Sydney Bowen empties the nest and dumps the weight
For parents, when all the kids move out and the nest is empty, it can be difficult adjusting to the new household dynamic. But it's also an opportunity to try to new things. For Sydney Bowen, the empty nest was the push to take control of her obesity and get her life back on track.
Weight had been an issue for Sydney since childhood. Sydney remembers being left home alone after school and turning to food for comfort. Her parents both worked and her siblings had their own lives. To fill the time, Sydney snacked.
She started her first diet program at age 11, attending a weight loss center with her mom. As the youngest of five, she became her mother’s dieting sidekick.
Still, she couldn't help but indulge in Chinese, Mexican, and McDonalds. Never a big fan of sweets, Sydney enjoyed "real" food, in large quantities. She enjoyed eating out, and loved to fill her plate at barbecues. But food was only a temporary comfort. Sydney was miserable most of the time, toting around at 283 pounds.
Then Sydney got one of the worst scares of her life. She was diagnosed with borderline type-2 diabetes. But she was immune to insulin, and had to take pills to maintain her health and prevent full development of the condition.
With a family history of diabetes, Sydney feared she was headed down the same unhealthy path. She also had borderline high blood pressure, but refrained from medication. She needed to lose weight to get her health back on track.
Sydney's doctor prescribed her a diet pill. She lost 80 pounds on the medication, although eventually became immune to its effects and gained back the 80 pounds, plus some.
She felt miserable and couldn’t bear to feel that way, especially after all of her children moved out. She didn't want to be alone, unhealthy, and depressed.
She considered gastric bypass surgery, but realized it was too expensive. Then she saw L A Weight Loss member Sharla Pincock on the cover of People Magazine's Half Their Size issue, and on TV. Sharla's success inspired Sydney, and she decided to join L A Weight Loss.
She was matched up with a personal weight loss counselor, who taught her how to eat her favorite foods in the right portions. Sydney learned to not eat for pleasure, but eat to live. She cut out fast food, and instead filled up on healthy amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole-grain carbs.
Today, Sydney is 125 pounds lighter. She weighs 158, just three pounds away from her goal weight of 155 pounds. Sydney no longer needs diabetes medication and has stopped taking diet pills. She vows never to take a diet pill again, and encourages others to do the same.
The reaction of family members and friends who haven’t seen her for a while is enough to keep her going on her path to success. She’s gotten to this place by mentally committing to losing weight.
She continues to eat healthy foods, including fruits, veggies, chicken, and fish. A new habit of Sydney’s is preparing her own food. She still eats out occasionally, but enjoys having control of what goes into her meals, and how much. Now, when she goes to a barbecue, she doesn’t feel the need to fill her plate. Sydney also enjoys L A Lites to curb her occasional sweet craving.
Pleasure in the little things is what Sydney loves most about her weight loss. She can play with her grandkids, shop anywhere, and fit comfortably into a waiting room chair. She even got a trampoline! Sydney jumps daily, a pastime that she had forgotten when her weight got in the way.
Most impressive is Sydney’s recent accomplishment of running in two 5K marathons. She is now training for the 1/2 marathon next year in Salt Lake City. For Sydney, training for these marathons is a hobby. Great choice of a hobby! Good for you, Sydney!
Here is Sydney at 283 pounds:
And here she is today, looking great at 158 pounds:
FAST FACTS
Name: Sydney Bowen
Hometown: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Age: 43
Height: 5'5"
Starting weight: 283 pounds
Goal weight: 155 pounds
Current weight: 158 pounds
Program start date: Jan. 2, 2007
Favorite food: Cheesy Taco Salad in the L A Weight Loss cookbook.
Biggest temptation: Mexican food.
Biggest motivator: Being able to pick up her grandchildren.
Biggest obstacle: Falling into a plateau.
Old eating philosophy: Eating tacos, enchiladas, chips and salsa, McDonalds, and Chinese daily.
New eating philosophy: Cooking chicken, turkey, fish, broccoli, spinach, salad, and strawberries instead of going out.
Best thing about losing weight: Getting off of type-2 diabetes medicine and feeling healthy.
