"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09.appNavStyle = 7; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09.bDhtml = 0; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09.appLayout = 2; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09.copyHeight = 540; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09.copyWidth = 580; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09.copyMargin = 9; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i++] = new Array("","Gregg before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/111609_JFC_Gregg.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "236", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Gregg McBride, a 36-year-old writer from Los Angeles, can recall being teased for his weight at an incredibly young age: in the first grade.
He spent the next 30 years going on and off various weight-loss programs and diet fads until he finally reached over 450 pounds. “I tried every diet out there: the wacky ones, the public ones, the dangerous ones,” he recalls. “But I just kept getting bigger and bigger.”
Since Gregg was a large child, his parents were often strict about his food intake, particularly candy and junk food. But instead of reducing his dependency on food, the constant emphasis on junk food only made him crave it even more, and he would sneak off into his room to devour snacks purchased with money taken from his father’s wallet. “They thought they were helping,” Gregg said. “But in hindsight, I can see that they created a forbidden fruit. I ate junk food like it was going out of style.”
Gregg’s daily intake included soda for breakfast; several cartons of Chinese food and milkshakes for lunch; and a family-of-four-size meal from a fast-food restaurant for dinner, with a whole bag of cookies for dessert. Then he would throw away any leftovers, vowing each night: “Tomorrow I change my life forever.”
During one low point in high school, Gregg went on a desperate liquid fast and didn’t consume solid food for weeks. But when he spotted a half-eaten bag of potato chips in his trash, he stared at it for an hour before finally reaching in and devouring it. “Food had such a control over me, and I would succumb to that control time and time again,” Gregg said. “There seemed to be no hope.”
Three decades of struggling against his own body took their toll on Gregg. One day, a coworker turned to him and exclaimed “Just stop eating so much!” The comments were hurtful, but they resonated with Gregg. He knew he needed to curb his addiction.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Gregg had difficulty moving, but he forced himself to add a bit of exercise to his daily routine. He signed up for aerobics classes and discovered a supportive group of chatty housewives who were more than happy to adopt a man in their class. “I had a support system of strangers,” Gregg said of his gym. “It was amazing.”
He then devoted himself to slowly overhauling his food intake. He didn’t cut out specific foods; rather, he minded his portions and paid attention to what he put in his mouth. It wasn’t long before he was eating grapefruit for breakfast and salad with berries for lunch. He also made sure to consume plenty of water and always get enough sleep. “My body was going through a metamorphosis, and I wanted to support it every step of the way.”
The first 21 days were more than challenging, but Gregg realized the more effort he made, the more motivated he felt. Not that will power alone was enough: He often passed up social occasions or dinner out because he knew he couldn’t resist fried food. “My friends weren’t sure what to think,” Gregg said. “I’d always been known as ‘the funny fat guy.’”
But it was all worth it once Gregg walked into The Gap to buy a new pair of jeans. “Sure, it was a 42-inch waist. But after topping out at a 60-inch waist, it was an amazing accomplishment.” For Gregg, shopping where “real people” went was a milestone.
By sticking to his regimen, Gregg lost a total of 250 pounds and now weighs in at 175. To celebrate his success, he started working on a book chronicling his weight-loss journey, aptly titled “Just Stop Eating So Much!”
Today, Gregg likes to think of himself as living proof that anyone can lose weight – no tricks required.
“I know what it's like to feel hopeless,” he said. “I know what it's like to be made fun of or spurned by society. It takes so much courage to walk into a room when you're heavy -- everyone can see your weakness and pain. I want people to know that there is hope for everyone.” Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I felt like food was the only thing in my life that I could control,” said 35-year-old Amy Barnes, who once weighed 490 pounds. “Looking back now, I realize that food controlled me ... Food was my addiction.”
The newest member of the Joy Fit Club recalls a challenging childhood, having always been a “big kid.” But it wasn’t until she entered an abusive relationship at 270 pounds that she really put on significant weight.
For nearly five years, Amy suffered physical and mental abuse at the hands of a boyfriend. In response, she turned to food to mourn, to vent – to process all emotions. It wasn’t long before she put on an additional 200 pounds.
Amy was unable to fit in an airplane seat, walk into in a bathroom stall, or even sit in an armchair. “I always had food in my hand, because it was comforting. It was the only thing I felt like I had.”
The abuse took a big toll, and one day Amy found herself homeless and living in a battered women’s shelter. Even worse, the state took away her sons and handed them over to her parents. It was a devastating wake-up call – but the judge gave her an ultimatum: Get healthy and get your life in order.
“I knew I needed to be a healthy mom,” Amy said. “My kids were my motivation.”
Amy was used to eating abnormally large portions; for example, an entire tray of brownies in one sitting. She also was unaccustomed to exercise; she had never really worked out, especially since her weight caused achy knees and joints. As a result, her initial progress was difficult – but she was determined to lose weight and put her family back together.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Amy started out with small goals, such as “walk three miles a week” or “drink 64 ounces of water.” Gradually, she was able to build herself up to bigger, more important ones. To stay motivated, she would reward herself for achieving even the smallest goals, including completing home-video workouts in her living room (where she exercised because she was too embarrassed to show her body at the local gym).
Amy then turned to overhauling her diet, focusing on vegetables, lean proteins and egg whites. Her list of banned items included bread, pasta, and canned or prepackaged foods. “I gave up that control over food,” she said, “and [instead] used food to live – it changed my entire concept of food.”
It took about four years, but Amy was finally able to reach her ultimate goal: She lost 340 pounds and now weighs just 150 pounds. Along with having regained her self-confidence and health, she’s overjoyed that she proved she could do what was most important to her – be a parent.
Now that she has regained custody of her sons, “There is nothing that feels better than being able to play with my children,” Amy said. Today she has not only has a happy family, but her own health and wellness company and even a nutritionist certification.
“It’s been a really hard journey,” Amy admitted of her weight loss, “but by far my biggest accomplishment.” Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“My daughters were in high school and I avoided many of their band concerts and games,” said 46-year-old Lynn Haraldson-Bering, who once weighed 296 pounds. “I stopped visiting my family in other parts of the country because I didn't want them to see me so heavy.”
The newest member of the Joy Fit Club was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, causing her to go from 200 to 300 pounds in just a few years. Uncomfortable and depressed, she often went into hiding because she was ashamed to let people see her at such a large size.
It wasn’t that Lynn ate bad food; just that she had too much of it. She recalls making a baked chicken recipe, only to eat the entire chicken.
Her diet typically provided enough food for four people. “My body became unrecognizable,” she said. “I allowed my weight to dictate how I lived my life.”
In fact, it wasn’t long before Lynn’s weight affected every aspect of her life – her family, her friendships, even her career. She quit her job as a newspaper writer because she felt unable to cope with the constant public interaction, “but it wasn't the public I was running away from,” she said. “It was me.”
Years of severe insecurities and depression took their toll. Lynn didn’t have a huge epiphany; she recalls simply deciding it was time to do something drastic: “I just said ‘something has to change,’ and I needed and wanted to be thin again.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "What finally put Lynn on the road to weight loss was a complete shift in attitude. She made a commitment to think about “everything” she put in her mouth, focusing on cleaning up her portions and diet staples.
