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Posted on Jul 27th 2009 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Be inspired by our That's Fit Success Stories. Then motivate others by submitting your own. Click here to share how you've transformed your body through diet and exercise.
Name: Sarah Sullivan
Age: 24
Height: 5'4"
Before weight: 183
How I gained it: In high school, I was very active. Once I graduated, I gradually started gaining weight. Instead of the freshman 15, I gained more than 50 pounds over three years. I was a very emotional eater. I would eat because I was unhappy about gaining weight, but then I would be unhappy because I ate. It was an endless cycle.
Breaking point: My last semester in college, I went to Disney World with a friend. It was my first Disney trip, so of course, I took a ton of pictures. Up until this point, I was in denial about my weight. I had managed to avoid all cameras and mirrors, and I wore stretchy pants and t-shirts everywhere. I use to try to joke and say I love stretchy pants because they can grow with you. When I got my pictures back from our trip, I was disgusted. I knew I had to do something. So I tried the easy route -- diet pills. I think I tried just about every diet pill out there and guess what? None of them worked!
How I lost it: My sister knew how unhappy I was, and she talked me into joining a gym and hired a personal trainer for me. Even after joining the gym and working with a trainer, I still struggled to lose the weight. It helps to have a workout partner -- someone to motivate you when you can't motivate yourself. My best friend Lauren was also struggling with her weight, so we started walking three to four times a week. When that got boring, we started walking and running. I never thought I would be a runner. Then Lauren talked me into entering a 5K (3.2 miles) with her. My only goal was to complete it without stopping to walk, and I did it in a little over 32 minutes! After our first 5K, we were hooked. Since then, we have completed several 5Ks and a few 10Ks. We average about 20 miles a week now. In addition to running, we also do strength training twice a week.
I think a key factor for losing weight and maintaining it is to have some type of fitness goal -- that way you are constantly challenging yourself. We just started training for our first marathon!
After weight: 134
Sarah has maintained her weight loss since October 2007. She's lost 49 pounds, and Lauren has lost 36.
 |
| Sarah Sullivan (left) with best friend Lauren (right): Before |
Age: 24
Height: 5'4"
Before weight: 183
How I gained it: In high school, I was very active. Once I graduated, I gradually started gaining weight. Instead of the freshman 15, I gained more than 50 pounds over three years. I was a very emotional eater. I would eat because I was unhappy about gaining weight, but then I would be unhappy because I ate. It was an endless cycle.
Breaking point: My last semester in college, I went to Disney World with a friend. It was my first Disney trip, so of course, I took a ton of pictures. Up until this point, I was in denial about my weight. I had managed to avoid all cameras and mirrors, and I wore stretchy pants and t-shirts everywhere. I use to try to joke and say I love stretchy pants because they can grow with you. When I got my pictures back from our trip, I was disgusted. I knew I had to do something. So I tried the easy route -- diet pills. I think I tried just about every diet pill out there and guess what? None of them worked!
 |
| Sarah Sullivan (right) and Lauren (left): After |
I think a key factor for losing weight and maintaining it is to have some type of fitness goal -- that way you are constantly challenging yourself. We just started training for our first marathon!
After weight: 134
Sarah has maintained her weight loss since October 2007. She's lost 49 pounds, and Lauren has lost 36.
