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Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Posted on Dec 14th 2010 12:00PM by Martha EdwardsHere are our favorite stories from 2010:
Before weight: 360 pounds
After weight: 240 pounds
At a worrying 360 pounds, 22-year-old Ben was depressed, unhealthy and not happy with his life. He wanted to do something about it, but past experiences had taught him that extreme fad diet and exercise programs wouldn't help. So he turned to blogging in the hopes that being accountable to readers -- and one in particular, his grandmother -- would keep him on track.
He was right! Sharing his daily struggles as he changed his eating habits and became committed to fitness has made all the difference, and he's now 120 pounds lighter for it. His blog, Ben Does Life, has been inspirational to so many people that's he's started doing motivational speaking engagements and has teamed up with Active.com as one of their online ambassadors. Now a dedicated runner, he's taken back his life and is happier and healthier than ever.
Read Ben's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Ben Davis
Before weight: 360 pounds
After weight: 240 pounds
At a worrying 360 pounds, 22-year-old Ben was depressed, unhealthy and not happy with his life. He wanted to do something about it, but past experiences had taught him that extreme fad diet and exercise programs wouldn't help. So he turned to blogging in the hopes that being accountable to readers -- and one in particular, his grandmother -- would keep him on track.
He was right! Sharing his daily struggles as he changed his eating habits and became committed to fitness has made all the difference, and he's now 120 pounds lighter for it. His blog, Ben Does Life, has been inspirational to so many people that's he's started doing motivational speaking engagements and has teamed up with Active.com as one of their online ambassadors. Now a dedicated runner, he's taken back his life and is happier and healthier than ever.
Read Ben's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Julie Cazier
Before weight: 210
After weight: 145
It's often the struggle to balance family, career and a social life that leads people to pack on pounds over time, and this is certainly true for Julie, a busy mother of seven. She blamed hefty portion sizes and a lack of activity for her gradual weight gain, and she eventually topped the scales at 210 pounds. Unable to find the energy to run after her energetic brood, she knew she had to take action.
Julie didn't want to rely on expensive diets or gym memberships -- instead, she kept a food journal, cut down on processed junk foods and starting working out in her living room. She's switch up her routine with various exercise DVDs, trying things like kickboxing, step and dance. And guess what? She loved it! Which is probably why she managed to trim 65 pounds from her frame, all without logging countless hours at a gym. "I can truly say that -- as a 41-year-old mom of seven -- I'm in the best shape of my life," she told us.
Read Julie's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Christopher Hall
Before weight: 270
After weight: 185
For Christopher, turning to food was a natural reaction whenever he had to deal with stress. Shoveling huge quantities of take-out and junk food into his mouth was a way of feeling better temporarily, but it only lead to more anxiety and depression. His appetite was never satisfied and years of comfort eating left him overweight and unhappy.
Then his father began experiencing heart problems and he knew that could be his fate too if he didn't do something. Replacing his regular diet of take-out meals with wholesome, home-cooked meals was the first step, and over time he began to regard food as fuel for his body, not a band-aid for the emotions he was feeling. He also cut down his portion sizes. The result? He lost 85 pounds and has never felt better -- both emotionally and physically.
Read Christopher's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Janet Samp
Before weight: 337
After weight: 135
At 337 pounds, Janet had tried every fad diet out there, all with the same result: She'd lose a few pounds right off the bat, and then promptly gain them back, plus a couple more. But when her mother passed away at the young age of 62, she knew she had to do something about her weight or risk suffering a similar fate.
Though she was diligent about exercising and keeping a food journal, the weight came off very slowly, and once she hit a plateau, she decided surgery was the only option. Her doctor urged her to try one last thing: The Medifast Diet. It worked -- she lost even more weight than she expected to, finally weighing in at 115 pounds. She now sits at a comfortable 135 pounds and is loving her new body.
Read Janet's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Ray Jones
Before weight: 470
After weight: 230
At 470 pounds, losing weight was a life or death situation for Ray. After a long stint in a hospital, he knew he needed to take drastic measures to take his life back. TV's Dr. Phil and Jared the Subway guy both provided the inspiration he needed, and he promptly started his own version of the Subway diet, eating a six-inch and a foot-long sub each day. The results? Ray lost an amazing 240 pounds in 18 months.