She gave up her carbohydrate-heavy bagel and cream cheese breakfast for a lean, protein-rich egg white omelet with reduced-fat cheese. She used to devour a bowl of buttered popcorn topped with parmesan cheese roughly five nights a week; now she opts for a portion-controlled 100-calorie pack of microwave popcorn before bed.
Lynn also began walking regularly, before adding sessions on an elliptical machine six to seven times a week. Today she works out five hours a week, focusing on strength training and cardio. “I [exercise] in moderation and I've learned to listen to my body,” she explained.
It took Lynn two years, two months and 12 days to finally lose an astounding amount of weight: 168 pounds. She now weighs in at 128 pounds and wears a svelte size 6 – a change so drastic that neighbors often fail to recognize her in the supermarket. She regained her health and started writing again, for a diet and fitness blog. And she started reaching out to other weight-loss enthusiasts.
More than anything, Lynn is glad her new health and outlook permit her to join in family occasions again. “I missed out on so much of life when I was morbidly obese, but I'm making up for it now as a healthy, 46-year-old grandmother,” she said. Watch the video
"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i++] = new Array("","Patricia before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/JFC_101909_Patricia.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "273", "377", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I was the ‘fun one,’ not the beautiful one,” said Patricia Appleton Beazer, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I didn’t want any extra attention. I felt like my worth as a person was directly attached to my size.”
The 37-year-old mom from Alberta, Canada, struggled with her weight throughout her marriage, during which she generally gained 10 to 15 pounds per year. The situation only worsened once she began having children and turned to food for emotional comfort during times of stress. “Food was a necessary evil ... it was really an up-and-down battle on the scale that was almost acceptable, as I was having babies. At least I could justify it that way.”
After she had five children, Patricia couldn’t find the time or energy to force herself to live a healthy lifestyle. To cater to her kids, who were picky eaters, Patricia opted for tasty but fatty meals or fast-food takeout. Her daily intake included an omelet with cheese and several bowls of cereal for breakfast; grilled-cheese sandwiches for lunch; and macaroni and cheese with hot dogs for dinner.
It wasn’t long before Patricia weighed 265 pounds and suffered from severe insecurities, most notably that she was a bad example to her young brood. She felt that she was simply “existing,” not actively living the life she had envisioned for herself when she was younger.
Deep down, Patricia was painfully aware that her inability to take control of her health – and happiness – was harming her family life. “I knew that I used to be a confident person who had some great life skills, but that person was becoming less and less apparent,” she said. “I realized that who I was becoming was going to affect who my children would become, and I did not want self-conscious children who were afraid to try things for fear of what others might think!”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Patricia was finally motivated to change in her doctor’s office during her last pregnancy. After running all the requisite tests, the doctor said everything was normal. Then, uncharacteristically, he paused, allowing Patricia to finish his sentence: “For now.” She knew she was at risk for serious health problems, having spent the last few years dealing with back, foot and thyroid issues caused by her weight.
Patricia needed a nudge to live a healthier lifestyle, and her doctor supplied it. He suggested she join a new program in which she’d meet weekly with a nurse who would monitor her diet and progress.
Patricia was nervous at first, but she knew her health – and family life – depended on her ability to seek help. “Who wants to go to a healthy, skinny little nurse [and have] her tell you that you are still fat every week, and that you need to eat less and exercise more? I didn’t want to, but I knew deep down [that] if I didn’t do it, I would get more health problems.”
Although she was still pregnant, Patricia agreed to begin the lifestyle program. It wasn’t easy, considering her schedule – raising four kids, maintaining a household, renovating a house and more – but she was determined to give it an “honest try.”
Her first goal included losing 12 pounds, which she lost in just three months by walking every day and completely overhauling her meals: oatmeal for breakfast; chicken with spinach and roasted vegetables for lunch; lean meat or fish with quinoa or brown rice for dinner; and fruit smoothies for snacks. At five months, she had lost 50 pounds; by one year, 80; and by a year and a half, a total of 100 pounds.
“Each 20 pounds amazed me,” Patricia recalled. “I just didn’t want to fail!” She didn’t; four months later, she reached her ultimate goal of losing 120 pounds.
Patricia had initially feared working with a nurse, but over time her feelings changed and she began opening up to her. “My lifestyle nurse became one of my greatest supporters. I learned that although she had not ever been [obese], she struggled with a lot of similar emotional eating issues that I had. She even became my triathlon buddy.”
Today, at 145 pounds, Patricia feels like a new person. Not only does she feel light; she has become more confident about her skills. She has begun organizing activities, reaching out to people, and getting involved in her community. She’s no longer plagued by insecurities or doubtful about how her kids view her.
Patricia is finally at peace with who she is. “People definitely treat me differently – which sometimes still makes me mad that they didn’t see me for who I was when I was overweight,” she said. “But I didn’t even see myself for who I was, so how could they?” Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“Food was my friend, my blanket, my comfort, my lover – my drug,” said Kimberly Anne Evans. “I replaced my need for love with [meals] ... I walked around in a food coma for 39 years.”
The 42-year-old member of the Joy Fit Club, who once weighed 347 pounds, relied on fatty foods to satisfy all her emotional needs. From early childhood, Kimberly viewed food as something she could always count on to comfort her in times of distress. “In school, I was called many names, had things thrown at me, and had kids whisper and laugh behind my back,” she recalled.
Kimberly spent the next three decades gaining an abnormal amount of weight, subsisting on a diet of large portions: two McDonald’s breakfast burritos with hash browns in the morning; two cheeseburgers with fries and shakes for lunch; and a pizza with four scoops of ice cream for dinner. Overall, it came to roughly 9,000 calories and 150 to 200 grams of fat per day. “Little did I realize it was slowly killing me,” she said.
Kimberly felt like a prisoner of her size. Her life was entirely controlled by its limitations: She couldn’t walk long distances, fit into airplane or restaurant seats, or even apply for a job without feeling like her weight stood in the way. “I worked extremely hard to prove that, despite my outward appearance, I was highly competent, hard-working,” she recalled. “‘Normal’-size people have no idea what they take for granted.”
Kimberly thought she would outgrow her obesity, but as she approached 40, she began to believe she might always be fat and that her goals, including having a relationship, would remain forever unfulfilled. She was 39 years old and had still never been kissed. “I stopped thinking about my soul mate, and when I would see [romantic movies], my heart would ache. I would cry, reminded of how truly lonely I really was.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Although Kimberly was unhappy with her lifestyle, it took years until she finally felt motivated to make a change. It all came down to one moment with a DVD – and Gerard Butler.
She had just turned 39 when a friend loaned her a copy of the movie musical “Phantom of the Opera,” whose title character, like her, was an outcast yearning for love. It had a huge impact. “Gerard Butler’s portrayal of the Phantom changed my life,” Kimberly said. “His talent woke me up from my food coma. From that moment on, my soul was alive.”
Kimberly completed changed her eating habits, switching from pizza to Subway sandwiches for lunch, ditching fast food meals for baked chicken or tilapia, and recruiting family and friends to locate nonfat ice cream that tasted “just like the real thing.” She began tracking all her calories and looking for nutritional information on restaurant menus and supermarket food labels. “The problem is, so many dishes appear healthy by their title, description, or look – but they aren’t,” she explained.
