No more rain for this Washington woman

A gorgeous, slinky dress hangs on Carlye Durham's wall. It's been there since she joined the L A Weight Loss center in Kennewick, Washington, in August of last year.

The dress represents Carlye's goal to slim down to 125 pounds. She hopes to fit into it once she reaches her goal weight. Today she's just 26 pounds away, which is a huge accomplishment, considering she joined L A Weight Loss weighing 249 pounds!

What brought Carlye to L A Weight Loss? It's something I think we all struggle with at some point in our lives, no matter what our size: the judgment of society.

Everyone can pick something out about themselves that they don't like. For Carlye, it was carrying 249 pounds on a petite five-foot frame. She felt like all eyes were on her when she went out in public -- and not in a good way.

Carlye knew she had to lose weight, but she felt like a prisoner to food. Bags of potato chips and boxes of Hot Pockets numbed her pain and depression, but only made her gain more weight.

With the encouragement of her parents, Carlye joined L A Weight Loss. Carlye told me that the day she walked through the doors the Kennewick center was the day she found freedom from judgment, food, and unhappiness. That's also the day she bought the dress, so she could look at it daily, and remember her goal to reach a size 4/6.

To date, Carlye has lost 98 pounds, an accomplishment she believes has given her a second chance at life. Now she loves biking, going out, and shopping. And she does everything with a smile because, as she says, "life is good!"

Want to read more about Carlye's story? Read the letter she wrote me for her unedited account of her struggle.

Carlye before, at 249 pounds:



Making progress towards fitting in to her sexy goal dress:




















And Carlye after, all smiles, at 151 pounds. You did it, Carlye!



FAST FACTS:

Name: Carlye Durham
Hometown: Kennewick, Washington

Age: 28
Height: 5'
Starting weight: 249 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds
Current weight: 151 pounds
Program start date: Aug. 10, 2005

Biggest motivators: L A Weight Loss counselor (Lisa Frendel), family, God, and her new dress.

Biggest obstacle: Overcoming love for food.

Old eating philosophy: Skipping breakfast, eating a family-sized bag of potato chip bag for lunch, and boxes of frozen meals for dinner.

New eating philosophy: She's cut out all high-carb, high-sugar foods, and makes sure to eat fruits or vegetables in evenings.

Best thing about losing weight: The freedom of being thin and healthy.

Best weight loss secret learned: Give all of yourself, and L A Weight Loss and God will do the rest!