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"How I Finally Got Motivated"

This reader discovered a new reason to improve her health and lost 110 pounds in the process.

by Kelly Marages

Weight Loss Stats:

Christy Albert, Arizona

Age: 31
Height: 5'7"
Pounds lost: 110
At this weight: 1 year

Christy's challenge
As an active teenager, Christy maintained a healthy weight without trying. But in college she was in an unhealthy relationship, so she stopped exercising and turned to food for comfort. That's when the pounds piled on. By 26 she weighed 260.

Setting the right example
As Christy's weight crept up, her self esteem plummeted. "I rarely went out with my friends," she says. "Instead I'd go to chain restaurants with my boyfriend or stay home and gorge on 'diet' foods." It wasn't until she gave birth to a daughter three years later and ended her relationship that she found the strength—and a reason— to take better care of herself. "My boyfriend and I split up, so my child was completely dependent on me," says Christy. "I'm deaf, and because she is too, she couldn't hear me if I called her . I had to be in good enough shape to keep up with her."

Everyday changes
Christy began looking into workout options. "As a single mom, I needed an affordable gym with free child care," she says. "My local YMCA was perfect." She aimed for 90 minutes on the recumbent bike her first time out. "I set the resistance on the lowest level," she says. "I was exhausted, but I made it all the way through." That victory motivated her to increase the intensity of her workouts. She was soon exercising for two hours four to six times a week, spending 90 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes strength training.

To speed up her weight loss, Christy changed her diet. "I cut my portions, eating two eggs or one bowl of oatmeal instead of two for breakfast," she says. Christy often ate lunch and dinner out to save time, but began opting for healthier menu items, such as salad, chili, and sandwiches without mayo and cheese. Because she'd been so heavy, the weight came off quickly at first. Within two months, she lost 25 pounds.

The final push
Christy continued to see results, but five months later and another 50 pounds lighter, she hit a plateau. To shake up her routine, she began cross training and using the treadmill and elliptical. She also tweaked her diet further, packing salads from home for lunch (so she could control what went in them) and eating lean protein with veggies for dinner. Her new efforts paid off. Less than a year later, Christy reached 150 pounds. "I've never felt better physically," she says. "It's amazing."

3 stick-with-it secrets

• Be resourceful "I borrowed magazines from my local library to get ideas for an exercise regimen. I also copied the moves I saw on FitTV."
• Curb snacking "I keep sugar-free hard candies and gum with me all the time. If I get the urge to snack, I pop in a piece of one of them to keep my mouth occupied."
• Think short-term "At first it was too overwhelming to imagine working out regularly for the rest of my life. I told myself I just had to make it through the first month, then I knew it would become part of my everyday routine."

Weekly workout schedule

• Cardio 90 minutes/4 to 5 days a week
• Strength training 30 minutes/4 days a week

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