Success Stories: Phyllis

"I got my life back!"

Phyllis Bourdeaux	2 Years Ago
Highest weight: 350 lbs. Current weight: 150 lbs. Total weight lost: 200 lbs. Height: 5'2" Age: 50 Time it took to lose the weight: 2 years Has kept it off for: 2.5 years

I repeatedly gained and lost weight over the years, and continued my bad eating habits. Over time, I reached a point where I gained so much weight that I started having mobility issues. Moving from place to place took a great deal of effort and became very difficult. As I got larger and larger, my world got smaller and smaller. I stopped traveling. I knew when I couldn't get on a plane to go to my nephew's wedding that I had reached my all-time low. I had to do something.

How I Did It

I lost 200 pounds over the course of two years by eating right and exercising. There was no magic solution. I followed recommended guidelines for eating lots of fruits and vegetables, so that I felt full on fewer calories. I was no longer hungry all the time. I stopped eating processed foods, and I threw out all the junk food from my house.
I also started exercising. This was very difficult at first. Eventually, I got up the nerve to join a formal exercise program. I met a wonderful woman there who had lost a lot of weight, and she took me under her wing and encouraged me. I gradually increased my endurance, exercising for 10 minutes,then 15 minutes, and eventually 45 minutes.

Strategies That Work For Me

• Eating lots of fruits, vegetables and salads. It is amazing the quantity of food you can eat by choosing foods with fewer calories.
• Eating smaller portions of foods with higher calories. I know that a fist full of nuts is one serving, for example. So I will eat that and not the whole can.
• Getting regular exercise. Now that I'm 50, being active is even more important to helping me maintain my weight loss.

Biggest Challenge

Being mindful of the number of calories I'm consuming. I just turned 50, and I cannot eat as many calories as I used to without gaining weight.

Maintaining the Weight Loss

I work my good habits into every day life. I do a lot of traveling for work now, and the places I stay offer healthful food choices, often right next to the waffles and doughnuts. It is possible to stick to a healthy program while traveling. It's all about personal responsibility and personal choice — making the healthy choices, not the bad ones.

The Biggest Thrill

The ability to take 50-mile bike rides. Nothing makes me happier than being able to take long bike rides, when just a couple of years ago I couldn't exercise for more than 10 minutes.


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