Finding the body you always wanted!

[Guest guest]

How I Got the Body I Wanted

These 5 women tried everything, from running to surgery. Find out

which method will work for you.

by Dana Hudepohl

Missie son

24, Martial Arts Instructor, Vancouver, WA

Method: Gastric bypass surgery

What I Wanted: A body that is strong and resilient, lean and alive,

and bursting with the energy of youth and strength. Obesity runs in

my family. My grandmother was 400 pounds--big enough to be buried in

a special coffin--so I knew this was a battle I was going to have to

be fighting my whole life.

How I Got It: Surgery was not an easy way out; it was a tool that

gave me a second chance. At 334 pounds and size 32, I had borderline

diabetes, severe back pain, sleep apnea, insomnia, and occasional

depression. I had tried every weight loss plan there is. Now, I

weigh 160 and wear size 10.

Why It Worked: During the surgery, my doctors stapled off a 2-ounce

pouch from my stomach and then rerouted my small intestine to the

pouch. Now when I eat, the food bypasses the larger portion of my

stomach and goes into that pouch, so it takes only a cup and a half

of food to fill me up.

What It Cost: $25,000. All but $2,000 of my surgery was covered by

insurance, but it took a year to get the coverage approved.

Upside: There are so many. I'm an athlete now, the top-rated female

karate black-belt fighter in the Northwest. I feel closer to my

husband physically. At the movies, I can cuddle up next to him and

have half of my chair left. I used to not even go because the bars

on the seats hurt so badly. I'm an active part of my 4-year-old's

life. (She was born 2 years before the surgery.) I can now go for

bike rides with her; before, I couldn't even sit on a bike without

flattening the tires.

Downside: Choosing to have an elective surgery that I could have

died from was one of the scariest things I've ever done.

Biggest Surprise: Being obese was like being in prison, but I didn't

know it until I got to taste life as a healthy person. Also, my shoe

size went from 11 to 9, and I no longer have flat feet.

What's Ahead: " Obesity is a chronic disease, so son has to be

vigilant for the rest of her life, " says bariatric surgeon

S. Choban, MD, an adjunct professor of human nutrition at Ohio State

University. On average, over 10 years, weight loss surgery patients

regain about 12 percent of what they lost, and up to 20 percent

require follow-up operations to correct complications. Also, because

postoperative patients can't eat very much and have trouble

absorbing vitamins and minerals, nearly 30 percent of them develop

nutritional deficiencies, which can happen at any time.

Felicia Hall

38, Sales Support Manager, Bowie, MD

Method: Liposuction

What I Wanted: Better proportion. My lower body--meaning my thighs,

hips, and rear end--was much larger than my upper body. My objective

was to make it easier to buy pants (I love to shop). I've gone from

size 16W to 14.

How I Got It: Three years ago, after my sister had a successful

breast reduction, I decided that I wanted cosmetic surgery. I

consulted with a plastic surgeon and decided on tumescent

liposuction: Fat cells are infused with saline solution before

they're surgically suctioned out. That reduces postoperative

bruising and swelling and meant I didn't need general anesthesia,

which was a big selling point.

Why It Worked: Dieting didn't change my lower half, which was out of

proportion. When I cut calories, I lost weight, but only from my

face and chest. Liposuction gave me the shape I wanted--my weight is

more evenly distributed, and my lower body matches my upper body.

What It Cost: $7,000 out of my own pocket.

Upside: There was no downtime. I had the procedure on a Friday and

went back to work Monday, wearing a compression garment. No one in

the office even knew.

Downside: After the surgery, my thighs were so inflated that I felt

like a football player with pads on. It took 4 or 5 months for the

swelling to go down completely and for my thighs to look slimmer.

Biggest Surprise: I bought a pair of pants before my surgery and

they didn't fit, so I put them away. Several months after the

surgery, they slid right on. It was a wonderful feeling, one that I

hadn't experienced in a long time.

What's Ahead: " Liposuction is a wonderful procedure to change the

violin body shape--an enlargement of the hips, buttocks, and outer

thighs, " says Rhoda S. Narins, MD, a clinical professor of

dermatology at New York University Medical Center and the president-

elect of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. As long as

Hall maintains her weight through diet and exercise--which she has

for 3 years--the results will last. But up to half of all

liposuction patients regain excess fat within 2 years--often in

other parts of the body. Once fat cells are surgically removed, they

don't grow back in the same place.

Painter

33, Executive Assistant, Tampa, FL

Method: Diet

What I Wanted: To lose 100 pounds and get the body I had in high

school--thinner, but not a stick figure. I longed to look better and

to be able to wear styles I hadn't worn in more than 10 years, like

fitted pants, high-heeled boots, and little shirts. I wound up going

from a high of 270 pounds to a low of 140--which was too thin for my

large-boned 5-foot-9-inch frame--and then stabilized at about 165.

How I Got It: By following the Weight Watchers program to a T. The

program assigns point values to all foods, and you are allotted a

certain number of points each day, depending on your weight. I also

attended weekly support-group meetings. These strategies helped me

learn to eat and enjoy smaller portions, which slashed my calorie

intake. Now I abstain from junk foods, such as greasy chips and

candy, and drink alcohol and sodas moderately. Best of all, I've

learned to truly love vegetables and fruits.

