Heidi Faulkner gets the goods after dropping 134 pounds

When you're overweight, you can't see the writing on the wall. You should lose weight, but just don't know how to start. When this happens, it takes the strength and motivation from family to get your health on track.

Take Heidi Faulkner of Mondovi, Wis. She had been overweight for as long as she could remember. Throughout school she was the largest kid in her class, and continued gaining weight into adulthood. Heidi ate the wrong foods, and never thought about portion sizes. Her thinking was "the bigger the better!"

Her routine was subs for breakfast, pizza and chips for lunch, and fast food for dinner. Heidi also ate candy bars and other sweets in between meals. As her weight increased to 287 pounds, Heidi was too self-conscious to go out anywhere, and had no energy to do anything.

Then, four years ago, she had a small stroke. Luckily, it didn't cause any other health problems, but her doctor advised her to drop the pounds and exercise. Despite the severity of her situation, Heidi just didn't want to go through the effort of losing weight. Meanwhile, her husband was very concerned for her health.

So she tried every fad diet and "miracle cure" to lose weight. But Heidi couldn't stick with any of them, and quickly got discouraged. She didn't know how she let herself reach that point. Then Heidi discovered L A Weight Loss.

The personal counselors taught her how to easily change her eating habits for the better. With her husband's encouragement, Heidi started eating healthy portions of fruit and high-fiber cereal for breakfast, light breads and salads for lunch, and chicken or fish for dinner. She drove right past fast food joints after work, on her way home to cook healthy meals.

L A Weight Loss also gave Heidi accountability. Going to the center three times a week helped her with her weight loss goals. And after 50 weeks, she lost 134 pounds, and is down to 153 pounds!

Heidi's life is completely different now. She's more social, and has no problem mingling with strangers. She also loves to go shopping for her new size 8 figure. In fact, the first time she bought clothes in the regular-size section, she called her husband and almost cried!

Heidi is more active too, and walks 4.5 miles every day. She and her husband recently bought a boat, and they love to take it out and go fishing. On the deck, she dons shorts and bathing suits with confidence.

But that's not all of Heidi's new toys. Her husband also bought her a Mustang convertible as a congratulations gift! And if that wasn't fabulous enough, her husband also bought her a new, smaller diamond wedding ring to fit her thinner fingers!

But what are husbands for, anyway?? ;)

Congrats, Heidi, and enjoy your new lifestyle!

Take a look at Heidi before, wallowing in 287 pounds:



And here she is now, in shape at 153! Awesome job, Heidi!



FAST FACTS

Name: Heidi Faulkner
Hometown: Mondovi, Wis.
Age: 42
Height: 5'5"

Starting weight: 287 pounds
Goal weight: 150 pounds
Current weight: 153 pounds
Program start date: March 31, 2006

Favorite food: Lean Cuisine French bread pizza or shrimp.

Biggest temptation: Pasta salad at picnics.

Biggest motivator: Seeing how her weight loss has motivated others. She wants to keep the weight off to not let them down.

Biggest obstacle: Craving cake or sweets.

Old eating philosophy: Super-sizing everything, eating fast food, and drinking a lot of soda.

New eating philosophy: Opting for healthy foods such as fish, and drinking plenty of water.

Best thing about losing weight: Seeing people's reactions to her weight loss -- some don't even recognize her!

Best weight loss secret learned: It takes about a half hour after you eat for your body to realize you're full, so stop eating before you feel full. Also, small portion sizes is a best-kept secret to weight loss.

Richard Dunn puts the brakes on lifelong weight battle

School kids find it easy to harass overweight classmates. But when you’re the heavy one, taking the teasing is much harder.

That’s what Richard Dunn faced as a child when his weight struggles began. He tried to shrug off the name-calling and humiliation, but it often made him sad.

Fast-forward 20 years. Richard was 30 years old, and a truck inspector for a trucking company in Strafford, Mo. But he'd never had anyone put the brakes on his eating.

A self-described carb addict, Richard ate a lot of pasta, potato chips, and bread. He also packed away spuds and steaks by the pound -- a true meat-and-potatoes man. And he'd wash it all down with a 2-liter bottle of soda and a half gallon of whole milk every day.

It was a heart attack waiting to happen -- and it nearly did. Richard began complaining about a sore foot and back pain, and visited his doctor. The diagnosis: plantar fasciitis, a bad back, and borderline high blood pressure.

At the time, Richard weighed a whopping 328 pounds. His doctor urged him to lose weight before it was too late.

Richard researched several weight loss plans, and ultimately joined L A Weight Loss at the Springfield, Mo., center because their portion-control philosophy made sense to him.

He worked closely with his personal counselor Amy and center manager Kendra to develop a healthy, balanced meal plan. Soon he was eating well-rounded meals with plenty of fruit, vegetables, and lean protein.

The changes made the difference: Richard surpassed his goal weight of 197, and has dropped to a slim 194 pounds!!

Now Richard's no longer the couch potato he was two years ago. He has lots of energy to clean and work around the house. And the best part: wowing his old classmates at his next high school reunion!!

Awesome job, Richard!

Here is Richard at 328 pounds:



And here he is at a fantastic 197 pounds! Keep on truckin’, Richard!



FAST FACTS

Name: Richard Dunn
Hometown: Strafford, Mo.
Age: 30
Height: 6'1"

Starting weight: 328 pounds
Goal weight: 197 pounds
Current weight: 194 pounds
Program start date: Sept. 20, 2005

Favorite food: Pasta and potato chips.

Biggest temptation: Carbs.

Biggest motivator: Getting support from his fiancee Lorie.

Biggest obstacle: Being offered food from other people.

Old eating philosophy: Consuming high-calorie foods and drinking a 2-liter bottle of soda every day.

New eating philosophy: Incorporating vegetables, lean chicken, and fruits.

Best thing about losing weight: Being more active, and feeling he’ll live much longer.

Best weight loss secret learned: It takes time to lose weight, but once it's gone, you can keep it off.