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Staying Fit
Weight Loss Success StoriesTheir Loss Could Be YOUR Gain! Brian MinnerGuzzle WaterBrian Minner, 24, CoopersburgWhen he started: 327 pounds (waist size 48) Now: 187 pounds (waist size 34) Height: 6 feet, 2 inches How long he’s kept it off: Two years
Chef Brian Minner of Coopersburg has been tempted by the gourmet food he prepares at the Savory Grille in Macungie – so tempted that he weighed 327 pounds. But when that weight took its toll on his back, he knew it was time to lose the extra weight. In six months, he completely transformed his life, losing 150 pounds and ridding himself of back problems. “It was difficult –but I had to tell myself ‘This food isn’t for me,’ ” he says. “I keep a rubber band on my wrist to remind me not to eat so much.” He not only resists the delicacies at his fingertips, he resists fried foods, drinks nearly two gallons of water a day and makes breakfast his biggest meal of the day. He rides an exercise bike and walks two miles a day. “You have to be consistent and avoid the fad diets and try to move every day,” he says. Minner has kept the weight off for more than two years and says his biggest motivation is being able to keep up with his 3-year-old son. “My mother is a nurse and reminds me of how healthy I am now,” he says. “I don’t want to go back to where I used to be.” Admire Your ProgressJeff Wieder, 37, EmmausWhen he started: 443 pounds (waist size 58) Now: 265 pounds (waist size 38) Goal: 200 pounds Height: 6 feet, 1 inch How long he’s kept it off: More than two years
The diet pills. The citrus drinks. The fad diets. Jeff Wieder tried them all. But to successfully lose weight, Wieder didn't have to change his diet as much as he had to change his mind-set. "You can try and try to lose weight and have lots of support," says the 37-year-old spray painter from Emmaus. "But unless you make the commitment, it's not going to work." Wieder's change of heart came just because "it was time." He was sick of the fads, tired of carrying around 443 pounds, and raring to get his activity back. (He had lettered in four sports in high school, but a work-related injury shortly after high school sapped his energy.) So two years ago he took charge, using a classic combination of diet and exercise to shed the pounds. He bought a home gym, which he uses for strength training at least three times a week for 40 minutes. He started drinking more water – at least a gallon-and-a-half a day. And he adjusted his eating habits, cutting off all eating within five hours of bedtime. "I used to come home from work, eat a big meal and drink a beer before bed," he says, "but not anymore." He hasn't cut specific foods from his diet, but he counts calories and preaches moderation. "My favorite is turkey," he says. "A turkey sandwich with mustard – no mayo – is 180 calories." Wieder started with realistic goals – 25 pounds – but has enjoyed dramatic results, losing 80 pounds the first year, 90 the next and 10 already this year. Now, friends and family barely recognize him. "My sister is thrilled," he says, "and people who haven't seen me in a while are shocked. I look good and feel great." Find Healthy DistractionsJean Kakareka, 55, AllentownWhen she started: 172 pounds (dress size 14) Now: 140 pounds (dress size 8) Height: 5 feet, 5 inches How long she’s kept it off: Two years
She was about 120 pounds for most of her younger years and then her fifth child came along. “Then I got to be 172 pounds," says Jean Kakareka, 55, of Allentown. "I struggled for the next 21 years trying to lose it." Then, in May 2001, Kakareka decided to do something about those extra pounds. "I didn't want to be the 'fat relative' at my nephew's August wedding," she says. She enrolled in a national weight-loss plan and revamped her eating and cooking. Instead of using butter in a pan, she'd use fat-free chicken broth. Instead of chips, she'd eat low-fat popcorn or Kashi (a nutty-tasting grain). And she started an exercise program: walking. "I felt very high-strung the first two weeks,” she says. “But after that it was easy." Kakareka lost 5 pounds the first week and 2 pounds a week thereafter. "I set a goal to lose weight by the wedding, and met it. In just three months, I lost 40 pounds and went from a size 14 to an 8.” Maintaining her weight isn't hard, Kakareka says. To stay the course, she keeps her