Why It Worked: Weighing and measuring foods according to the point

system was the key. I wouldn't have lost weight without doing so

because before Weight Watchers, I drastically underestimated what I

ate. (To me, a 7-ounce piece of chicken looked like 3 ounces.) I had

tried to lose weight many times before with Slim Fast, calorie

counting, exercise, even Atkins, but the pounds always came right

back.

What It Cost: $20 to enroll and $9 (student rate) per weekly meeting

for 18 months. Total: $722

Upside: It's still possible to satisfy my wicked sweet tooth because

nothing is totally off-limits; only portions are limited. Skinny Cow

ice cream or fat-free pudding with a dollop of Cool Whip--that's

like heaven to me.

Downside: The temptation I feel at birthday parties and social

events. I used to get as excited about the food as I did about the

party. Now I eat beforehand and try to focus more on the people at

the event.

Biggest Surprise: Walking into the grocery store and having men hit

on me. After years of hearing things like, " You'd be pretty if you

lost some weight, " I didn't know how to handle compliments or come-

ons.

What's Ahead: " Painter has done a lot of hard work, but she still

has hard work ahead, " says Hill, PhD, director of the Center

for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences

Center. " Lots of people can lose weight, but only about 20 percent

keep it off. " Painter wants to be in that minority, so she recently

started following Hill's best advice for weight maintenance--get

regular physical activity--by walking with her family every night.

She also now heads to the gym to work out 3 or 4 days a week.

Missy Holliday

37, Organ Transplant Coordinator, Cincinnati, OH

Method: Weight lifting

What I Wanted: The toned body I had before my four children were

born. Although I've always been skinny, I'd developed cellulite and

lots of flab.

How I Got It: I worked out for an hour three times a week with a

personal trainer. One day per week, we worked legs and shoulders;

another day, chest and back; and the final day, biceps and triceps.

Why It Worked: I didn't need to lose that much weight, but I wanted

to build muscle and tighten up. Weight lifting helped me to tone up

quickly, and working with a trainer kept me motivated.

What It Cost: Three $40 sessions a week with a personal trainer for

3 months, then twice-a-week small-group training sessions ($280 per

8-week session), plus a once-a-week workout on my own or with a

trainer. Total: $2,000 and counting...

Upside: It's amazing what weight lifting can do for cellulite, which

can even be a problem for thin women. I've lost most of mine.

Downside: Initially, you get so sore that it's hard to even walk,

lift your children, or sit down. Also, we're financially secure but

not wealthy, and I had to make my husband understand that working

out with a trainer or in a group class is important to me--it's the

only way I can stay on course.

Biggest Surprise: Sometimes, I'll be up late for my job, and I'll

still find the energy to get up at dawn to work out the next day.

I've never been that dedicated, but I am when it comes to this.

What's Ahead: " Holliday's body has adapted to what she's been doing,

so to avoid a plateau, she has to keep challenging her muscles, "

says Melanson, educational programs coordinator at the

National Strength and Conditioning Association in Colorado Springs,

CO. " Every couple of weeks, she should add more weight or change the

number of reps that she's lifting. " Doing that, he adds, won't make

her bulk up. Also, to work her heart and lungs, he recommends mixing

in some aerobic exercise. Holliday embraced the idea and now walks 2

days a week.

Debbie Shaffer

48, Registered Nurse, Aurora, OH

Method: Running

What I Wanted: To lose weight and stop shying away from activities

because I was ashamed of my body. I now wear size-8 jeans, down from

18, and have lost 55 pounds.

How I Got It: Running 5 or 6 days a week. I started with just a slow

half-mile and worked up to doing 4- or 5-milers.

Why It Worked: Because I did it out of necessity when I got a new

puppy. She needed to be exercised whether it was raining or snowing

or sunny. After a month of building exercise into almost every

single day of my life, I noticed that my clothes fit differently.

What It Cost: Three pairs of running shoes that cost $69 each and

$100 in running clothes (a must in foul weather). Total: $307

Upside: The ancillary health benefits: My cholesterol is good (the

total is 130, and my HDL is 88), my heart rate is now a healthy 60

beats per minute (not 80), and my blood pressure is down from 120/70

to 106/56.

Downside: Some of my friends don't talk to me now that I'm running.

They either feel guilty or envious, or maybe it's a little of both.

Biggest Surprise: Running gives me the time I need to work through

the grief of losing two of my sisters. They both recently died of

diabetes. I don't listen to music when I run; instead, I often just

think of them, and it's very healing and helpful.

What's Ahead: " To prevent injury, the most important thing Shaffer

can do is to keep changing her shoes every 3 months or so. I know

this is expensive, but it is better than replacing her knees, " says

M. Ribisl, PhD, an exercise physiologist and chair of the

department of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University.

He also suggests that Shaffer incorporate basic calisthenics or

weight lifting to increase muscle, and a flexibility program to

maintain her range of motion. Right now, she's doing two out of

these three recommendations, " being careful with my shoes "

and " making sure I stretch. "