That doesn’t mean Kimberly doesn’t allow herself a well-earned reward now or then. “When I do indulge on the holidays, I appreciate the taste of the food so much more – it is such a treat.”
As for exercise, Kimberly took baby steps, starting with walking every day. She then graduated to a stationary bike, slowly increasing the intensity and time over several weeks. After a while, she added in weight-lifting and general floor exercises, and committed to working out seven days a week.
The transition wasn’t easy; it was often hard to find the energy to exercise in the morning. But Kimberly soon learned that “once you start, you feel the energy come to you.”
In just under 21 months Kimberly was able to shed 211 pounds, and she now weighs in at 136 pounds. She finally feels confident about her appearance, and has found a new zest for life. “I literally run up and down the stairs now. I am never out of breath and look for opportunities to hit the stairs more for exercise ... it is unbelievable!”
Physically, she’s now able to enjoy simple everyday activities that once thwarted her, like crossing her legs or sitting in an airplane seat comfortably. In fact, Kimberly just recently met a man, who finally gave her what she fantasized about for three decades: a kiss. “He told me he wished he’d known because he would’ve made it even more special,” Kimberly said. “He’s very sweet and we’ve been getting along very well.” As for her future, Kimberly looks forward to many more exciting “firsts”:
“I want to live for the first time and experience everything – I want to travel, have fun and [go on an] adventure. I lost so many years to my ‘fat suit’... I have a lot left to do.” Watch the video
"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i++] = new Array("","Kristin before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/Kristin_Before_4.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "358", "269", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "At 245 pounds, 26-year-old Kristin Lee LaSalle “was very aware” of her weight, she said. “I was told every day by my ex-boyfriend, made fun of [by others] -- and I couldn’t go shopping because stores I liked didn’t carry a size past 11.”
The former nanny had only started gaining significant weight in 2005, after she started a string of fad diets, followed by a pregnancy during which she put on 100 pounds. It wasn’t long before her daily intake included a roster of fatty, high-calorie foods like pizza and a gallon of ice cream for breakfast, Doritos for lunch, and pasta with a whole bag of cookies for dinner. “I was used to eating whatever I wanted with little exercise or consequence,” she explained. “But then it caught up with me -- it was scary and almost impossible to stop.”
Unaccustomed to regulating her intake, Kristin kept gaining weight until she felt out of control. “Every month at the doctor’s office, I was 10 pounds heavier,” she said. “Eight months after [giving birth], I was still wearing my maternity clothes. I felt horrible when people would ask when I was due and my baby was already almost a year old.”
It took a substantial emotional toll on Kristin; she cried regularly, sought therapy for her lack of self-esteem, and generally avoided social outings. Worst of all, it affected her parenting skills.
“I couldn’t be the mother I wanted [to be],” Kristin said of the years following her birth, “I was so down about the changes that occurred to my body that I couldn’t focus on anything but the weight -- it consumed me. I couldn’t enjoy the joys of being a new mother.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "It got to the point where Kristin felt paralyzed by her depression and suffered anxiety and panic attacks in public. After years of self-loathing, she came to the realization that it had left her tired and isolated. “I was moody, depressed and unlikable -- I became a hermit,” she said.
To add to her pain, her own boyfriend wouldn’t hug or kiss her. “I realized I was missing the joys of being a mom and being young,” Kristin said. “I wanted my life back!”
Kristin’s first step was starting the Slim-Fast 12 week challenge, with which she lost a whopping 30 pounds in just 12 weeks. It was just the motivation she needed: she was so thrilled with the results that she joined a local gym, where she committed herself to three light cardio workouts a week. After several weeks she felt herself plateau, so she took up fitness classes and started changing her diet, switching from soda to water, cookies to dried fruit, and pizza to tuna salad.
By the time her son was 2, Kristin had lost 85 pounds. To celebrate, she added 10 minutes more of cardio a day, which helped her lose a total of 110 pounds. Svelte and healthy, she now weighs in at 135.
Today, Kristin doesn’t take her newfound health for granted. Once plagued by insecurity, she now holds her head high. “I feel like Kristin again,” she said. “My self-esteem is better and this experience made me realize who my true friends are.” Her confidence helped her have the courage to leave her emotionally abusive boyfriend, and more importantly, set a good example for her child.
“I’m ready to be a great mom; [I] look pretty, treat others well, and have a lot of love for my life,” Kristin said. “I feel like I got a second chance.”
"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i++] = new Array("","Russ, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/russlane_0909021_beforephoto2.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "393", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I felt everyone’s unspoken comments,” said 30-year-old Russ Lane, who once weighed 350 pounds. “I had no confidence.”
The newest member of the Joy Fit Club once boasted a 58-inch waist and a closet full of size XXX-L shirts. “I avoided shopping like the plague,” he recalled. “I had to be dragged kicking and screaming.”
Russ had a nontraditional diet: He skipped meals during the day, but would gorge on pizza and 14 cans of Mountain Dew soda in the middle of the night. If he was ever upset or distraught, he sought comfort in food, especially bagels or biscuits. “There was no rhyme or reason; it was when I felt like eating, not when I wanted to eat.”
He recalls his daily life as a music critic in college as both physically and emotionally challenging. Not only was he self-conscious about his appearance, his physical setbacks left him anxious and frustrated. Even the most minor activities, like walking or sitting, were difficult. “I was uncomfortable: It was really hard to sit with my thighs chafing together -- my thighs would bleed quite a bit, or I would get hernias.”
While attending concerts, he was quite aware that he looked far different than the young, fashionable crowd having a good time on the dance floor. He’d quietly observe the concertgoers from a distance, acknowledging the fashions he “couldn’t imagine fitting on [his] calf.”
However, the most painful aspect of his size remained people’s perceptions. “There was the quiet disapproval of the pizza delivery guy stating the price of a large pepperoni with extra cheese at 3:30 a.m. The transparent chatter of co-workers who wrote me off. And my mom’s hushed frustration on drives back from the Big and Tall shop. I was miserable.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "At age 23, after years of silent suffering, Russ decided he’d had enough. He woke up one morning and realized he was about to embark on his adult life, and it was time to finally be responsible for his decisions. “It took 23 years to make this decision in two seconds,” he said.
He lost his first 100 pounds by adhering to the Atkins diet -- “by the book, not just bacon” -- and walking two and a half miles every day, followed by lifting weights with a personal trainer two to three times a week. On the days in between, he did various cardio exercises. As his workouts increased, Russ introduced whole grains and lower-fat protein into his diet, following the Abs Diet from Men’s Health Magazine.
Russ then switched from music writing for a new gig: restaurant reviewing. Whenever he had to cover a tempting topic, he observed a careful menu selection: “It began with painstaking autopsies on pizza slices, wrapping myself in a miserably tight leash ... But I forged a ‘two-bite’ rule on indulgent dishes, managing my calories through the whole day when I knew I’d be tasting a lot.”
Working so closely with food forced Russ to redefine his relationship with it. By restraining his urges on a daily basis, he was able to learn how to taste and savor meals in a healthy manner. Within two years, he dropped a whopping 187 pounds, and he now weighs in at just 163.
Not only that: Through his transformation, Russ rediscovered his writing voice. He now pens a column on life after weight loss called “Second Helping.”
