As a carefree tween, Stephanie Simon would gorge on sweets, fast food, and buffet offerings. She said that eating two slices of Black Forest cake and loading pasta dishes with cheese was common for her. Her excessive eating habits made her tip the scales at 150 lbs. Because she was confident and outgoing, people around her thought that making fun of her weight was something she would ignore. But Stephanie said that "it got annoying when all they did was laugh at me all the time.”

Apart from the jokes, Stephanie's health took a beating because of her weight. Her blood pressure read 150/90 at its worst, which wasn’t at all normal for a girl her age. “My parents were very supportive, but in the end, succeeding in losing weight was all up to me.” Stephanie tried all sorts of weight loss methods: exercising, fad diets, slimming teas, and even deprivation. “It was so hard. For 11 years, I struggled with a lose-gain cycle. I would lose a little weight, then gain even more compared to the initial weight I lost.”

The last straw came when Steph was unable to fit in newly-bought jeans. She enrolled in a gym, worked with a trainer, made her own meals, and began reading up on healthy lifestyle changes. She did cardio and weight training for one to two hours thrice a week and followed a strict 1,200-calorie diet without refined carbs. For the next three months, she continued to workout without the aide of a trainer, and she started her own collection of health and fitness books. “I lost 25 lbs. at the gym and 19 lbs. on my own!”

Stephanie's original weight goal was 115 lbs, but with her dedication, she now weighs 103 lbs. Her blood pressure is normal, and she serves as an inspiration to her friends. “My friends would take a look at me and say ‘Diet and exercise work after all!’”


STEPHANIE'S TIPS:

1. NEVER GO FOR SHORT-TERM WEIGHT LOSS METHODS.

“You only get short-term results.”


2. THERE'S ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME.

“I only did 20 minutes of cardio training on my last month and I lost 7 lbs.! A few minutes of working out can really change your body.”


3. HAVE A CHEAT DAY.

“I treat myself once a week to satisfy my cravings but I’m still aware of my calorie limits.”


(First published in Women's Health Magazine, Slim Down Strategies section as "Diet and exercise work after all" in September 2010; "after" photo by Christian Halili; adapted for use in Female Network)