Best weight loss secret learned: It's all about your mindset.
Weight had been an issue for Sydney since childhood. Sydney remembers being left home alone after school and turning to food for comfort. Her parents both worked and her siblings had their own lives. To fill the time, Sydney snacked.
She started her first diet program at age 11, attending a weight loss center with her mom. As the youngest of five, she became her mother’s dieting sidekick.
Still, she couldn't help but indulge in Chinese, Mexican, and McDonalds. Never a big fan of sweets, Sydney enjoyed "real" food, in large quantities. She enjoyed eating out, and loved to fill her plate at barbecues. But food was only a temporary comfort. Sydney was miserable most of the time, toting around at 283 pounds.
Then Sydney got one of the worst scares of her life. She was diagnosed with borderline type-2 diabetes. But she was immune to insulin, and had to take pills to maintain her health and prevent full development of the condition.
With a family history of diabetes, Sydney feared she was headed down the same unhealthy path. She also had borderline high blood pressure, but refrained from medication. She needed to lose weight to get her health back on track.
Sydney's doctor prescribed her a diet pill. She lost 80 pounds on the medication, although eventually became immune to its effects and gained back the 80 pounds, plus some.
She felt miserable and couldn’t bear to feel that way, especially after all of her children moved out. She didn't want to be alone, unhealthy, and depressed.
She considered gastric bypass surgery, but realized it was too expensive. Then she saw L A Weight Loss member Sharla Pincock on the cover of People Magazine's Half Their Size issue, and on TV. Sharla's success inspired Sydney, and she decided to join L A Weight Loss.
She was matched up with a personal weight loss counselor, who taught her how to eat her favorite foods in the right portions. Sydney learned to not eat for pleasure, but eat to live. She cut out fast food, and instead filled up on healthy amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole-grain carbs.
Today, Sydney is 125 pounds lighter. She weighs 158, just three pounds away from her goal weight of 155 pounds. Sydney no longer needs diabetes medication and has stopped taking diet pills. She vows never to take a diet pill again, and encourages others to do the same.
The reaction of family members and friends who haven’t seen her for a while is enough to keep her going on her path to success. She’s gotten to this place by mentally committing to losing weight.
She continues to eat healthy foods, including fruits, veggies, chicken, and fish. A new habit of Sydney’s is preparing her own food. She still eats out occasionally, but enjoys having control of what goes into her meals, and how much. Now, when she goes to a barbecue, she doesn’t feel the need to fill her plate. Sydney also enjoys L A Lites to curb her occasional sweet craving.
Pleasure in the little things is what Sydney loves most about her weight loss. She can play with her grandkids, shop anywhere, and fit comfortably into a waiting room chair. She even got a trampoline! Sydney jumps daily, a pastime that she had forgotten when her weight got in the way.
Most impressive is Sydney’s recent accomplishment of running in two 5K marathons. She is now training for the 1/2 marathon next year in Salt Lake City. For Sydney, training for these marathons is a hobby. Great choice of a hobby! Good for you, Sydney!
Here is Sydney at 283 pounds:
And here she is today, looking great at 158 pounds:
FAST FACTS
Name: Sydney Bowen
Hometown: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Age: 43
Height: 5'5"
Starting weight: 283 pounds
Goal weight: 155 pounds
Current weight: 158 pounds
Program start date: Jan. 2, 2007
Favorite food: Cheesy Taco Salad in the L A Weight Loss cookbook.
Biggest temptation: Mexican food.
Biggest motivator: Being able to pick up her grandchildren.
Biggest obstacle: Falling into a plateau.
Old eating philosophy: Eating tacos, enchiladas, chips and salsa, McDonalds, and Chinese daily.
New eating philosophy: Cooking chicken, turkey, fish, broccoli, spinach, salad, and strawberries instead of going out.
Best thing about losing weight: Getting off of type-2 diabetes medicine and feeling healthy.
Best weight loss secret learned: It's all about your mindset.
Labels: 125 pounds, Diabetes, High blood pressure, Idaho, Sydney Bowen
posted by Jackie Zima-Evans @ 8:52 AM
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