Russ realizes that he is now a stronger, more grounded version of himself. “I reclaimed and surpassed my original fitness goal, ran a half-marathon, and left my hometown behind to live in New Orleans,” he said. “The lessons I learned in food, weight loss, life and death are given to the public: No matter what wall you’re up against, you always seek solutions and dare yourself to defy everyone’s low expectations – even your own.”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I was invisible,” said Rosemarie Jeanpierre, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I was constantly thinking people were judging me through my physical appearance. As a defensive mechanism, I developed a personality that would keep people off.”
The 45-year-old nurse from Los Angeles, who once weighed 220 pounds, recalls a painful, chubby childhood. She dreaded attending school because she was teased and bullied by her peers. From a young age, she felt inferior and self-conscious; she thought she would “never measure up to anything.” Physically, she suffered from shortness of breath, fatigue, chronic joint pain and severe migraines. Her one comfort — and cause of pain — was food.
“[Eating] made me feel better when I was feeling down,” Rosemarie explained. “I would stuff my emotional hurt with food.” This unhealthy habit continued until she was in her 30s and felt too old to change. “I felt stuck in a rut.”
Her daily intake consisted of four fried eggs, four hot dogs, four pieces of bacon and two glasses of milk for breakfast; two plates of rice, five pieces of pork and two cups of ice cream for lunch; and two plates of rice, fried beef, three bowls of vegetables and several chocolate bars for dinner.
“I was eating well over triple portions for all my meals, with snacks in between,” Rosemarie recalled. “Food was like a drug to me.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Rosemarie never felt motivated enough to change, until a routine checkup with her doctor alerted her to the severity of her situation: She was in danger of having a heart attack.
“My doctor said that I was pre-diabetic and my cholesterol was critically high — I was so scared of what could become of me,” Rosemarie explained. “It was at that moment that I decided I had to lose weight.”
The very next morning, Rosemarie marched to her local library, intent on educating herself on nutrition and exercise. Her newly adopted motto was “When you know better, you do better,” as Maya Angelou said.
She then proceeded to cut down on fatty foods and opt instead for high-protein, low-carb meals, like baked chicken with spinach for dinner or hard-boiled eggs on whole-wheat toast for breakfast. For exercise, she mapped out a light cardio workout, concentrating on one hour on a treadmill and half an hour with weights, which helped her immediately shed noticeable weight.
Her treadmill routine morphed into a running habit, which soon became a daily passion. And for the first time in her life, Rosemarie felt empowered.
Through discipline and strong family support, Rosemarie was able to lose 110 pounds in just 18 months. Now, at 110 pounds, she can walk with her head held high, unashamed. People treat her differently – not only because of her new physique, but because her confidence is noticeable.
“I’m no longer invisible,” Rosemarie said. “My new lifestyle gave birth to a new me. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“It was very lonely and sad,” said Jamie Lynn Francisco of her decades-long battle with weight loss. “And it was very tiring. I never had any energy at all.” The 33-year-old medical technician from Wolcott, Conn., recalls an alienated adolescence in which she constantly avoided social outings. Surrounded by thinner peers, she refused invitations in fear of being the “fat one in the bunch.” And though friends and strangers rarely addressed her weight – which loomed around 230 pounds – she felt a need to constantly disparage herself. “Humor was my way of coping,” she explained. The most painful aspect, however, was Jamie’s inability to fully enjoy her daughters. Exhausted by her body, she could barely keep her eyes open during family activities or even while watching TV with her children on the couch. “Physically, everything was difficult. Everything hurt – my back, hips, knee, et cetera. I think about that now and it makes me so sad, all that lost time. I remember feeling so hopeless.” The 36-year-old mom from Lebanon, Ohio, recalls struggling with normal, everyday activities. At 312 pounds, she could barely walk or run errands without feeling exhausted or pained. She couldn’t even play ball with her children. “I had trouble going up and down stairs without stopping to catch my breath,” she said. Although dissatisfied with her lifestyle, Jennifer couldn’t find the willpower to stop constantly grazing on food. For each meal, she would stuff herself with at least three portions of side items. Her daily intake consisted of three doughnuts for breakfast; french fries and bacon for lunch; and a cheeseburger with fries and ice cream for dinner. “For each meal I would eat until my belly hurt,” Jennifer said. “Food was just something to do. It was the center of everything.” It wasn’t until Jennifer realized the extent of her dissatisfaction with her body that she decided to overhaul her lifestyle. While out shopping, she spotted old friends -- and instead of saying hello, she hid. “I did not want them to see how far out of control I let myself go!” “I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself,” Jennifer said. “I knew then I never wanted to hide from anyone again. I want to be able to go up to anyone and say, ‘Hi, I am Jennifer Powell -- nice to meet you.’\" With the help of TOPS, Jennifer was able to build up a running regimen and slowly eliminate fatty carbohydrates from her diet. And within a year, she dropped 85 pounds. But just as she was finally reclaiming her health and self-confidence, tragedies struck: Within one week, her husband’s aunt committed suicide, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and her husband’s job was relocated to Mexico. “The night of the funeral, I woke up and my chest was hurting. [We] had to call 911 to get to the closest hospital.” Due to stress, Jennifer had suffered a heart attack at age 32. The doctor informed her that had she not lost so much weight in the past year, she would have surely died. “[In rehab], I passed a sign that said ‘Count your blessings and not your problems.’ That was a real eye-opener for me,” Jennifer said. To recover from her heart attack, Jennifer had to take a break from running or anything that would elevate her heart rate above 140. But she focused on her blessings – that she was even alive – and tackled her diet instead. She gave up red meat and started incorporating more fruits and vegetables into meals. “I love to cook with ground turkey now. I don't use grease in my house. I bake fries, or we just don't eat greasy fries.” “I get a lot more compliments, and people look me in the eye and say hi, even strangers. I am so much happier now and can run into any old friend and go up to them and talk away.” Watch the video Darren and Melissa completely changed how they prepared their meals, switching from eating carelessly to counting calories with the Weight Watchers flex points system. To avoid the temptations of takeout, they rearranged their lifestyle to cut out unnecessary restaurant or bar outings. Within a month, they each lost 5 pounds, which was just the encouragement they needed. \"Excitement took over, and we were motivated to work even harder to see how much we could lose the next week,\" Darren said. “He knew I wasn’t happy about being heavy, so we talked about being healthy and fit for our family and the kids,” she said. “That’s the motivation that I needed. I needed to be better for my family.” Watch the video here, or read more about Tammey's story here. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I never knew what it was like to be fit, or even ‘normal’ sized,” said 41-year-old Kathy Das Gupta of her chubby childhood. “Other people look at someone who is overweight and assume that the large person is lazy, or dirty, or less capable.” The medical practice manager from Hendersonville, Tenn., recalls a challenging childhood in which she struggled to maintain a healthy weight because of scoliosis. “I was in a cast, which kept me from being physically active at all,” she said. “I always knew I was bigger than all my friends.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I spent my entire life as ‘the fat girl,’ ” said 45-year-old Cindy Dominick. “I always felt like an outsider, the third wheel.” And now Cindy can hold her head high instead of feeling like “the fat girl.” Her friends, family and coworkers now know her as happy, healthy and confident. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I refused to deal with it,” said Rochelle Culp, who at 230 pounds wore baggy clothing and avoided mirrors, hoping to convince herself that her weight wasn’t a big deal. “I was concerned but didn’t want to address the issue.” Upon returning from the hospital, Brian and his fiancee cleared their entire kitchen cabinet of any fatty, unhealthy foods. From that point on, Brian committed himself to reading labels and stocking his home with only nutritious foods. “It’s a liberating feeling to know you’ve rid yourself of such a physical and mental limitation,” Brian said of his new outlook. “My energy level has skyrocketed and I’ve found a new love and affection for life... I am a different person.” Watch the video
Although self-conscious and frustrated with her size, Jamie just couldn’t control her insatiable snacking and emotional eating. Typically her daily intake included several doughnuts for breakfast, Buffalo chicken wings and chips for lunch, and fried foods covered in gravy for dinner. “Everything seemed to revolve around food,” she recalled. “It was definitely an addiction. When I was eating, I felt fine. Afterward the depression would hit, and the cycle would just repeat over and over again.”
