It Can Be Done!

 

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After

Before Name Donna Age 50 Height 5'8" Was 334 lbs  Lost 154.2 lbs*  Weight 179.8 lbs  As of 6/5/2010 *People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. "I feel sexier and more fit today at 49 years young than I did at 25 years old."

It seems I have always struggled with my weight. In fact, at my 9-month-old check up my doctor told my mother that I was "an overweight baby"! By the time I was 45, I weighed over 300 pounds. My doctor, with true concern, recommended gastric bypass surgery.

I was totally humiliated, hopeless and in excruciating pain. In that darkness and shame, I was finally able to make a commitment to do whatever it took to change my lifestyle. I knew that gastric bypass was not for me. Two friends of mine had gone that route and died from complications. I felt that I needed to get to the root of my problems with food, change my behavior and conquer the issue once and for all. I felt that surgery was for people who feel they really have no other choice. In my heart I believed that I had choices available to me.

At Work
A Weight Watchers At Work meeting had been thriving in my office for some time. I was aware that coworkers were having success with it, but I didn't get involved. After my doctor's visit, I decided it was time to join Weight Watchers meetings and start following the POINTS® Weight-Loss System. The first few weeks I was so overwhelmed that I didn't allow the staff to weigh me. I was not prepared to look at the numbers. After a few weeks of following the plan I gained the confidence and courage I needed to confront my true weight.

In the gym
One of the greatest struggles was getting into the gym. When you are big, people stare and judge you in a gym setting. That makes it difficult to be there, stay there or get anything done.

At the start of my weight-loss journey, I made a commitment to fitness and movement. I began a workout routine, even though I had trouble getting up the few steps to the gym. I hired a personal trainer, once a week, to teach me how to move my body. My trainer has been with me the whole way as a guru, mentor and friend. Today, I believe completely in the power of movement. I work out six times a week, mixing cardio and resistance, to help tighten and firm loose skin.

The challenge of a lot of weight to lose
I realize, now that I have lost the weight, people who are larger are not treated as well as those at a healthy weight. It's difficult to process that I was disrespected and mistreated for much of my life due to my appearance. People are not kind. There is a surprising lack of support from professionals when you have a large amount of weight to lose. I had to assemble a team of professionals who believed in my ability to lose the weight.

Another difficult part of having a large amount of weight to lose is that you need to lose quite a bit before anyone really notices. That can make motivation hard to come by in the early days. Also, as weight starts to come off, people in your life who have a vested interest in you staying overweight become a problem. Sometimes you have to separate from people who don't understand or support the changes you have to make.

Weight Watchers has changed my life forever. I feel that those of us who lose large amounts of weight without surgery prove that it can be done. We prove that a healthy lifestyle is possible no matter what the "statistics" may indicate. I feel sexier and more fit today at 49 years young than I did at 25 years old. My new goal is to help other obese people achieve the same success as I did.

Read more about Donna's weight-loss experience in an interview with WeightWatchers.com.