Big Portions Led to Big Problems

"I lost 130 pounds--in a year!"
Denise Stackhouse's Story

Then: 288.5 pounds
Now: 158 pounds
Time it took: 12 months
What worked: Cut back on portion sizes, stopped eating at night, started swimming
Inspiration: "My 13-year-old son--I wanted to keep up with him."
Staying on track: "If I gain 2 or 3 pounds, I add more exercise and reduce portion sizes."
Biggest support: Mother, father, and her grandmother’s last words: "You can do it!"

"I knew I had to lose weight. I had a lot of aches and pains, back and knee problems, and sleep apnea kept me from getting a good night’s sleep. I couldn't keep up with my son, I couldn't even go up the steps at my office. Since I'd worked in health care, I knew that many of my problems were related to weight—and that if I didn’t do something I’d probably need surgery. I didn't want that."
Denise Stackhouse

Denise Stackhouse is a tall, 38-year-old, energetic single mother who is trim and toned and full of smiles. One year ago, she was headed toward the 300-pound mark. Today, she weighs a "comfortable" 158. Her strategy to lose weight was twofold:

1. Cut back on food
2. Start exercising

She started by not eating at night. After getting used to that, she looked at the portion sizes she was consuming. An "emotional eater," Stackhouse reviewed her eating habits and thinking patterns. It was tough to face, she ways, but empowering in the long run. "I loved to eat hoagies--the footlong kind,” she says. “I also loved bread and cake. Starchy foods like that were my downfall. I think I was trying to fill up with food to make up for things I couldn't attain."

"I ate to feel better,” she admits, “but after I was done eating, I wasn't happy—just stuffed."

A major motivator was the time Stackhouse opened her high school yearbook and saw what she'd written as a motto: "To live life to the fullest." “Here I was in my thirties—supposedly the best time of my life—and definitely NOT living life to the fullest,” she says.

Stackhouse took charge of her food consumption. One strategy she used was self-reminders. "One sandwich is enough," she’d tell herself, and it helped her control the portion sizes.

At the same time, she began a fitness routine. Conscious that water exercise, which is non-weight bearing, would be easiest on her knees and back, Stackhouse went to the local pool every other day with her son. The first time she was ashamed to find she couldn't get herself out of the pool. But she was determined to stick with it. "I didn't want to be one of those people who lose weight and look flabby," she says. After just one week of swimming, she felt better.

Today, she doesn't deprive herself of food; she just restricts her portion sizes. "For breakfast I'll have, say, two small pancakes and a small juice; for lunch, soup and crackers; and for dinner maybe grilled chicken in a salad. Then every Friday, I go to Subway and get a 6-inch Veggie Delite or a turkey hoagie stacked with vegetables, and I don't feel guilty."

Stackhouse eats a lot more vegetables these days, and doesn’t feel she has to have birthday cake at the office just because everyone else is. "I can say 'No thanks' and still have fun," she says.

Her maintenance program involves scale-watching. Whenever she gains a couple of pounds, she revs up her workout and scales back her portions. While weight management is "still a battle," she says, her self-esteem has improved to the point where the maintenance is fairly easy—simply because she feels so much better in all ways.

Stackhouse credits her mother, father and son for their ongoing support. Her co-workers at the Northampton County Courthouse also keep telling her how great she looks. And it doesn't hurt that her workplace pays employees $100 once they log 100 hours of workout time at the YMCA. Her chief inspiration, though, is her maternal grandmother, who has passed on but whose words of love and "you can do it" resound in her heart.