loss programs over the years, but they delivered empty results and made keeping the weight off difficult. Marielle’s approach was different. After evaluating Vicky’s lifestyle, Marielle encouraged her to consider a plant-based diet but left the decision in her hands, asking how Vicky felt about it. It was less about restrictions and more about finding something that worked for her. Together, they found ways to implement the right foods, while Denise helped Vicky find ways to carry out this change in a sustainable, healthy way.
Vicky Katona, literally meaning “victorious warrior” in Hungarian, lived up to her name. After six months of making a change and giving up what felt like, “everything I enjoyed in life,” Vicky realized she enjoyed the social and emotional experience around food more than the actual meal. Committing to stay on the path Marielle and Denise had proposed, Vicky began noticing real, lasting, positive results. “This has been a big mental challenge, but I kept going and realized how much of me has changed. Now I’m here and it’s a lot easier, mentally.”
By that six-month mark, the cystic acne she’d battled for years through all the weight loss programs she tried cleared up completely, leaving her skin looking healthier and boosting her confidence, which helped her feel like herself again. Her weight loss, while gradual, was steady. Vicky, our warrior, made a life-changing breakthrough.
“It wasn’t like before, where I’d lose weight quickly and gain it all back,” she said. “I’m learning balance, and that’s something I never figured out before.”
Now, over a year and a half into her journey, she’s at her lowest weight in more than 30 years. Her hormones are balanced, her energy is back, her personality is bubbly and warm, and she can even wear heels again.
“I have a new lease on life,” she said with an exuberant smile. “Everything I cut out of my diet—I don’t even want back. I don’t have those cravings anymore. I’m so happy where I am.”
With the guidance of Marielle and Denise, she’s discovered what truly works for her. The combination of lifestyle changes and consistent, expert support made all the difference. “No one else gave me this kind of guidance,” she says. “I can’t thank them enough. I give all the credit to them.”
For Vicky, wellness isn’t just a number on the scale. It’s feeling like herself again and living the life she felt called to live, and now she has the tools on how to do it. Vicky Katona is, indeed, a victorious warrior.
