Weight loss is confidence gain
October 8, 2004
By Gwen Guerke
MILFORD - Debra Caiola came to a turning point. The emergency room nurse at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md., knew she had to practice what she was preaching.
In January 2003, the Milford resident started walking with her husband, Bobby, a retiree and active member of Carlisle Fire Co.
Mrs. Caiola and her family moved to Milford five years ago from upstate New York.
She said she is all too aware of the health problems associated with being overweight: high blood pressure, diabetes, discomfort in performing daily activities.
Sitting at her dining room table wearing her workout wear, Mrs. Caiola pulled out a photo of herself she keeps in her purse. It was taken back when she tipped the scales at 295.
"I was always a big girl," she said. "But never as big. I wanted to feel better. I didn't want to be tired all the time. I just knew it was the right thing to do."
She said she stopped smoking 25 years ago, but then realized she was eating in response to stress.
Mrs. Caiola, a former Bayhealth-Milford Memorial Hospital ER nurse, said she thrives on stress.
She works 12-hour shifts in an operating room that sees more patients than Kent General and Milford put together.
"I love every minute of it," she said. "I've been a nurse for 33 years. I am able to put my skills to use and I help new nurses. I'm on my feet 12 hours straight. I'm lifting, pushing, shoving. I have to have the strength to deal with it all."
But she allowed stress associated with her work to contribute to her eating problems.
"I didn't know what went in my mouth. Now I know what goes in my mouth is good for me," she said.
In addition to walking, she gradually adjusted her portion sizes, she said.
"So far, it's so good. I'm particular about what I eat. I'm not tempted. I'm able to stop at one cookie, not the box of cookies. I eat extra vegetables," she said.
In August 2003, Mrs. Caiola joined Curves, a fitness center for women. It is adjacent to Super Fresh in Milford.
"I wanted something more. I really like Curves. I can drop in anytime, do what I need to do and leave. I go when I have time," she said.
She walks about three miles every day, taking shorter walks before work, and longer ones on days off.
"I don't have a weight goal. When my body stops losing weight, it will be where it wants to be. I want to be healthy, to be the best I can be," she said.
She's said she is pleased when people notice.
"Even people in the stores, people will say something to me," she said. "I did it to get healthy, not just to get thin."
Source:www.newszap.com
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