Cindy Shank quits smoking -- and fad diets

Cindy Shank hit rock bottom in March 2005. She'd recently quit smoking and, after replacing cigarettes with food, packed on some extra pounds.

Then she was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid , a condition that can cause uncontrollable weight gain. She ballooned to 225 pounds -- which contributed to an onset of high blood pressure.

Cindy was at a loss. She ate fruits and veggies and worked out every day, but the weight wouldn't come off. In fact, she kept adding more. And now she was dealing with multiple medical issues as well.

She turned to a diet program that had worked before, but this time it didn't stick. So Cindy tried a "protein diet", which worked in the short term, yet wasn't something she could sustain for the long haul.

Cindy had seen several ads for L A Weight Loss, but unfortunately there were no centers near her home in Oakville, Ontario. Then one day her luck changed: L A Weight Loss had opened a new center in her hometown.

From the minute she walked into the center, Cindy knew the program was "tailor-made" for her needs, as she put it in a letter she sent to me. She especially liked the one-on-one counseling, which helped her build meal plans that were in step with her efforts to control her thyroid and high blood pressure. And getting weighed three times a week helped her keep a tight reign over her progress.

Clearly this double-barrel approach worked: In 38 weeks, Cindy dropped 75 pounds (!!), reaching her goal weight of 150 pounds! But that wasn't good enough. She really wanted to weigh 140 pounds -- a goal she also reached with the help of the Oakville center.

It's been over a year since Cindy lost those 85 pounds (plus five more!), and she's still working hard to keep it that way. She's back at the gym three to four times a week, where she enjoys the elliptical machine, yoga, and Pilates. She's now off two of her three blood pressure medications, and controls her thyroid with medication and diet.

Here is Cindy at 225 pounds:



And, here she is at a slimming 135 pounds. WOW!!!!



FAST FACTS

Name: Cindy Shank
Hometown: Oakville, Ontario
Age: 44

Starting weight: 225 pounds
Goal weight: 140 pounds
Current weight: 135 pounds
Program start date: March 2005

Favorite foods: Fruits and vegetables.

Biggest temptation: Cookies and candy.

Biggest motivator: Finding a realistic diet she could follow for life.

Biggest obstacle: Losing weight while dealing with an under-active thyroid and high blood pressure.

Old eating philosophy: Eating healthy fruits and vegetables, but not knowing how to balance them with other foods.

New eating philosophy: Understanding how to incorporate these nutritious foods into a balanced diet of proteins, carbs, and fiber.

Best thing about losing weight: Being a size 6 for the first time!

Best weight loss secret learned: Keep a food diary. Writing down every thing she ate helped Cindy track her daily intake, and plan accordingly for the next day.