household cabinets free of fatty foods. "In two weeks' time we used to go through 4 pounds of butter or margarine. Now we might go through 1 pound in a month--and that includes baking." If a zipper begins to feel tight, Kakareka just "gets stricter" with eating and adds a second walk to her day, often with her husband. "I feel so much better now,” she says. “I never want to go back. I'm energetic, not out of breath anymore, and not achy or sore." Go For Fresh FoodsMaggie (37) and Gary (46) Frantz, SchnecksvilleWhen they started: Maggie–192 pounds (dress size 14) Gary–195 pounds (waist size 36) Now: Maggie–152 pounds (dress size 8) Gary–165 pounds (waist size 31) Height: Maggie–5 feet, 6 1/2 inches Gary–5 feet, 8 inches How long they’ve kept it off: Three years
They used to eat an entire pizza at one sitting, thought nothing of devouring a whole bag of barbecue potato chips and loved their veggies with cheese sauce. But for Maggie and Gary Frantz of Schnecksville, those days are long gone, along with the 70 pounds they shed – 40 for her and 30 for him – and have kept off for more than three years. “Our lifestyle has really changed. Now we crave healthy foods and working out,” Maggie says. “We enjoy running together in the morning and work out on a treadmill when the weather is bad.” Maggie was the first to embark on her weight loss journey. At 5 feet, 6 inches and 192 pounds, wearing size 14 clothes, she didn’t like what she saw in the mirror or in photos. The capper was when she resumed teaching her beloved Irish step dancing and realized she’d lost her agility and stamina. The director of internal auditing for a local cement company, she enrolled in a weight loss program at work, reaching her goal weight of 152 pounds in nine months. To celebrate, Gary bought her the classic little black dress – in a size 8. “I stopped eating lunches out, I began reading food labels for nutritional content and instead of stocking up on frozen and processed foods, we buy a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables,” she says. “I feel like a different person and I’m in better shape now than some of the high school students I teach.” On his 44th birthday, inspired by Maggie’s success, Gary began following in Maggie’s healthy eating footsteps, dropping his 5-feet, 8-inch frame below 165 pounds in six months and going from a 36-inch to 31-inch pants size. “Maintaining our weight is harder than losing it,” Gary says, “but when one of us wants to be bad, the other wants to be good and the good wins.” Read the LabelsFran Stone, 59, OrefieldWhen she started: 155 pounds (dress size 12) Now: 125 pounds (dress size 4 or 6) Height: 5 feet, 7 1/2 inches How long she’s kept it off: 1 1/2 years
Stress was the culprit to France Stone’s weight gain, beginning on Sept. 11 2001. The national tragedy touched Stone deeply, particularly when she had to drive alone to Texas for her daughter’s delivery of her first baby. “I started eating lots of doughnuts and fast food – it was embarrassing how much I’d eat,” she says. An extra 30 pounds piled on. “When I saw 155 on the scale, I said ‘Oh my God!’ ” she said. “I’m a tall person and you may not see the pounds on me, but I knew it as too much.” Petrified of hitting 160, Stone dropped her carbohydrate intake down to 50 to 60 grams per day, eliminating sugars and fast food and choosing whole grains and protein. Always into exercise, Stone took on more – 5 to 6 cardiovascular workouts a week and four weight training sessions. “Increasing muscle mass really revs up your metabolism,” she says. In just three months, Stone trimmed down to 125. “I feel totally different now,” she says. “I feel so much lighter. Physically, mentally – everything is easier.” Walk Your DogLaura Kulikowski, 16, Laurys StationWhen she started: 170 pounds (jean size 16 1/2) Now: 112 pounds (jean size 4) Height: 5 feet, 5 inches How long she’s kept it off: Two years
