Tuesday, June 20, 2006
'I lost half my body weight!' Need serious inspiration? Read how exercise and healthy choices helped one reader lose 125 pounds
Shape, Feb, 2006 by Tajinder Rehal
Suzanne's challenge
Suzanne Munro weighed 200 pounds when she became a flight attendant. "Between the long hours and constant traveling, I never exercised and always ate out," she recalls. Five years later, Suzanne wore a size 26 and weighed 275 pounds.
Her turning point
When Suzanne started experiencing constant back and foot pain, she saw her doctor for advice. "She confirmed that my weight was to blame," she recalls. "I desperately needed to lose weight."
Her weight-loss & exercise plan
After discussing her food habits, Suzanne's doctor suggested that she start eating breakfast (a meal she always skipped) followed by a healthy meal or snack (such as oatmeal and fruit or a slice of whole-wheat toast with a teaspoon of peanut butter) every 3-4 hours. She advised Suzanne to keep a food journal to help her stay accountable for every morsel, and to start an exercise program, such as walking.
Making success happen
As she drove home from the doctor's office that afternoon, Suzanne felt determined to succeed. "I was tired of carrying around this extra weight and always being in pain," she says.
With her doctor's advice in mind, Suzanne started reading food labels and saw that there were lowfat and low-calorie versions of almost every kind of food. "I didn't have to deprive myself of anything," she says.
Suzanne started to exercise that evening by going for a mile walk around her apartment complex. "It felt good to get moving and finally do something about my weight," she says. Suzanne began substituting walks with friends instead of food-related activities and kept walking 3-4 evenings a week. She also bought an elliptical trainer to add variety to her workouts. "I set it up in my living room so I could exercise late at night while watching my favorite TV shows," Suzanne says.
Determined to keep losing weight, Suzanne carried healthful portable foods to work, such as fruit and lowfat yogurt, and turkey sandwiches made with whole-grain bread. She also began to order selections marked "healthy" on restaurant menus.
A year and a half later, Suzanne reached her goal weight of 150 pounds. She now wears a size 8. "When family and friends ask me how I've lost 125 pounds, I tell them I did it the old-fashioned way--by never using the four-letter word diet and instead changing my habits," she says.
RELATED ARTICLE: Suzanne Munro
California
Age 35
Suzanne's challenge
Suzanne Munro weighed 200 pounds when she became a flight attendant. "Between the long hours and constant traveling, I never exercised and always ate out," she recalls. Five years later, Suzanne wore a size 26 and weighed 275 pounds.
Her turning point
When Suzanne started experiencing constant back and foot pain, she saw her doctor for advice. "She confirmed that my weight was to blame," she recalls. "I desperately needed to lose weight."
Her weight-loss & exercise plan
After discussing her food habits, Suzanne's doctor suggested that she start eating breakfast (a meal she always skipped) followed by a healthy meal or snack (such as oatmeal and fruit or a slice of whole-wheat toast with a teaspoon of peanut butter) every 3-4 hours. She advised Suzanne to keep a food journal to help her stay accountable for every morsel, and to start an exercise program, such as walking.
Making success happen
As she drove home from the doctor's office that afternoon, Suzanne felt determined to succeed. "I was tired of carrying around this extra weight and always being in pain," she says.
With her doctor's advice in mind, Suzanne started reading food labels and saw that there were lowfat and low-calorie versions of almost every kind of food. "I didn't have to deprive myself of anything," she says.
Suzanne started to exercise that evening by going for a mile walk around her apartment complex. "It felt good to get moving and finally do something about my weight," she says. Suzanne began substituting walks with friends instead of food-related activities and kept walking 3-4 evenings a week. She also bought an elliptical trainer to add variety to her workouts. "I set it up in my living room so I could exercise late at night while watching my favorite TV shows," Suzanne says.
Determined to keep losing weight, Suzanne carried healthful portable foods to work, such as fruit and lowfat yogurt, and turkey sandwiches made with whole-grain bread. She also began to order selections marked "healthy" on restaurant menus.
A year and a half later, Suzanne reached her goal weight of 150 pounds. She now wears a size 8. "When family and friends ask me how I've lost 125 pounds, I tell them I did it the old-fashioned way--by never using the four-letter word diet and instead changing my habits," she says.
RELATED ARTICLE: Suzanne Munro
California
Age 35
