Weight loss battle plan pays off
October 3, 2004
Marcie D’Amico decided it was time. She was finished with school and student teaching. She had a stable job and a routine.
It was time to really focus on getting the extra pounds off, and she’s on her way. D’Amico, a 25-year-old long-term substitute at Beverly Hills Middle School, has lost 70 pounds this year. She’s more than halfway to her target, which requires losing another 50.
Her battle plan includes a combination of LA Weight Loss and Curves.
Until this point, D’Amico’s diets had always halted at the 30-pound mark.
"This is the most I’ve ever lost. I usually get to 30 pounds and quit," D’Amico said with a smile and a glow of newfound confidence.
"One day I was sitting on the couch at home and saw a commercial for LA Weight Loss."
She realized she hadn’t tried that yet. And that was that.
They taught her about healthy eating habits that didn’t require her to cut major categories of foods out of her diet. There’s basically nothing she can’t eat in moderation, which is good because "if you tell me I can’t eat a potato, I want a potato every single day," she said.
With the program she’s using, "It’s more of a lifestyle change, as far as eating," she said. "I’m not a big sweet eater -- I’m a big carb person. And they have a carb-craver plan."
She still eats fruits, vegetables, bread, milk and cheese. She can eat potatoes three times a week. But she can’t eat potatoes and beef together. They taught her healthy foods, as well as good food combinations.
"There are a lot of things that make sense when they tell you that, but you don’t know it on your own," she said.
LA Weight Loss tracks her progress three times per week. She goes in for one-on-one consultation and to weigh in.
She’s been told that her progress has been better than many others, and she thinks Curves, an all-women’s fitness center, deserves the credit. D’Amico, who teaches science and special education, had been going to Curves even before she started her new eating plan.
"It’s the kind of place where they make a point to know your name," she said. "They gave me a candle on my birthday."
Exercising at Curves, where you spend 30-minutes going through a course of cardiovascular and weight-training machines, helps her sleep better at night and simply feel better, she said. "After I leave, I have a boost of energy," she said.
Her advice for those trying to lose
weight: Find something that works for you and stick
with it, and surround yourself with people who are supportive.
"It’s hard to ignore when people are down on you, but you just have to stick to it," she said. "I’m a lot more outgoing than I used to be. I used to cower in a corner, and now I’m out there with everybody."
Source:www.herald-dispatch.com
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