Ray's profile earned nearly 300 reader comments. "I was deeply moved at the positive comments that were posted," Ray said. "I've even started doing motivational speaking. Hardly a day or week goes by that I don't receive a compliment from someone in the struggle." The encouragement is really helping Ray keep his spirits up, since recent knee problems have forced him to slow down his exercise routine. But his weight is holding steady and his motto, "life is good," still applies
Read Ray's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Jack
Before weight: 291
After weight: 205
At nearly 300 pounds, Jack knew he needed to face his own obesity before it was too late. He knew that counting calories wouldn't work for him in the long run, so instead he focused on making better choices every day. He cut down his portion sizes, started eating slower and slowing made weaned himself on junk food. He also started exercising six days a week.
But one of his biggest weapons in the battle of the bulge was chronicling his daily struggles over at his blog, Jack Sh*t Getting Fit. "Blogging acts as the wings that lift me high above those difficult days," he told us. Combining hilarious satire with everyday issues, his blog has attracted thousands of readers who tune in for his daily updates. As for Jack, his efforts have paid off -- he has lost nearly 100 pounds and counting! His next challenge? Speaking at the FitBloggin' conference in Baltimore in May 2011.
Read Jack's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Lyn
Before weight: 278
After weight: 178
When Lyn topped the scale at 278 pounds -- enough for her to be classified as morbidly obese -- she knew she had to do something. She started by switching her regular sugary treats for fresh foods from the farmers market, and she started talking regular walks. But the real difference came from sitting at her desk. She turned to blogging, hoping that chronicling her progress under the watchful eyes of her readers would keep her on track and make her accountable. She was right.
Her blog, Escape from Obesity, began in August 2007 and has grown ever since. One thing that hasn't grown is Lyn -- when she was profiled, she had lost 50 pounds. Since then, she's upped her total weight loss to 100 pounds, making her even closer to her goal of 160 pounds.
Read Lyn's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Sean Anderson
Before weight: 505
After weight: 230
At his highest weight, Sean was a frightening 505 pounds. Inspired by his love for his daughters, he began counting calories and blogging about it at The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser. His commitment to getting healthy was so strong, he managed to lose more than half his weight, all without cutting out the foods he loved. He has now reached his goal weight of 230 pounds and couldn't be happier.
That's Fit readers were touched by his story -- so touched, in fact, that he received over 200 comments from well-wishers, and even more through emails and comments on his blog. "The positive feedback was an amazing blessing," he said. "There's no better reward for me ... It's life changing on many different levels."
And now that Sean's achieved his weight loss goal, he has another goal in mind: writing a book about his journey. "Finding Transformation Road" is set to be released as soon as April 2011. And he still hasn't eaten a single salad.
Read Sean's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Susan Hegarty
Before weight: 439
After weight: 180
At 429 pounds, Susan was morbidly obese and needed gastric bypass surgery to save her own life. The surgery worked -- for a while, anyway. But it wasn't long before Susan had picked up her old habits again gained all the weight back. In fact, at 439 pounds she was even heavier after surgery than she was before.
She knew then that if surgery didn't work, she'd have to change something else: herself. She started keeping a food journal and began walking to work. Over time, exercise became easier for her and she began working with a personal trainer. This time around, the weight loss process was slow, but effective. After three years of counting calories and getting up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym, Susan had lost nearly 260 pounds through hard work. Her story was so inspiring that she was recently featured in a Woman's Day Magazine article about her amazing transformation.
Read Susan's Success Story
Best Weight Loss Success Stories of 2010
Tony Singleton
Before weight: 354
After weight: 219
A lifelong addiction to junk food lead Tony to top the scales at 354 pounds, and it nearly killed him. At the age of 46, he had to face the reality: he could die within five years as a result of the damage he'd done to his heart through his unhealthy habits. He was tired of not being able to walk a block or climb a set of stairs without having to catch his breath. He wanted to live.
Signing up for Weight Watchers helped him do just that and then some. When That's Fit talked to him in January 2010, he had lost an amazing 100 pounds, and he's kept going. "On May 20 of 2010, I lost 135 pounds and became a lifetime member of Weight Watchers," he said. That's not all -- this summer, he completed both the 10K Peachtree Road Race and the Five Boro Bike Tour in New York City. Tony has shared his story with many people, and he's pleased to say that he's inspired some to start on their own journey. Still, he admits that it's always going to be an uphill battle for him; "There is some pressure to stay at the same weight but I keep fighting the fight."
Read Tony's Success Story
