Weight Watchers: Stories of Change

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Cover Girls - How Six Regular Women Lost Nearly 500 Pounds

Losing weight is hard, but it's worth all the effort, as six amazing women have found out. Winners of the Weight Watchers Annual Inspiring Stories Of Change contest, each of these females reveals what motivated them and what they struggled with on their long journey to health and happiness.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Laura Hogerhuis, 41 - Chino, Calif.

Laura Hogerhuis struggled with her weight since she was a teenager, but was in denial long into adulthood. "When I was pregnant with my second child, my doctor diagnosed me with high blood pressure and was very concerned about my high cholesterol," she says. Hogerhuis was always fairly active but had one major vice: Ice cream. Finally, knee pain forced her to face the fact that she was overweight, and a free promotional offer from Weight Watchers got her started on the program.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Laura Hogerhuis After - 59 Pounds Lighter

Hogerhuis is now an expert in the art of moderation; "I know that I don't have to eat a whole bag of chips in one sitting. I eat small meals more often," she says of her current eating habits. Her kids were her main motivation for slimming down, and knowing that she'd have a better chance of being there for them if she got healthier helped keep her going on her weight loss journey. Today, regular exercise helps keep her on track. "Besides running, I go to the gym three times a week," says the motivated mom.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Isabel Gomez, 24 - La Habra, Calif.

Growing up, weight wasn't an issue for this aspiring athlete. A sports injury in high school in 2001 left her on the sidelines, and although she did her best to stay active into her twenties, her weight eventually hit 200 pounds. "At 22 years old, I knew that my health wasn't where it was supposed to be. I stopped making excuses and did something about it," says Gomez.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Isabel Gomez After - 58.6 Pounds Lighter

Friends and family were key to Gomez's weight loss. "What helped me keep going was who I surrounded myself with. They encouraged me if I gained and supported me when I lost." says Gomez. Every week, she'd text her progress to three friends, forcing her to be accountable for her successes and failures. Gomez never felt deprived on Weight Watchers. "I always had to have a desert with my meal and I never stopped doing that. I gained knowledge and was able to decide what the better alternative was." And now that she's reached her goal weight, she has another goal in mind -- running a half marathon! Gomez believes that anyone has the power to change their life like she did. "You cannot change the past, but you can create the future that lies before you, a healthy future."

Weight Watchers Success Stories

JoAnne Ragan, 32 - Akron, OH

Joanne Ragan had always struggled with her weight, and she knew it was a matter of life and death. "When my father passed away of congestive heart failure at age 56 and my mother developed a debilitating disease at 48, I knew I was headed for a similar fate," she says. After trying several weight-loss programs, she finally settled on Weight Watchers because of the flexibility.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

JoAnne Ragan After - 116.5 Pounds Lighter

"I knew I could do it," Ragan says, and she reached her goal without depriving herself. "I still treat myself to all of these things, but I do it in moderation. And I always start my meal with a large salad with dressing on the side," she notes. She also works out at a gym on her lunch break and after work four days a week. Now that she no longer views food as a rewards, Ragan has treated herself to a new wardrobe to fit her smaller frame. But the biggest reward is the simply the satisfaction of knowing she did it. However, "a healthy weight is a journey and not a destination," she says.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Theresa Lou Bowick, 41 - Rochester, N.Y.

Seeing her teenage daughter struggle with weight forced Theresa Lou Bowick to look at her own body size. "As a child, I had enrolled her in every weight loss program I could find. I knew our poor eating habits and lack of activity was taking years off our lives." So Bowick decided to lead by example and she signed up for Weight Watchers shortly after.

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Theresa Lou Bowick After - 68.4 Pounds Lighter

"I started tracking my daily food intake, imagined myself thinner, walked daily and bought a bikini for inspiration," says Bowick, who achieved her goal weight on June 24, 2006. She still allows herself her favorite fried catfish every now and then, but insists, "moderation is my new middle name." Off the scale, her new confidence has enabled her to achieve tremendous things, including completing her university degree and being honored at the White House for her volunteer work. But, she adds, "the greatest accomplishment of all is my daughter is taking control of her weight management." And she sees every morning as an opportunity to be healthy. "You get a new start every single day of your life."

Weight Watchers Success Stories

Nancy Begley, 27 - Parker, CO

Nancy Begley had always been a bit round growing up, but her weight wasn't a problem until her twenties. "By age 23, I was 240 pounds and a size 20 with a host of medical problems, taking seven different medications to help manage; I was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure, mild sleep apnea, acid reflux, and hypothyroidism. I was overweight, unhealthy, unhappy, and felt like I had no control over any aspect of my life," she says. That, along with a health scare, was enough to encourage Begley and her husband Noah to join Weight Watchers in 2007.

Weight Watchers Success Stories