But despite her unhappiness, Jamie didn’t commit to change until her family suffered a health scare. One night she came home from work to find her husband holding his chest in pain, crawling up the stairs. Suspecting a heart attack, she rushed him to the hospital – to discover he had pulled the muscles lining his chest wall. He fully recovered, but the experience shook Jamie into reevaluating her family’s health.
“At that moment, my life without him flashed before me [and I thought],‘This is not a life I wanted.’ If we didn’t make some changes, life as we know it was in jeopardy. We had to reverse our poor health. The battle was on!”";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I knew this time had to be different or I would give up like all the other times before,” Jamie said. “I made a conscious decision to eat better, not diet.” She started by making healthier food choices, cutting out soda, fried foods and fatty carbohydrates. Instead, she opted for water, lean meats and incorporating more vegetables into her meals. Her new intake consists of fiber cereal with a banana for breakfast; whole-wheat bread with turkey and avocado for lunch; and a turkey burger with sweet potatoes for dinner. Just by these food choices alone, she was able to drop 20 pounds within the first few months. With that motivation, Jamie looked towards her next goal: exercise.
She began her regimen by simply walking on a treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes a day, and soon enough she was able to increase her routine, adding more time whenever she felt herself plateau. She repeated the process for a year and a half, until she lost 105 pounds – and weighed in at an astonishing 125 pounds. Now slim and energized, Jamie’s family lives a full, active lifestyle. They’re constantly at the park, biking outdoors or taking long walks around the neighborhood. “My weight loss has affected our entire family, we never slow down. We spend so much more time together as a family, and that is priceless.”
Jamie no longer uses food for emotional comfort, as she is now comforted by the fact she is doing all she can to be healthy: “It makes me feel really good when I eat right.” Whereas her day used to revolve around her next fatty feast, she now looks forward to making healthy meals of fresh vegetables and lean proteins.
“I catch myself using such different words to describe food; now I say things like, ‘This is so fresh and crispy.’ That is not something I would have said two years ago. I would have said something like: ‘This is so creamy; more gravy, please!’”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I felt like I was a disease, that people treated me different,” said Jennifer Powell, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I could feel people staring at me. My family accepted me for who I was, but strangers wouldn't even hold the door open for me.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Jennifer began with baby steps, like walking a block with her children, skipping sugar in her coffee, or simply writing down her day’s food intake. She then joined the weight-loss group TOPS to surround herself with a strong support system, which became a large part of her success. “My chapter would send me cards and e-mails or call me throughout the week to tell me it was OK when I had gained weight, that I could do it.”
With her latest diet, Jennifer was able to lose 142 pounds and now weighs in at 170. Apart from regaining her health, she’s finally the confident person she always wanted to be.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I just accepted my gradual weight gain over the years,” said 38-year-old Christa Early. “Getting older, stress from being a working mother, picking up meals on the go ... Next thing I knew, I was pregnant with my second child and pushing 200 pounds.”
By her mid-30s, the sales manager from Knoxville, Tenn., hit 229 pounds and was increasingly self-conscious, both professionally and personally. She despised social functions because her clothes never fit, she couldn’t partake in physical activities with her children, and her inactive lifestyle made a long day’s work exhausting. Although her boss and her husband constantly tried to reassure her about her appearance and her talents, Christa felt as if her life was “spiraling downward.”
Her daily intake consisted of bagels and pastries for breakfast, double cheeseburgers and fries for lunch, and four slices of pizza coupled with three enchiladas for dinner. It wasn’t long before Christa’s habits became a vicious cycle in which she emotionally ate to subdue her guilt about overeating.
“I found myself constantly snacking on comfort foods and eating desserts after every meal,” Christa recalled. “Everything I did was planned around a meal. As a result of my inactivity, I was sleeping more and more. I had no energy ... I was in denial.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "During her second pregnancy, at 229 pounds, Christa refused to look at the scale. “I was ashamed of what I would see,” she said. “I was wearing a size 18W.”
It was during a religious service that she was inspired to overhaul her lifestyle. Her pastor was delivering a sermon on taking care of God’s gifts when it hit home: Christa wasn’t caring for herself.
“It really captured me,” Christa explained. “I thought I could make a few adjustments, and with determination I began changing some of my bad habits, like skipping desserts and snacks.”
Christa started by joining LA Weight Loss and planning small, realistic goals – most of which dealt with portion control. She slowly cut out fatty foods and sugary snacks, and within just a few months she lost 20 pounds. Her new diet consisted of oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast, grilled chicken with fruit for lunch, and grilled grouper with squash for dinner.
She then tackled fitness, incorporating walking into her daily routine by making sure to get outside before her kids were up. As she became more active, she took up running four to five times a week with the help of an after-work running buddy.
In just 18 months, Christa lost 101 pounds; she now weighs in at 128. Her enthusiasm for nutrition has extended to the rest of her family, and she now plants vegetables with her daughter and enjoys participating in active pursuits.
“My new lifestyle has been an awakening to food and health for me. I always thought of food as something to comfort me, and I thought, ‘It wouldn’t taste good if it were healthy, so why try it?’ Now I am so excited about preparing each meal for my family and trying new healthy foods.” Watch the video here";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I was quickly approaching 300 pounds and I was scared,” said Natalie Evernham, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I knew I was in for some serious health issues if I didn’t make some changes to my lifestyle.”
The 38-year-old mom from Helena, Mont., weighed over 200 pounds for the majority of her adult life, which made her feel self-conscious, anxious and shy. Growing up, she recalls constantly being told: “You have such a pretty face ... if you would just lose some weight.”
Because Natalie felt insecure and ashamed about her appearance, her weight became a factor in every relationship and affected all of her goals, both personal and professional. She tried to pursue acting in college, but during rehearsals and sessions, she was repeatedly reminded to lose weight by her professors.
“I never felt normal,” she said. “I always felt like I was too heavy, and in turn, I never felt good about myself. I was depressed a lot ... I didn’t have the confidence to follow my dreams.”
Natalie was an emotional eater, and her diet consisted of fatty fast-food and sugary snacks. She would have bagels with cream cheese for breakfast; fried chicken and deli sandwiches for lunch; and pizza for dinner. It wasn’t until she became a mom that she realized the impact of her daily food choices – she was now a role model, and she considered it her duty to teach her children a healthy lifestyle.
