Heather Weibel steps into a healthier life

Lives can be measured in different ways: years lived, degrees earned, marathons completed. Heather Weibel measures her life in steps ... literally.

Although Heather grew up in a household of overweight family members, weight wasn't a problem for her. She liked getting outside, talking walks, and enjoying the sunshine. But that changed when she got pregnant.

She gained weight with her first son, and couldn't shed the baby weight. By the time she gave birth to her second son, she was 100 pounds heavier than her pre-motherhood form.

For 10 years, Heather struggled with her weight and health. Walking became difficult, due to her back, knee, hip, and joint problems. She could barely make it up the stairs without losing her breath.

She also developed diabetes, and her doctor told her she would be on insulin for the rest of her life if she didn't drop the pounds.

Meanwhile, Heather's sister had joined L A Weight Loss and was successfully losing weight. Inspired by her success, Heather and her father joined their local Great Falls, Mo., L A Weight Loss center in 2005.

Heather was paired with a one-on-one weight loss counselor who taught her easy ways to make every meal healthy and filling without excess fats and calories. Heather cut out fast and fried food binges, and reduced her salty snack intake. She added fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats such as grilled chicken to her meals.

These simple adjustments were all Heather needed to start melting away the pounds. As her weight decreased, her energy increased. She began exercising to supercharge her weight loss.

Her new routine has changed Heather's life. After dropping 140 pounds, Heather now weighs 150 pounds! Her friends and family are so proud of her, and she feels like strangers are friendlier to her.

Heather has enough energy to exercise one hour a day, six days a week. To make sure she's staying on track, she carries a pedometer with her every day. Heather makes sure she always takes 20,000 steps a day. It's 20,000 steps towards a healthier life.

Heather is able to do things she could never do before, such as play with her kids at the playground. She loves shopping now. Even better, she loves how she looks. Heather never wore makeup before, but now she loves getting dolled up.

Not only does Heather look good, she feels great. She is much more confident, with all of her pain subsided and weight in check.

Here's Heather at 296 pounds:



And here she is today at 150 pounds:



FAST FACTS

Name: Heather Weibel
Hometown: Great Falls, Mo.
Age: 30
Height: 5'3"

Starting weight: 296 pounds
Goal weight: 140 pounds
Current weight: 150 lbs
Program start date: January 2005

Favorite food: Smoothies.

Biggest temptation: Junk food.

Biggest motivator: Praying while losing weight.

Biggest obstacle: Learning how to avoid food binges.

Old eating philosophy: Eating heavy foods, fried foods, fatty snacks, and soda.

New eating philosophy: Eating healthy alternatives with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Best thing about losing weight: Curing her physical pains.

Best weight loss secret learned: Staying positive can help you lose weight.

Dessert diva sweetens her life without the calories

Humans have 32 teeth -- but that doesn't include the sweet tooth! It's inherent in most of us, and one of the biggest causes of weight gain. How can you overcome the natural inclination to reach for the pies, puddings, and pastries? Barb Zaske of Springfield, Mo., found an answer!

She was certainly born with a sweet tooth, as evidenced by her constant consumption of desserts and 65-pound weight gain while pregnant with her daughter. After giving birth, she quickly lost 35 pounds, but the rest wouldn't budge.

At 168 pounds, Barb continued indulging in cookies and cakes, not to mention fried foods and carbs. The weight gain didn't worry her much, until she noticed how sluggish she was. She had little energy to play with her toddler, and no ambition to advance her career as a registered nurse.

Barb also suffered from hip and knee pain. She was depressed and thought everything was wrong with her. She hated the way clothes looked on her, but she didn't know how to fix it.

Then at the end of 2004, she heard about L A Weight Loss's portion control and personalized counseling. Barb thought it sounded like the right plan for her, and signed up as her New Year's resolution.

It proved to be the best way to ring in 2005. L A Weight Loss's counselors and nutrition experts took Barb under their wings and taught her how to eat correct portions of healthy foods. She ate a lot of fish -- shrimp being her favorite!

Barb loved to cook recipes from the L A Lite cookbook, and became aware of which ingredients go into healthy cooking. She made chicken and vegetables a staple, while minimizing fried foods and carbs.

And the sweet cravings? L A Lite bars took care of that. After discovering how good healthy foods taste, she hardly missed the desserts anyway.

L A Weight Loss provided the accountability she needed to stay focused, and the inspiration to have fun along the way. Barb reached just one plateau during her weight loss. But the counselors slightly upped her calorie allotment for the day, and she quickly got back on the losing streak.

In 18 weeks, Barb dropped 29 pounds, and she's kept it off since! At 139 pounds, she is a much happier person now, and is working toward a career in medical sales.

She feels comfortable wearing a bikini and form-fitting clothes. She has a ton of energy to play with her daughter, and no aches or pains. But that's not all. Her success inspired her sister-in-law and niece to get fit and join L A Weight Loss, too.

Barb thanks L A Weight Loss for the ability to live a happier and healthier life! Congrats, Barb!

This is Barb at her heaviest, 168 pounds:



And here she is today, showing off her bikini body at 139 pounds! Looking fab, Barb! Way to go!



FAST FACTS

Name: Barb Zaske
Hometown: Springfield, Mo.
Age: 37
Height: 5'7"

Starting weight: 168 pounds
Goal weight: 140 pounds
Current weight: 139 pounds
Program start date: January 2005

Favorite food: Soft tacos.

Biggest temptation: Desserts.

Biggest motivator: Feeling better as the weight came off.

Biggest obstacle: Eating right at restaurants.

Old eating philosophy: Eating what she wanted without worrying.

New eating philosophy: Being more aware of what and how she's eating.

Best thing about losing weight: Seeing the results, and energizing her life.

Best weight loss secret learned: Portion control.