Tennessee mom discovers fountain of youth

It's amazing what having kids can do to your body. All of a sudden, bulges that never existed are squeezing out from under your clothes. It can be depressing and extremely frustrating when your efforts to lose weight just aren't working.

Kim Duckett of Maryville, Tenn., was once in that boat. She was energetic and active when she was young, cheerleading and playing softball. But after she had kids, her weight problems began.

She gained 50 pounds during her first pregnancy, and didn't lose very much of it. After giving birth two more times, Kim's weight ballooned to 228 pounds.

Being a stay-at-home mom kept her weight in the red. Kim wasn't as active, and always gave into her cravings for chocolate, potato chips, and fast food. Even when she started working again, Kim still turned to high-calorie snacks after work.

Baggy clothes hid an unhappy Kim from the world. She didn't have much energy, and felt terrible about herself. Her knees and ankles also hurt when she walked. Plus, her mom had high blood pressure and diabetes, and Kim feared developing these conditions.

She tried several diets, but her weight only yo-yoed. At age 43, Kim realized she was too young to feel this old. She was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

Meanwhile, Kim's friend Barbara was on the L A Weight Loss plan, and lost a lot of weight. So Kim decided to see if L A Weight Loss could work for her too. She signed up in October 2006.

The personal weight loss counselors taught Kim how to change her cravings so she desired less unhealthy foods, and more healthy foods. She learned how to opt for grilled chicken Caesar salads over pizza, apples instead of potato chips, and L A Lite bars rather than chocolate.

She also ate six smaller meals a day. This made Kim skeptical as she felt she was eating too often. But her thoughts soon changed when she lost 20 pounds after only four weeks!

Kim stuck with the program, and her weight drooped as quickly as it had increased. Total weight loss: 69 pounds on the L A Weight Loss program, down to 159 pounds!

Now, buying baggy clothes is a thing of the past. Kim loves shopping for smaller sizes. Plus, she receives compliments on her looks, which she hadn't gotten in years. Her daughter tells friends and family that her mom is prettier now than ever before!

Kim is also much closer to her husband. They now enjoy hiking in the Smoky Mountains together. She also walks two miles daily, something she couldn't have done at her heaviest.

Kim's energetic, outgoing personality of her youth is back. She feels losing weight has significantly improved her health, and helped save her life. She knows she'll stick with the L A Weight Loss plan to keep her weight low and confidence high.

There's no more feeling old for this mom! Congrats, Kim! Keep up the great work!

This is Kim before at 228 pounds:



And this is the new, younger-feeling Kim now at 159! Looking fabulous, Kim! Way to go!



FAST FACTS

Name: Kim Duckett
Hometown: Maryville, Tenn.
Age: 44
Height: 5'4"

Starting weight: 228 pounds
Goal weight: 160 pounds
Current weight: 159 pounds
Program start date: October 2006

Favorite food: Grilled chicken Caesar salads.

Biggest temptation: Sour cream and onion potato chips.

Biggest motivator: Being encouraged by her husband to improve her health.

Biggest obstacle: Curbing the munchies.

Old eating philosophy: Enjoying lots of pizza, fast food cheeseburgers, and potato chips.

New eating philosophy: Balancing healthy portions of fish, chicken, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables.

Best thing about losing weight: Feeling better physically, and loving the way her husband looks at her now.

Best weight loss secret learned: You can eat six times a day and lose weight!

Ron Layne's secret weapon: his counselor!

You got the chance to meet Christina Young, Greg Thompson's personal L A Weight Loss counselor, and a key factor in his success.

Now, in the second installment of our counselor podcast series, we're happy to introduce James Maxwell, counselor for Ron Layne. With James's support and guidance, Ron dropped 74 pounds -- and literally saved his life.

James was a counselor at the Glamorgan Center in Calgary, Alberta, where Ron went three times a week for 10 months. I got in touch with James recently, and were immediately impressed by his candor and enthusiasm. He clearly loves his job, and knows how to motivate people!

So lend him your ears, and enjoy his first-person account of life as an L A Weight Loss counselor. And without further ado ... James!

Ron Layne: "Losing weight saved my life!"

Last January, Ron Layne's health was so bad, his doctor ordered him to take temporary medical leave from his transit job. Unbeknownst to Ron, his doctor believed that the leave would most certainly be permanent.

That's because Ron, age 60, was connected to an oxygen tank 24/7 to help with his breathing, and had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and chronic sinus infections. Being 278 pounds didn't help.

For months, Ron's family pleaded with him to lose the extra weight to save his health, to no avail. Then, one March morning, he saw an ad in the local newspaper for L A Weight Loss, and thought, "I have nothing to lose but the weight!" (Must have been one of our better ads! )

He wound up losing 69 pounds as of this month, which was on target for meeting his goal weight of 209 pounds. But with his weight reduction, he also (1) lost the oxygen tank, (2) his blood pressure is slowly moving into the normal range, and (3) his doctor believes his sleep apnea is all but gone.

Was the weight loss the trigger? Only his doctor can say. Speaking of which, his doctor has been so impressed with Ron's progress that he is now recommending the L A Weight Loss program to his obese patients. He's also cleared Ron for a return to work in January.

Ron's doctor said if he hadn't seen Ron's progress himself, he wouldn't have believed it! You can see why by looking at Ron's before and after photos. Here's Ron is before, at a near-deadly 278 pounds:




















Now, 69 pounds lighter, and a lot healthier:



FAST FACTS

Name: Ron Layne
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta Canada
Age: 60

Starting weight: 278 pounds
Goal weight: 209 pounds
Current weight: 209 pounds
Program start date: March 2006

Biggest motivator: Getting his health back on track, so he could return to his job as a bus driver.

Old eating philosophy: Overeating, then more overeating. Finish a gallon of ice cream or a large bag of potato chips in one sitting.

New eating philosophy: Lots of salad, fruits, and fewer starches. And no potato chips in six months!

Best thing about losing weight: It's the little things, like being able to cross his legs, touch his toes, and lean over to bowl. And getting lots more female attention!

Best weight loss secret learned: If you're overweight, it's a health issue, pure and simple, and should be treated that way.