Sharon Rutti sheds a lifetime of bad habits

Old habits aren't the only ones that die hard. So do bad habits. And when a bad habit like overeating sticks with somebody their entire life, it's unlikely they'll kick the tendency. But don't tell that to Sharon Rutti.

Weight was a problem for Sharon since childhood. She knew she had bad eating habits, but lacked the willpower to change them. Sharon's philosophy: Eat anything, any time.

As a result, her weight climbed each year. By the time Sharon reached 60, she weighed 352 pounds. Breathing was difficult, and she could do little else besides sit in a chair all day. Sharon also suffered from dangerously high blood pressure and arthritic knees.

She tried a number of diets -- and even had her stomach stapled. But still the weight came back. Nothing taught her proper nutrition, so her bad eating habits continued, even though Sharon knew her weight was killing her.

Desperate for change, she joined her local Nainamo, British Columbia, L A Weight Loss center in January 2006. Sharon worked closely with her personal weight loss counselor, Genedine, who taught her portion control as the key to a healthy diet.

Sharon was soon eating in moderation. She found that by monitoring her portions and eating a number of small meals throughout the day, she was able to overcome her toughest cravings. Sharon also cut back on fast food, fried food, and bread, while adding fruits and vegetables.

Since joining L A Weight Loss, Sharon has lost 110 pounds -- halfway to her weight loss goal of 130 pounds! At 242 pounds, Sharon has already changed her life dramatically. She can now do everyday activities with ease, and loves to fish, camp, and play with her grandson.

Sharon's health has improved, too. Her blood pressure dramatically decreased, and her arthritis is less painful. She even has the energy to swim and do aqua exercises at her community pool.

Best of all, Sharon's new weight has given her a more positive outlook on life. She's much happier, and knows she's taken an important step to living longer.

Sharon has shown everyone it's never too late to change your life. Way to go, Sharon! Keep up the good work!

Here's Sharon before at 352 pounds:



And here she is today at 242 pounds. Halfway there, Sharon! Keep it up!




FAST FACTS

Name: Sharon Rutti
Hometown: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Age: 62
Height: 5'3"

Starting weight: 352 pounds
Goal weight: 130 pounds
Current weight: 242 pounds
Program start date: January 2006

Favorite food: Fruit.

Biggest temptation: Resisting sweets and bread.

Biggest motivator: Getting support from her family.

Biggest obstacle: Breaking through the plateau.

Old eating philosophy: Eating as much as she wanted, whenever she wanted.

New eating philosophy: Eating healthier, and knowing when she's satisfied.

Best thing about losing weight: Feeling good about herself.

Best weight loss secret learned: If you eat properly, you can be satisfied without cheating.

Georgia man learns mother knows best

Clean your room. Be nice to your brother. Tuck in your shirt.

Everyone knows Mom's common commands all too well. And you'd better obey the first time she asks, because she will tell you again ... and again ... and again ...

Take James Peterson's mom. That's what she did when she thought he should join L A Weight Loss.

James had maintained an athletic lifestyle throughout high school, but started to gain weight once he entered college. His post-grad job as an IT manager kept him too busy for healthy eating or exercise, so the pounds piled on.

In addition, James often indulged in late-night snacking. His diet consisted of fast foods, fried foods, and lots of sweets. He had little awareness of nutritional value, and considered a fried chicken sandwich with bacon and ranch dressing a healthy meal.

Worse, James kept making excuses for himself, even though he was unhappy with the extra weight. When he couldn't fit into clothes at the mall, he comforted himself with a cinnamon bun. And without any medical conditions affecting him, James told himself he had no real reason to worry about being heavy.

Then his mother joined L A Weight Loss. Thrilled with her own progress, she suggested James try the program, too. Actually, she called him every day until he agreed to visit his local L A Weight Loss center in Cumberland, Ga., in September 2006.

After only one week on the program, James lost 10 pounds, which motivated him to stick with it and keep losing.

Working closely with his one-on-one counselors, James learned an important lesson in nutrition. Never a big cook before, he took a stab at culinary art in his kitchen. Soon, he was cooking dinners with steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and grilled lean meats and fish.

James also added exercise to his routine, working out three to four times a week at his local gym. The healthy habits did the trick: He lost a total of 110 pounds on the plan!

Now, nothing can hold him back. James loves being outdoors, running, walking, and bike riding. And when he goes shopping at the mall, he walks right past the cinnamon buns, and heads for new, smaller-sized clothes at the nearest store.

In fact, James kept the outfit he wore at his first L A Weight Loss weigh-in, and dons it every time he steps on the scale, to remind himself how far he's come. Plus, his weight loss journey inspired his wife to get fit too, and now they work out and eat right together.

Needless to say, James's mom is very proud of him, and brags about his weight loss, proving that mother really does know best. Great work, James!!

Here's the 315-pound James before he joined L A Weight Loss:



And here he is now, 110 pounds lighter, looking like a whole new man! Awesome job, James!



FAST FACTS

Name: James Peterson
Hometown: Smyrna, Ga.
Age: 35
Height: 6'1"

Starting weight: 325 pounds
Goal weight: 223 pounds
Current weight: 215 pounds
Program start date: September 2006

Favorite food: Grilled chicken.

Biggest temptation: Sweets.

Biggest motivator: Getting healthy.

Biggest obstacle: Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of weight he wanted to lose.

Old eating philosophy: Eating fried food for lunch and dinner, and enjoying anything else he wanted in between.

New eating philosophy: Thinking about what he wants to eat, and planning his meals with healthy choices.