After she had her second son, Natalie hit an all-time high of 270 pounds and was on the border of gestational diabetes. “I was out of breath walking up a flight of stairs,” she recalls. “I knew I needed to break the unhealthy eating cycle for my whole family. Here I had everything I ever wanted: a wonderful husband, two beautiful children and a beautiful home. We had the perfect life ... and I was risking not being around to enjoy it and see my children grow up.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "After nearly two decades of unsuccessful fad diets, Natalie committed herself to taking a slower approach to overhauling her eating habits. She began with gradual changes, like incorporating fruits and vegetables into her meals and cooking more instead of relying on takeout. “Watching [Rachael Ray] took [away] the fear I had of cooking, and I substituted a lot of things and started making recipes healthier.”
She also started walking, setting small goals for herself. At first she couldn’t even walk half a mile, but over time, she was able to work up to a full mile a day.
It wasn’t long before the weight started to come off; within months, Natalie hit her goal of 50 pounds. She loved showing her family how easy and fun it was to exercise and enjoy a healthy diet. Once she hit 200 pounds, she took it a step further and began educating herself on nutrition, even keeping a food journal.
“Tracking everything I ate kept me accountable,” she said of her daily regimen. “I also stepped up my exercise routine with weights and harder video workouts. Along with that, I was walking every day and got an exercise bike. I started toning my muscles, and it was fun to see my body taking on a new shape.”
When Natalie reached a plateau, she ratcheted up her workout routine to “push through it” and jump-start the weight loss. It took only a year and a half for her to drop 100 pounds – and shortly thereafter, another 40. ”I think what really helped me was that I never thought of it as dieting. I entered into the process thinking of getting and being healthy, so now when I eat, it’s more about fueling my body.”
Now, at 130 pounds, Natalie wakes up every day with a newfound energy and appreciation for her revamped lifestyle. She’s able to finally feel good about herself, enabling her to improve her relationships and, most important, play with her children. “I’m a much stronger person and I have a more positive outlook on life,” she says. “I have a house filled with pictures of our family, most of which I am overweight in, and I just look at them and say: ‘I’m never going back there again.’\"
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "\"I learned to put up a good front and kept the less fun parts to myself,\" said 33-year-old Darren Norman of his former self. \"[It] turned me into the type of person that doesn't really open up to people -- even those closest to me.\"
The Renton, Wash., engineer, who once weighed 378 pounds, had been dealing with insecurities and poor self-esteem since he was a child, when his peers derided him about his size. He recalls feeling nervous in social situations, and meeting new people was often awkward. \"I felt like I had to work harder to fit in or be liked because of my weight,\" Darren said. \"The worst part was that I had just accepted that it was my lot in life.\"
Darren often found himself overindulging at meals out of boredom or for other emotional reasons. His daily intake consisted of five sausages, three eggs and buttered toast for breakfast; a large serving of macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets and chips for lunch; and pot roast, several dinner rolls and four scoops of ice cream for dinner.
\"Between meals, snacking on candy or beef jerky and washing it down with a couple cans of soda was common,\" Darren said. \"It got to the point where eating was automatic.\"
Although Darren had suffered with his obesity since a young age, it wasn’t till he was 30 that he decided to make a drastic change. \"I got to the point where I had to lift my leg with my hands to get it into my pant-leg in the mornings,\" he said. Finally, Darren's doctor told him that he had to shed the weight -- or he'd pay dearly for it later.
Following the doctor visit, Darren sat down with his wife, Melissa. Together, they agreed to finally do something about his weight.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "With Melissa, Darren signed up for Weight Watchers. The couple also enlisted his sister-in-law, a personal trainer, who put them on a steady routine of 90-minute cardio and strength-training sessions three times a week.
Their new menu consisted of high-fiber toast with cottage cheese for breakfast; Lean Cuisine frozen meals for lunch; and turkey breast burgers with baked fries for dinner.
\"The two of us working on losing weight together, and having each other to get through it, was probably the single most important key,\" Darren said.
The couple decided to stick to small, attainable goals – rewarding themselves for even a few pounds lost. By sticking to a regular workout schedule and opting for home-cooked meals, Darren hit the 100-mark in just over seven months – and then reached his goal of 142 pounds three months later.
Now, at 236 pounds, Darren boasts a newfound energy and has seen a drastic improvement in all aspects of his life. \"I almost feel like a kid in a candy store wanting to try all sorts of different things,\" he said. \"I no longer see sideways glances from people.\"
As for Melissa, she lost 76 pounds in seven months, and then lost 40 more pounds after she had a baby.
\"All through that time, our friends and families were behind us both 100 percent -- but the biggest support that my wife and I had was each other,\" Darren said of his weight-loss journey. \"My wife and I now have a 17-month-old son, and I have no idea how I would have kept up with him while I was so big. I've never felt better about my health. \"
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“In the back of your mind, it’s all-consuming,” said 35-year-old Rachael Wyrick. “I stayed inside a lot because I was usually hot, sweaty and generally uncomfortable.”
At 252 pounds, the size-22 mom struggled with basic everyday activities and chores. She recalls feeling “defeated” when trying to fit into theater or restaurant seats, and “humiliated” when shopping for new clothes. But as frustrated as she was, she couldn’t find the motivation control her eating habits.
Rachael’s daily intake consisted of sausages, pancakes and biscuits for breakfast; pizza and sandwiches for lunch, and dressing-soaked salads and fatty starches for dinner. Rachael thought she was eating healthy by having salads, tuna and chicken, but she didn't know to refrain from drenching her meals in dressings and oily sauces.
Insecure and unhappy, she worried about how her weight and her mood might affect her small children. “[They] would have seen bad habits and then done them themselves,” she said. “My daughter thinks anytime I'm big, it means I'm pregnant.”
When Rachael had her last child, she realized it was time for a change. As she finished nursing her son, her husband – who had always supported her and seen her as beautiful no matter her size – approached her about considering weight loss.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "With support and encouragement from her husband, Rachael first set out to make over her diet. She swapped her fatty favorites for lean meats and salads – without the calorie-heavy dressings. For breakfast, she’d eat cereal or oatmeal; for lunch, a turkey or peanut-butter sandwich. And at dinner, she would eat a salad with grilled chicken or tuna.
Rachael then focused on getting in shape by slowly incorporating exercise into her lifestyle. At first, she could only walk on the treadmill or an elliptical machine for 20 minutes. But with patience and baby steps, she soon started hiking and biking regularly.
Within a year and a half, Rachael was able to do cardio exercises at least five times a week – and subsequently lost 112 pounds. Now at 140 pounds and boasting a size 8, she can’t believe she once lived such an inactive, immobile lifestyle.
“I am absolutely amazed at the things I will try and what I can do,” Rachael said. “My children and I are now regulars at the park, gym and swimming pool. I feel as though I now see in the mirror the woman my husband has always been able to see.
“When his arms wrap all the way around me for an even closer and tighter hug, this is the best reward!”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“Being overweight was extremely confining, embarrassing and shameful,” said 50-year-old Tammey Burns. “I was afraid to go out into public.”
The latest member of the Joy Fit Club, who once weighed 575 pounds, recalls avoiding social outings due to her abnormal size: She shunned the movies because she couldn’t fit into theater seats; declined friends’ dinner invites lest she break a table chair; never drove anywhere because the car door wasn’t wide enough to fit her. She couldn’t even go out because walking more than several steps left her out of breath.