It was another student who got Laura Kulikowski--then in third grade--interested in a vegetarian diet. "But it wasn’t necessarily a healthy,” Kulikowski says. “I loaded up on cheese-filled pastas, pizza, and french fries.” As the weight piled on, her interest in sports dropped off. “I'm not a natural athlete," Kulikowski says. "I got more into computers and more sedentary and was not burning off the calories. Then I developed high blood pressure" It was a birthday present that changed her ways -- a Basenji dog named Cleo. "I'd take her out for a walk every day. Walking gradually became 'Let's jog down the hill' and then 'Let's jog up the hill.' I started feeling better. My clothes were dropping off me." Losing weight inspired Kulikowski to do more. With her parents' support, she took on a healthy vegetarian diet and found new recipes and nutritional information on web sites and began preparing meals with vegetables, whole grains and fruits. Her greatest learning? Staying slender and fit requires "a whole lifestyle" approach, she says. "If I don't get out there and exercise--run, ride horses, or work out at the gym--I feel like something's missing,” she says. “And I resist cravings for unhealthy food by packing my lunch every day." And she always has her best friend, Cleo, to motivate her. "I owe a lot to that dog,” she says. “My high blood pressure is now gone. My heart rate is healthy. I'm a more confident person, more outgoing socially and more willing to take risks." Exercise DailyLarry Oswald, 58, East Allen TownshipWhen he started: 216 pounds (total cholesterol 259) Now: 190 pounds (total cholesterol 110) Height: 5 feet, 10 inches How long he’s kept it off: 1 1/2 years
It just took a little nudging for Larry Oswald, 58 of East Allen Township, to start losing weight. “My wife kept telling me I was getting pudgy – and I was,” he says. “I knew I could feel and look better.” Then there was his cholesterol. As his weight crept up to 216 pounds, Oswald’s cholesterol reached an unhealthy 259. It was the first time he had been overweight in almost 30 years. His weight-loss goal was simple. “I didn’t set a time limit or a specific number of pounds,” he says. “I just wanted to lose weight until I was happy with how I looked.” Already an exercise enthusiast – rollerblading up to seven miles a day, strength training regularly and enjoying hobbies like scuba diving and cross-country skiing – Oswald knew a healthier diet was the key. Monday through Friday, he starts with a bowl of cereal, has fruit for lunch and then fish for dinner, substituting skinless chicken occasionally. On the weekend, he eats what he wants. He supplements his diet with flax seed oil, a wine pill and niacin, and weighs himself daily. In less than two months his scale read 190 pounds, his cholesterol dropped to 110 and he was happy with what he saw in the mirror. “I’m feeling better and looking better,” he says, “and I didn’t have to buy a new wardrobe.” Keeping the weight off is matter of focus, he says. “I stay focused for five days and then eat what I want on the weekend,” he says. “If I put a few pounds on after a vacation, I take it right off.” Work Out with FriendsLinda DiBiaso, 53, SlatingtonWhen she started: 154 pounds (dress size 12) Now: 142 pounds (dress size 8) Height: 5 feet, 5 inches How long she’s kept it off: One year
Imagine this: 10 pounds of chocolate…in your tummy and your hips and thighs. Linda DiBiaso, 53, of Slatington knows all about that from formerly working at a candy factory and being exposed to an “all-you-can-eat” chocolate buffet . “I gained weight and lost energy, and my golf game suffered,” she says. “I knew I wasn’t healthy, and that’s not good for a nurse.” So, she joined an all-female gym and sought guidance from the gym’s coaches - a psychologist and her daughter, a kinesiologist. They gave her a program for “busy women”: 8 -10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise and 20 minutes of weight training. “I won’t gorge on chocolate after all that work,” DiBiaso says. “I eat soup, salad, stir fries and drink fruit and protein shakes.” In three months, she dropped from a size 12 to an 8. Not only does she look great, so does her golf game. “I can drive 200 yards, hit out of the rough and over the trees now,” she says. “I feel like I’m 20 again.” She’s kept the weight off for almost a year, and has found support from the other women in her gym. “We share recipes and workout tips,” she says. “One woman brought in her first bikini in 20 years. Others show off a three to four dress size reduction. It’s such an inspiration.” Another way she sticks to it: focusing on being healthy, not skinny. “I don’t need to be a size 4,” she says. “I just want to feel good. I like my strength and my healthier body.” This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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