Best thing about losing weight: Getting a lot of attention and support for achieving his goals.

Best weight loss secret learned: Stay active!

Meaning of motherhood a weighty issue for Monica King

The most popular Mother's Day gifts last year were flowers, cards, and food, according to the National Retail Federation. But these tangible gifts can't really capture the true meaning of motherhood.

Instead, it takes something larger to really show what being a mom is all about. For Monica King of Copperas Cover, Texas, the meaning of motherhood reached 240 pounds.

Monica weighed 185 pounds when she got married in 2001. She half-heartedly followed fad diets, but her cravings for potato chips, pizza, and ice cream always won out.

Then Monica became pregnant with her baby girl Emily. That's when the pounds really added up, and she hit 240 pounds. After having Emily in 2003, Monica lost some baby weight, but reduced her size to only 192 pounds.

Because of the weight, Monica suffered severe sleep apnea and heartburn. Frustrated and fatigued, she wanted more than anything to go down the park slide, and swim with her daughter. But her weight held her back.

Monica's health took a turn for the worse when the excess weight caused a blood clot to form in the back of her left knee. She underwent vein-stripping surgery in early 2005 to relieve the clot.

When Monica came home, things weren't much better. That's when she decided the perfect way to get healthy and become a better mother would be to lose weight.

Monica put her plan into action with a trip to the Killeen, Texas, L A Weight Loss center. She immediately found the support and guidance she needed to get her eating habits on track. She could eat all her favorite foods -- including the pizza and ice cream -- just in moderation.

All along, Monica's biggest motivator was her mother. Monica told her what she should be eating, and cooked healthy meals with her. That helped Monica stick with the L A Weight Loss plan.

She reached her goal weight of 130 pounds on March 1, 2006, just five months after beginning her weight loss plan. That's 110 pounds gone from when she was at her heaviest!

And through it all, she had the one shining star that mattered to her most: her daughter Emily. Now four years old, Emily is full of life. Monica loves taking her to the park and going down the slide. They also rollerskate every Saturday afternoon, and bowl on Friday nights.

Monica always thinks positively, and knows she's a better mother now that her health is back on track. She couldn't have done it without her mother's support and her daughter's motivation. Sounds like this trio knows the true meaning of Mother's Day!

(Also, check out Monica's profile in this week's People Magazine!)

This is the 240-pound Monica before:



And here's Monica with a fabulous 130-pound figure and size 6 bikini to boot! Great job, Monica!



FAST FACTS

Name: Monica King
Hometown: Copperas Cover, Texas
Age: 26
Height: 5'7"

Starting weight: 240 pounds
Goal weight: 130 pounds
Current weight: 130 pounds
Program start date: Oct. 1, 2005

Biggest temptation: Ice cream.

Biggest motivator: Her daughter and mother.

Biggest obstacle: Getting over cravings for junk food.

Old eating philosophy: Indulging in pizza, rice, and other high-calorie foods.

New eating philosophy: Eating in moderation.

Best thing about losing weight: Being able to play with her daughter.

Best weight loss secret learned: Family support is the best way to stick with a weight loss plan.

From fridge runs to running 5Ks

I get a lot of letters from L A Weight Loss customers, and they're often filled with emotional revelations and medical obstacles, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, sleep apnea, and diabetes.

So imagine my surprise when I read Kathy Kersting's personal story, and got to this line: "My doctor told me that I was the healthiest obese person he had seen ..."

Well, that's a first. But it was true: Though she weighed 262 pounds, Kathy was otherwise healthy as a horse.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Kathy's mother, who was diagnosed with sleep apnea after battling emphysema and congestive heart failure. So Kathy knew it was only a matter of time before her own luck ran out.

Plus, even though she was healthy on the inside, Kathy was unhappy with her outside. She hated looking into the mirror every morning to do her makeup, and lost the confidence to speak up and draw attention to herself in social situations.

By fall 2004, Kathy was ready to make a change. That's when she and her husband Jay joined L A Weight Loss, and vowed never to be heavy again.

Kathy committed herself to the program, and the weight seemed to fly off. When she had dropped 70 pounds, she began exercising on the elliptical machine and stationary bike for 25 minutes a day. That turned into jogging, and soon Kathy was running 5Ks and training for half marathons.

In fact, Kathy was so successful, she was featured in L A Weight Loss ads that ran in her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn.!

Today, Kathy's dropped 110 pounds -- about 20 pounds away from being half her size!! And she's adding one more sport to her repertoire: training for a 300-mile bike tour with her sister this summer.

Here's Kathy at 262 pounds being chubby with her hubby:



And here she is now at a race-ready 152:



FAST FACTS

Name: Kathy Kersting
Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn.
Age: 38
Height: 5’4"

Starting weight: 262 pounds
Goal weight: 140 pounds
Current weight: 152 pounds
Program start date: Fall 2004

Favorite food: Fresh fish and fresh baby spinach. (It used to be mashed potatoes.)

Biggest temptation: Starches like potatoes and corn.

Biggest motivator: To avoid the health problems that plagued her mother.

Biggest obstacle: Overcoming the urge to clean her plate.

Old eating philosophy: Forcing herself to eat, even when she wasn't hungry.

New eating philosophy: Knowing her limits, and making sure that when she does eat, her meals are packed with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Best thing about losing weight: Having the energy to run and bike.

Best weight loss secret learned: To avoid overeating on homemade sweets at work, she thinks about whether the person who made them washed their hands. The result -- she usually passes on the treats!