Then, when she was in her late 40s, doctors had to perform a tracheotomy on her to improve her breathing.
“The trach tube was my wake-up call as I did not want it sticking out of my throat for the rest of my life,” Tammey said. “I hated myself and what I had let myself become – I was weak, both physically and emotionally.” She felt hopeless, lost, and – most of all – guilty about the burden to her family she had become.
Tammey’s daily intake included two slices of pizza for breakfast, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for lunch, and buttered white bread and ice cream for dinner. “Food was my drug of choice,” she said. “I used food for my emotional ups and downs, my disappointments, and any stress going on at the time.”";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "After trying but failing to diet for decades, Tammey “gave up all hope.” Frustrated and isolated by her weight, she couldn’t see her situation improving. And so, in 2002, she attempted suicide.
“I was unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she explained. “I did not want to be a burden to anyone.”
After her suicide attempt failed, it was clear to Tammey that that she needed professional help to overcome her weaknesses. Determined to heal “from the inside out,” she turned to a psychologist to begin healing the emotional wounds that often led her to binge-eating.
Tammey began with small steps – water-walking in a therapy pool, then the NuStep bike. Soon thereafter, she took up walking four days a week with a trainer.
She then transformed her diet to Kashi cereal for breakfast, Kashi frozen chicken entrée for lunch, and skinless chicken with vegetables for dinner. Her new dessert? Apples.
With her new regimen, Tammey lost 410 pounds and now weighs in at 165 pounds. Today she lives a happy, healthy (and trach-free) life.
“I am no longer the fat girl on the sideline,” Tammey said. “I realized that there is no drug or food that could give me the high, the joy, the pride that I feel when I am training and when I cross the finish line.”
The outgoing high school teacher from Sparta, N.J., spent decades trying to compensate for her weight. Although she always had a positive attitude, she often felt the need to exaggerate her sunny disposition in an effort to “prove” her worth to strangers and even friends.
“I always pursued my interests and was confident,” Kathy recalled. “[But] I sometimes think that my personality developed to compensate for my insecurity about my weight.”
For Kathy, food was often a source of comfort. Having grown up in a household where meals brought the family together, Kathy associated food with love and warmth – and as she got older, it became her emotional crutch. “During my battle with infertility and the adoption of our son, I certainly soothed myself with food. It filled me physically, and I tried to make it fill me emotionally.”
Her daily intake consisted of bagels, waffles and sausage for breakfast; two helpings of dinner leftovers for lunch, and several helpings of chicken, rice and brownies for dinner. “These foods were always homemade, but high in fat and calories,” Kathy said.
As Kathy approached 40, she realized her “luck would not hold out forever.” At 289 pounds, she worried her health would deteriorate further and that she might not live to see her two children marry. “These thoughts began to depress and scare me.”";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Kathy briefly contemplated gastric bypass and lap-band surgery, but decided the risks were too high. Having been in and out of the hospital in years past, she was reluctant to don another patient gown. “I realized that the only alternative was to make some small changes, and see what happened,” she said.
With a goal of losing 40 pounds, Kathy made her first real attempt at changing her habits: She stopped putting sugar in coffee. Once she mastered her morning joe, she then moved on to swapping butter for Smart Balance. Then she switched her whole family to whole-grain bread.
Slowly, bit by bit, she adopted a new, nutritious lifestyle. “I did not follow any special program or diet,” Kathy said. “I decided that every meal and every snack is a choice, and I am the only person who has control over what I choose to eat.” It wasn’t long before she was eating egg whites with yogurt for breakfast, low-fat turkey on whole-grain bread for lunch, and chicken with vegetables for dinner.
Kathy then adopted an exercise routine. She joined a local gym, where she worked with a trainer on resistance exercise and running – and eventually, she even started training for a marathon. [My trainer] Josh treated me like an athlete in training,” Kathy explained. “This boosted my confidence more than anything else.”
It took Kathy one year to lose 100 pounds. She now weighs in at 190. She’s gone from a size 26 to a size 14.
Today, Kathy cherishes her moments spent exercising and taking care of her body. “Crossing the finish line of a race feels great -- and lifting weights makes me feel strong,” she said. “And I love that I have enough energy to keep up with my job and my family.
“But the greatest part of my weight loss is that I feel that I am a positive role model for my daughter. I am proud to be a fit, 40-year-old, size 14 woman.”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I ate all the time,” confessed 39-year-old single mom Michelle Brett, who once weighed 308 pounds. “I ate when I was happy, sad, stressed, or celebrating.”
As she grew older, her eating habits spiraled out of control. It wasn’t long before her diet consisted of steak and sausage biscuits for breakfast, fast-food hamburgers for lunch, and fried chicken or eggrolls with fries for dinner. As her size expanded, she developed severe back problems that made exercise or even basic mobility difficult.
But it wasn’t until her daughters went away to college and Michelle was all alone for the first time in 20 years that she decided to do something about her weight.
“I was lost and was eating more than ever,” she said. “I had promised myself several times that I would drop the weight ... [but] this time was different. I knew my girls were getting older and would hopefully be getting married at some point, and I refused to be fat in their wedding photos.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Michelle’s first step was to commit to making grocery lists of healthy foods to buy at the market. “For me it was all or nothing,” she said of her initial phase. “So I went cold turkey on just about everything.” That meant no soda (she had generally had four a day), fried foods, white bread, Chinese food and, most importantly, fast food. “The temporary pleasure of how [fast food] tastes isn’t worth the long-term result of what it does to my body,” she explained. She stocked up on protein bars for breakfast, Lean Cuisine meals for lunch, and grilled salmon for dinner.
Michelle then gradually adopted an exercise routine that consisted of 10 to 12 minutes on a treadmill. Over time, she increased her time and incorporated strength training, using 3-pound weights for basic arm exercises. “The amount of the weights changed, but this was the basic plan I followed for the first 12 months,” she said.
After one year, Michelle had lost an impressive 110 pounds, and rewarded herself with a membership to the local YMCA. Now she works out for an hour a day, five times a week. “I never thought I would say this, but I have found exercise is something that I crave now.”
Today, after losing a total of 126 pounds and weighing in at 182, Michelle feels better than ever. “I can’t imagine not living the rest of my life this way. [My daughters] always loved me no matter what my size was, but they are truly proud of me now -- and that means the world to me.”
The finance director from Jackson, Miss., struggled with her weight since she was young. As a middle-school child, she was dubbed “swamp monster” by her peers and recalls having to rent a scooter at Disney World since she was too heavy to walk around the park. “I was in hell,” Cindy said.
At 285 pounds, Cindy was certainly aware of her size, but felt hopeless about controlling her eating habits. She never felt satisfied by three meals and she’d often catch herself snacking on fatty fast food like fried chicken, McDonald’s fries or take-out pizza. She’d then top it off with a king-size Snickers bar.
“I would literally eat until my stomach was so stretched out it hurt,” Cindy said of her daily ritual. “The more I stretched my stomach, the more I could eat. I felt great the entire time I was shoveling it in, but felt sick and even more depressed when I was done.”
