Slim-Down Secrets

April 2007
by Caroline Bollinger

Yes, you really can win your battle with extra weight. All of these women overcame serious diet obstacles - and plenty of cravings - to shed stubborn pounds. And once they got thin, they stayed that way (without giving up their favorite foods - or chocolate). Here's how each of them did it, with strategies that will work for you too.

Carmen Tedder
33, Dierks, AR
Starting weight: 236
Current weight: 134
Pounds lost: 102
How long it took: 8 months

My Story: For me, life has always revolved around eating. I'd munch away while preparing dinner, wolf down food during the meal, and nibble on leftovers as I cleaned up afterward. I used to be astonished by friends who didn't eat every scrap of their lunch. After my son was born, my hunger for food grew even stronger. I started and ended each day thinking about two things: myself (what I didn't have and what I wished my husband would do for me) and food. If my baby cried during dinner, I'd got to him, but inside I'd seethe because my meal had been interrupted. I was miserable, and to dull the pain, I'd eat.
Moment of Truth: After losing about 15 pounds of pregnancy weight, I started gaining again. All I could squeeze into were my maternity clothes. When size 20 pants starting fitting me perfectly, I could no longer deny the fact that I was huge. My first reaction was to turn to fen-phen, a weight-loss drug. The ills helped me drop 30 pounds, but one day I learned they could cause serious heart damage. I stopped taking them immediately, but I cried as I rocked my son to sleep that night because I realized how reckless I'd been with my health. Of course, the second I threw out the drug, the fat flew back on. I went to my ob-gyn for a safer diet pill, but instead he gave me the phone number for the Weigh Down Workshop. "Don't bother with pills," he told me. "This plan will help you get long-term results."
The Program: After my first class, I went home determined to make a change in my life. I realized that God didn't intend for me to sit around watching TV and munching on Cheetos all day. Instead of counting fat grams or cutting out certain good groups, the Weigh Down Workshop taught us one main diet technique: how to stop using food to cope with emotional needs. Boredom and frustration with my life still made me desperate for food, but that changed one evening. After I had put my son to bed, I went to the kitchen to frost a cake I'd baked. Even though I had been looking forward to it all day, I knew I shouldn't eat it. My desire for sweets was so strong that I had to drop to my knees and pray for help. Minutes later, when I was transferring the cake from the pan to a plate, I accidentally dropped the whole thing on the floor. At that moment, I felt God was sending me a message. Afterward, it was much easier to control my emotional hunger, and the pounds just melted away.
How I Keep Weight Off: When I feel mopey and depressed, I turn to prayer - not food - for relief. I try to nip sad feelings in the bud by reminding myself how blessed I am to have a healthy family. If I have a desire for, say, fried chicken wings, I squelch it by telling myself the craving will pass. And it always does.

Rene Maxwell
38, Nashville
Starting Weight: 189
current weight: 130
Pounds lost: 59
How long it took: 15 months

My Story: I've never been what you'd call thin, despite being athletic in high school and college. the pounds piled on anyway because I'd come home from practice and inhale junk food. I now realize that I often ate to fill an emptiness inside.
Moment of Truth: My life changed in March 1999, during a game of pickup basketball with my husband. I faked one way and moved the other and - pop - I heard a snap. It was my ACL [one of the major ligaments connecting the bones to the knee joint]. During the year it took me to recover from surgery, I did almost nothing - and gained 40 pounds. Once the doctor gave me the go-ahead to exercise, I went nuts. During lunch, I hit the gym to lift weights; on morning and afternoon breaks, I'd climb six flights of stairs; at night, my husband and I did an hour of cardio. But once again, I ate so much I didn't lose a pound. Then a friend from church asked me to go to class with her at the Weigh Down Workshop [a faith-based weight-loss seminar].
The Program: The instructor insisted we reacquaint ourselves with the physical symptoms of hunger and fullness. That day, I listened to my stomach growl - a sound I hadn't heard in more than 10 years. I decided to stop working out temporarily because exercise had become a crutch, one that sucked up all my time and triggered my appetite. That first week, I ate fast food twice, didn't go to the gym, and still lost three pounds. Instead of my usually comfort food from McDonald's - a Big Mac combo meal - I ordered a plain hamburger and a Diet Coke, which, to my surprise, filled me up. If I had cravings at home, I'd put on music, then sing, dance, or clean to turn my mind away from food. Or I'd call a friend and ask her to take a walk with me.
How I Keep Weight Off: Instead of eating just because it's mealtime, I wait for signs of physical hunger.
Favorite Diet Snack: Water or unsweetened iced tea. I often notice that I'm not really hungry - just thirsty. I still eat chocolate, but I limit myself to three Hershey's Kisses.