Successes
Meet Jennifer ...
Dramatic weight loss is possible for some obese people without drugs and without
surgery. Jennifer Logan has lost over 115 pounds more than a third
of her original weight and is confident she can continue to lose and reach
her goal of 165 pounds.
Even now, however, she says she is very different person. "My outlook
has changed. My personality," says Jennifer. "My friends notice the difference
in me, how I'm more positive."
A financial analyst with a major firm in Boston, Logan arrives in town each
day by train and walks about 35 minutes across town to work as part of her daily
exercise regimen.
When she started with the NEMC Obesity Consultation Center
program, Logan
was offered a wide range of options, including surgery.
At the time, she had just started a new job, and taking
time off for surgery and recovery was not appropriate.
She considered the drug program, but worried about side
effects.
Her initial counseling
helped her understand
more about her behavior
patterns and motivation. "First
I thought I was going to do a liquid diet plan.
The staff at the Obesity Consultation Center
convinced me to show a commitment first to regular
exercise and visits to the Center. Now I
look forward to the visits," she says.
Part of Logan's motivation for losing weight was to help with her sleep apnea
condition. "I was falling asleep at the wheel and at work," she reports.
"I still have the CPAP machine, but I don't use it as much."
Ultimately, Logan went on a liquid diet for two months to get over a plateau.
When she phased back into regular foods, she did not gain weight. "By that
time I had changed my habits well enough. I used to do a lot of fast food. One
day I went back to a fast food restaurant'I ate the food and I felt awful. That
showed me I had changed. I can't tolerate the amount of fat," she said.
Logan still watches fat and writes down everything she plans to eat and decides
if she really wants it. But now she is also involved in country line dancing,
and is dating (it may even be serious, she says)!
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