My L A Weight Loss Diary

Daily musings for and about real women and men who are reshaping their bodies and their lives on the LA Weight Loss program. To become one of our bloggers, write to Blogger@myLAweightlossdiary.com

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Life gets a little easier for this Kentucky mother

Heather Scott is a 25-year-old mother from Mayfield, Ky. She struggled with her weight all of her life, leaving her uncomfortable and insecure. Weighing as much as 260 pounds as a teenager made high school anything but easy. In fact, if you ask Heather, she'll tell you the only good thing that came out of high school was the day she met her future husband.

Heather's husband has never judged her, even when she continued to gain weight after high school. But that still did not ease Heather's insecurities. Wherever Heather went, she felt like people were pointing at "the fat girl."

As if dealing with the thought of people stereotyping her wasn't enough, Heather also had to deal with the physical demands of being heavy. She was always out of breath, and her joints constantly ached.

She had a hard time doing everyday tasks. Getting out of bed every morning was an obstacle for Heather. When she was nine months pregnant with her daughter, she was so large she couldn't even fit in a booth at a restaurant.

Shopping was never a good experience. Heather used to go shopping with her older sister, and would be jealous of all the cute clothes her sister could wear and how much more items she could buy. Heather's clothes cost more, and she was always stuck wearing whatever was made in her size, which was generally big t-shirts and sweats.

Heather never quite understood why she was so much bigger. She didn't eat much, but she would justify a day of starving for a late night batch of brownies. She chose pizza and fast food or cooked dinners loaded with starches. Healthy was never an option for Heather.

She finally had enough when she couldn't even play with her young daughter. Heather's mom had joined the LA Weight Loss program and was very successful. So along with the support from her mother and husband, Heather made the commitment to the LA Weight Loss program in May 2007.

LA Weight Loss worked for Heather because she joined for herself. She didn't want to lose weight because someone else wanted her to -- she wanted to lose weight for her health and her children.

Heather preferred the one-on-one counseling LA Weight Loss provided. She kept a food journal to keep track of her meals, and the counselors worked with her to realize what foods helped her gain or loose.

Now Heather's diet consists of turkey bacon and yogurt for breakfast, plain turkey burger for lunch with no bread, a salad for dinner and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in between. She also started walking at least one mile a day.

And the results have shown. Heather's lost over 100 pounds! She now feels like she can communicate better with people. She realizes her insecurities lead her to believe everyone was judging her. She also has more options to chose from when she goes shopping, and can shop at any store, not just the stores that carry plus sizes. She can even wear heals!

Heather's biggest obstacle was resisting temptations. She learned that eating foods that are bad for you is not worth the five minutes you can actually taste it in your mouth. Anytime Heather would get off course, especially around the holidays, she would walk extra and work harder to get back on the right mindset.

Way to go, Heather! We're proud of you!

Here's Heather at 301 pounds:



And here she is today at a much slimmer 197 pounds.



You look great Heather! All your hard work has paid off! Keep it up!

FAST FACTS

Name: Heather Scott
Hometown: Mayfield, Ky.
Age: 25
Height: 5'6"

Starting weight: 301 pounds
Goal weight: 170 pounds
Current weight: 197 pounds
Program start date: May 2007

Favorite food: Pizza.

Biggest temptation: Chocolate or sweets.

Biggest motivator: Shrinking into a smaller size and watching the numbers dropping on the scale.

Biggest obstacle: Being around other people who were not dieting.

Old eating philosophy: Chowing on pizza, brownies, cookies, candy bars, chips, and soft drinks.

New eating philosophy: Eating meals with fish, yogurt, turkey, chicken, and fresh vegetables and fruit.

Best thing about losing weight: Feeling good about herself, and knowing that she is healthier to play with her daughter.

Best weight loss secret learned: Reducing intake of sodium will help you drop the pounds.

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