Sarah Beck
Tina Parker
before before
after
after AGE: 25 POUNDS LOST: 45
AGE: 36
POUNDS LEFT TO LOSE: 20-30
POUNDS LOST: 130
HOME: Annapolis
POUNDS LEFT TO LOSE: “Happy to be where I am”
SUPPORT: Kait Fortunato, dietitian with Rebecca Bitzer &Associates in Greenbelt ADVICE: “There’s always tomorrow. If I splurge, I remind myself that I can make a fresh start the next day.” She also suggested surrounding yourself “with friends who are supportive and want you to succeed.”
HOME: Hagerstown SUPPORT: FMH Wellness Center in Frederick ADVICE: “Be sure you have lots of support, people who will be there for you. And communicate with them. If you don’t let them know you’ve had a bad day or are struggling, they can’t help you.”
“W
hen my mom got pancreatic cancer, she made a wish list of things she wanted and one of the wishes was for me to get healthy,” said Tina Parker. “I grieved for a good year after she died and gained an additional 40 pounds before I finally got serious.” Obese, Parker thought about gastric bypass surgery, “but it scared me.” Instead, in March 2010, she opted for a medically monitored, very low-calorie diet. New Direction beverage meal replacements, offered through the FMH Wellness Center in Frederick, allowed Parker to experience immediate weight loss, which kept her motivated. “The first week seemed hard. Emotionally, I wondered if I could actually do it. When I saw I’d lost 10 pounds that first week, I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I really can do this.’” While not every week was as uplifting as the first, there was never a week that Parker didn’t lose. One of her biggest challenges was dealing with co-workers and friends who had trouble accepting her decision to “go on a liquid fast. I don’t understand why others would try to sabotage my success.” With support from the staff at FMH Wellness, Parker began exercising and learned to take control of her eating. By October 2010, she had dropped 130 pounds. She continues on a maintenance program at the center, checking in monthly.
A
t the beach with her family in the summer of 2011, Sarah Beck was despondent. Carrying an extra 70 pounds made her “very uncomfortable and I hated that I was losing an opportunity to enjoy myself.” Beck also was frustrated that her diet wasn’t working. “I went vegetarian in the beginning of 2010 and ate lots of healthy foods. I couldn’t understand why I was still such a large size.” In fall 2011, she turned to Kait Fortunato, a Greenbelt dietitian. “She put things into perspective for me, especially in terms of portioning and ratios … Turns out my carbs were out of whack. So, I no longer follow calories. I follow carbs.” Today, Beck eats three meals a day, with no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates per meal, and two snacks with up to 15 grams of carbs each. “It’s a lifestyle change, one that I’m always going to have to stay cognizant of.” A challenge for Beck is incorporating the occasional alcoholic drink. “One drink can be almost a full meal’s worth of carbs.” Another is her boyfriend, who has a “high metabolism … He’s had to learn about my new eating habits. He doesn’t have to follow them, but has to know that I will.” Beck’s work leaves her limited time for exercise, so she tries to work in push-ups and sit-ups whenever possible. “I do squats while brushing my teeth.” MORE ON PAGE 12 GAZETTE.NET
Spring 2013 | Gazette Health 11