"My New Lease on Life"
Tired of feeling sluggish and bloated, this student changed her lifestyle, dropping 28 pounds in the process.
by Kelly Marages
Angelica DesPortes, California
Age: 20Height: 5'2"
Pounds lost: 28
At this weight: 1 year
Angelica's challenge
Angelica started gaining weight in her teens when a busy schedule led her to rely on junk food. "I was in theater, so I had to perform while feeling insecure about my body," she says. By the end of high school, she was up to 138 pounds
and didn't want to get any bigger.
Her new assignment
Hoping to counteract her weight gain and energy loss, Angelica started eating healthier foods, but it didn't help. "It was so frustrating," she says. "I was sluggish and my stomach was always bloated." Then, the summer before she left for college, Angelica was diagnosed with celiac disease, a disorder that makes the body unable to digest gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. "I had to change my diet to get the disease under control," she says. "So I used that as a jumping-off point to revamp my whole lifestyle."
Ingredients for change
Before moving, Angelica studied her
condition. She knew the cafeteria would
be full of foods she either couldn't eat or
wouldn't want to, so she skipped the
meal plan and learned to cook. Once on
campus, she made salads, chicken, and
veggies in the dorm kitchen. On weekends
she went to the farmers' market to
stock her mini fridge with produce,
nuts, and lean meats. "In a world of
pizza and beer, I was an oddity," she
says. "But I started feeling and looking
so much better, I didn't care." She
began dropping pounds right away—2 a
week—and her energy level improved.
Though she'd always gone to the
gym in her spare
time, Angelica now
made working out
a priority. Soon she
was doing cardio
and lifting free
weights every morning
before heading to class. Just two months into the school
year, she was 20 pounds lighter.
Fringe benefits
Before long, Angelica's healthy habits
started rubbing off on her friends. "My
roommate goes to the gym with me
most mornings," she says. "And people
in my dorm ask for food advice all the
time. They couldn't believe the change
in my body—and I almost couldn't either."
All of this inspired Angelica to
work even harder. Before the end of her
first semester, she was down to 110, and
all traces of the insecure teen she'd
been were long gone. "I thought having
celiac disease would limit me, but
instead, having to be mindful about
nutrition actually opened up my world,"
she says. "For the first time, I can say I
feel really great. There's no way I'm
ever going to give that up!"
3 stick-with-it secrets
- Shift your priorities "I squeeze in exercise every morning, even if it's a walk or a few push-ups. Just 10 minutes makes a big difference in how I feel the rest of the day."
- Don't stress about sweets "I used to think life without a brownie would be the end of the world. Now I have a piece of whatever treat I want and move on!"
- Experiment with snacks "When I changed my diet, I didn't just cut calories, I also tried new things. Figs and walnuts or a baked sweet potato with honey can satisfy a sweet craving too. New combos keep food exciting."
Weekly workout schedule
- Cardio 45 minutes/4 to 5 days a week
- Strength training 60 minutes/2 to 3 days a week