But it wasn’t until she felt she was shortening her life that she finally decided to make a change. When her mother died several years ago, Cindy was devastated. In response, she got even bigger – and each time she visited her doctor, he would add another prescription. Soon she was taking medications for blood pressure, asthma, cholesterol and acid reflux. Tired from being overmedicated – and concerned after her home state had been named the fattest in the nation – Cindy put on her sneakers and started walking.
“I have not stopped moving since,” she said.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Inspired by the mantra “stay the course,” Cindy set out walking until she felt ready to join a gym. There she would devote an hour a day to the treadmill, coupled with circuit-training classes three times a week. Whenever she felt hit a plateau, she hired a trainer. “[It’s] just what I needed to push me all the way to my end goal.”
As for her diet, her first step was to eliminate fast food from her daily routine and replace it with Lean Cuisine. Chocolate, however, was more difficult; instead of a giant Snickers bar, she now treats herself to five pieces of Hershey’s miniatures each night. “It satisfies my cravings and keeps me moving in the right direction,” she said.
By sticking to her new regimen, Cindy lost 130 pounds and now weighs in at 155. “I feel like I am 20 years old again,” she said of her new-found energy. “I love life, I smile all of the time ... Food is now for nourishment to my body, not a drug to soothe feelings.”
“Just the other day, I attended an awards banquet for my youngest son, and this time, when I walked in, I heard ‘Look at my pretty momma.’ Man, you gotta love that.” Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“I’ve been overweight all of my life,” said 41-year-old Gina Pezzino. “I knew that I needed to lose the weight, but had no idea how to do it.”
Following her pregnancies, the office assistant from Whitestone, N.Y., ballooned to 326 pounds and felt helpless about attempting to control her eating habits. Since she never learned proper nutrition as a child, she considered herself a hopeless case. “I thought that I was too far gone to ever lose 150 pounds — I thought it was impossible,” she said.
But Gina decided she needed to overhaul her diet when she realized she was transferring her poor eating patterns — specifically, using food for comfort — to her children. “I was teaching my kids the same bad eating habits that I had learned as a child. This caused us all to gain weight,” she said.
Gina was a year shy of her 40th birthday and her daughter’s first communion when she decided she’d had enough of feeling emotionally and physically exhausted by her weight. She wanted to finally feel good about herself.
“I wanted to take our first family photo, and I didn’t want to be the one that stood out in the pictures... I was tired of just existing.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Gina’s first step was to accompany her sister to a Weight Watchers meeting. “I’d already joined once before and quit, but this time things were different,” she said. Her goal was simple: lose enough weight to enjoy simple, everyday activities with her family.
“I wanted to be able to get on a roller coaster with my kids and not worry whether I’d fit in the seat. I wanted to go to the beach and not feel like everyone was staring at me because of my weight.”
She began by adhering to two rules: control portions, and walk every day. With help from Weight Watchers, Gina reduced her dependence on carbohydrates and incorporated long walks into her daily routine, even though it was often challenging to fit them into her family’s schedule.
“I needed to find a way to exercise and take care of my kids at the same time. So, I’d take them to the park and I’d power-walk behind them while they rode their bikes.”
Several months later, she was walking 5 to 6 miles a day. As for her diet, she substituted fatty meats for lean turkey, white bread for whole wheat, and vegetable soup for pasta. Today, a typical dinner consists of a fish fillet with black olives and capers, brown rice or baked potato, and steamed vegetables.
With her new routine, Gina lost 154 pounds and slimmed down to 174. And for the first time, she’s participating in family outings instead of discouraging them. “I’ve ridden a roller coaster with my 15-year-old son for the first time. I’ve gone swimming in the ocean with my kids and they can’t keep up with me,” she said of her new lifestyle.
Now Gina feels confident that food no longer controls her; instead, she controls it. “My health is my main priority so that I can be the best wife and mother that I can be.” Watch the video
The 44-year-old program director from Jackson, Miss., had struggled with her weight since she was a chubby child. Teased and mocked by her slimmer peers, Rochelle developed body image issues before she even left middle school. “That was when I first started to use food for comfort,” she said.
By the time she was in her 30s, Rochelle’s bad eating habits had spiraled out-of-control. She ate sausage biscuits with tater tots for breakfast, fast-food hamburgers for lunch, and four slices of pizza along with ice cream for dessert. “I was not realistic about how heavy I was getting,” Rochelle said. “My self-esteem was extremely low.”
As much as Rochelle tried to push her problems away, reminders always crept back into her life. She recalls looking at old photos of herself with friends, when one pal exclaimed, “Wow, what happened to you?”
Rochelle knew she needed a dramatic change, especially because her obese father had passed away at age 36. “I know that I wanted a better quality of life for my thirties, forties, fifties, et cetera.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "Rochelle was “tired of being tired”; she felt emotionally and physically exhausted from carrying around additional weight that not only impacted her social life, but contributed to severe back and joint pain. And when couldn’t even complete a 3-mile walk, she knew she had to address her lack of exercise.
Rochelle began by walking each day before joining a gym at three months to take up aerobics and weight training. “I consistently developed different workouts to challenge myself,” she said of her commitment to push boundaries. “That led to participating in marathons, a body-building contest, boot camp programs, spin marathons and more.”
She also re-taught herself how to eat and read nutritional labels. Through research, and with help from a college-level nutrition textbook, she developed a healthy eating plan that included oatmeal or egg whites for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, and chicken with vegetables for dinner. Her new snack choices were then limited to nuts, raisins, fruit, trail mix and hard candies.
In just 18 months, Rochelle dropped more than 100 pounds, weighing in at an astounding 152 pounds. The dramatic change affected everything from her self-esteem to her career choices. “I switched jobs, I’m more self-assured, and I don’t sweat the small stuff,” Rochelle said of her lifestyle. “The choices that I make now are an investment in the quality of life I will be able to experience in my senior years.” Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "“It was something that happened gradually,” said 33-year-old Brian Bishop of his weight gain, which skyrocketed to 280 pounds. “It was partially due to stress and time constraints. I just kept eating... I was in denial.”
An emotional eater, Brian generally snacked on fatty carbohydrates, like McDonald’s biscuits or Dunkin’ Donuts bagels, when stricken with anxiety – a habit that soon affected all his relationships, both familial and romantic. It was a vicious cycle. “Lashing out on the ones I loved lead to heightened anxiety and then depressed feelings, which I could satisfy with my favorite foods,” he said.
The property manager from New Hampshire spent over a decade hoping he would shed the pounds as soon as he “got the chance,” but he never made the time to commit to a steady weight loss plan. “I did what I wanted. I ate what I wanted,” he said.";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS_fall09[i-1].body = "It wasn’t until Brian received a rude wake-up call that he finally attempted to change. At just 28 years old, Brian awoke to find himself in a hospital’s cardiac care unit after a night of uncontrollable hot sweats. He had suffered a heart attack.
“I looked around at the other patients who were twice my age and I realized I didn’t belong there. I was going to do whatever it took to not return.”
His breakfast now consists of half a bagel with fruit; lunch includes a turkey sandwich; and dinner is grilled fish with steamed vegetables. Brian now also exercises six days a week, focusing on weight training, swimming – and he even ran a half marathon this past summer. He lost 113 pounds and now weighs in at 167 pounds.
";
// END editorial data