Former swimmer waves good-bye to weighty worries

Sure, dropping excess pounds is weight off your body. But it's also weight off your mind. For Rodrigo Zavaleta of San Jose, Costa Rica, that freedom opened a new chapter in his life.

Rodrigo swam for Costa Rica's national team during his teenage years. Practicing twice a day burned a lot of calories and kept him in superb shape. But in his 20s, he stopped swimming, and his weight shot up.

He ate a lot of fast food and Chinese take-out. He rarely had home-cooked meals and avoided vegetables. And without any exercise to burn calories, Rodrigo ballooned to 200 pounds.

When his mother passed away six years ago, Rodrigo became depressed, and ate even more. Soon he weighed 297 pounds.

Breathing was difficult, especially at night. With all the excess weight on his chest, he couldn't lay down or get up easily, and always snored. He couldn't fit comfortably in his car, and his legs and knees constantly ached.

Rodrigo couldn't look in the mirror without feeling disgusted. He tried dieting, but couldn't stick to a plan because he had OCD. He became too anxious for the weight to come off, and when he didn't see immediate results, he quit.

Rodrigo nearly took the drastic step of having gastric bypass surgery. But then he heard about L A Weight Loss. He visited his local San Jose center, and was impressed by the friendliness and care the personal weight loss counselors showed him.

They told him how surgery wasn't necessary. Grateful that he found an easy alternative, Rodrigo signed up.

He worked one-on-one with the weight loss counselors to develop a healthy eating plan. Rodrigo cut out fast food, and learned how to make healthy, simple meals at home. For breakfast, he usually opted for two scrambled eggs with a slice of cheese, yogurt, and toast; while enjoying a sandwich, grilled chicken, or salad for lunch.

Dinners consisted of salad and fruit. And L A Lite bars and fruit rounded out Rodrigo's snacks for the day. Through it all, he leaned on his wife and weight loss counselors for support and motivation.

The weight started to come off quickly. In fact, Rodrigo lost nine pounds the first week! He's kept up his L A Weight Loss regimen, and today weighs 215 pounds! That's 82 pounds gone!

Rodrigo no longer carries the guilt of being heavy. He enjoys walking outside for an hour daily, and plays soccer and basketball with his friends. He can fit into his car without a struggle, and better control his OCD and anxiety. And much to his wife's happiness, he doesn't snore anymore!

The best part about being thinner is feeling alive. Rodrigo enjoys life -- and he's about to enjoy it even more with a new baby on the way. His wife is 12 weeks pregnant!

L A Weight Loss worked for Rodrigo because he learned how to eat healthy. He trusted the L A Weight Loss counselors, and followed their guidance. He loves to talk about L A Weight Loss, and has motivated many friends and family to join the program, too.

Rodrigo looks forward to being a great dad, and continuing to lose weight to regain his swimmer physique.

Great job, Rodrigo! Keep up the fantastic work!

Here's Rodrigo before, feeling guilty at 297 pounds:



Here's Rodrigo today, happy and carefree at 215! Way to go, Rodrigo!



FAST FACTS

Name: Rodrigo Zavaleta
Hometown: San Jose, Costa Rica
Age: 35
Height: 5'8"

Starting weight: 297 pounds
Goal weight: 180 pounds
Current weight: 215 pounds
Program start date: March 21, 2006

Favorite food: Cereal.

Biggest temptation: French fries.

Biggest motivator: Getting support from his wife and L A Weight Loss counselors.

Biggest obstacle: Controlling his OCD.

Old eating philosophy: Indulging in junk food.

New eating philosophy: Eating the right foods for his body.

Best thing about losing weight: Feeling happy.

Best weight loss secret learned: Eat more protein and cut down on carbs.

Tenn. man gains (portion) control of his life

There are many things that can send someone's life spiraling out of control. Drugs, alcohol, a tragic event, or even food, to name a few.

Often, people don't realize they're losing control until it's gone. That's how Matt Beal felt about his weight gain.

Matt gradually packed on pounds after college. The combination of eating out often, dining on fatty foods, and eating at irregular times of the day fueled his weight gain.

When Matt ate out, he ordered humongous portions and ate until he physically felt like he couldn't eat another bite. Then he washed it all down with high-calorie soda or sweet tea.

Matt soon weighed 320 pounds. He worked in retail, which kept him on his feet all day. But carrying around so much weight made his feet ache. Matt also suffered from high blood pressure, and struggled with sleep apnea and snoring.

Matt's weight affected him emotionally as well. He hated having to constantly worry about fitting into places. When he flew, he had to ask for seat belt extensions. And squeezing into roller coasters and other rides was always a struggle.

After returning from a trip to Mexico, Matt saw a picture of himself and was shocked at how heavy he looked. It seemed like Matt's weight had spun out of control without him even noticing. He knew he had to do something to regain control of his body and his life.

Matt tried dieting a number of times, but he couldn't shed the weight. He thought about gastric bypass surgery, but then a better idea struck. He decided to take the less invasive path and join L A Weight Loss in July 2006.

L A Weight Loss paired Matt with one-on-one weight loss counselors who helped him adjust his diet. He added fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish to his meal plan. He replaced his sodas and sweet teas with water. Most important, Matt learned portion control.

Matt loves that he can still go to his favorite restaurants, but knows how to make better meal choices. Instead of ordering the 14 oz. steak and baked potato, Matt will order the 7 oz. steak and a salad. Now, he eats until he's full, not until he's absolutely stuffed.

Throughout his weight loss journey, Matt was motivated by constant encouragement from his friends and family. Little by little, Matt whittled the weight away. After one year on the L A Weight Loss program, he lost 110 pounds!

The same day Matt reached his goal weight of 210, he was promoted at work! That's what I call a fabulous day! Matt's success with L A Weight Loss inspired him to keep going and set a new goal weight of 188 pounds. He's on track to meet it, now weighing 195 pounds. That means his total weight loss is 125 pounds so far!

Matt's entire life has changed since he lost the weight. He can't believe how much better he feels, emotionally and physically. Matt says he never knew how tired he was until he started feeling more energetic, and he never knew how depressed he was until he became happier.

And the best part about losing weight is the reactions from people who haven't seen him in a while. It's fun and motivating to bump into old coworkers and friends, and watch their jaws drop when they realize it's Matt. Our jaws dropped too!

With a healthy body, a healthy mind, and a great new position at work, Matt has regained full control of his life. And he looks great!

Here's Matt before at 320 pounds:



And here he is now at 195 pounds -- almost half his size! Wow! Great job, Matt!



FAST FACTS

Name: Matt Beal
Hometown: Cookeville, Tenn.
Age: 34
Height: 5'10"

Starting weight: 320 pounds
Goal weight: 188 pounds
Current weight: 195 pounds
Program start date: July 19, 2006

Favorite food: Apple pie.

Biggest temptation: Pizza.

Biggest motivator: Stepping on the scales, looking in the mirror, and seeing the changes.

Biggest obstacle: Resisting the temptation to eat bad food.

Old eating philosophy: Eating what tastes good, and eating until he was stuffed.

New eating philosophy: Having the right portions of the right foods at the right times of day.

Best thing about losing weight: Looking great and feeling even better.

Best weight loss secret learned: It's not about secrets, gimmicks, and tricks. It's about common sense.