Want To Lose Weight? Don't Give up

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A lot of people who have tried to lose weight for years and have pretty much given up need to read about this women who finally decided to lose weight because of her job. She wanted people to take her serious and wanted to lead by example.
Alerted to the health dangers of being overweight, Samantha Szabo changed her lifestyle and her eating habits. Now she's 145 pounds lighter, and in better shape than she was in high school.
By Charlotte Latvala
Originally published in Fitness Magazine 
"I Did It!”
Name: Samantha Szabo
Age: 31
Height: 5'5"
Her Weight Before: 280
Her Weight After: 135
Pounds Lost: 145
At Current Weight: 1 year
Even at 280 pounds, Samantha Szabo considered herself athletic. "My weight didn't stop me from playing sports; I told myself I carried it well," says the Brooklyn physical-therapy assistant. But her career choice alerted her to the health hazards of being overweight, and she made changes that led to a 145-pound loss. "My energy level is higher, I move more gracefully — even my skin glows."
Active, But Big
Samantha grew up on a "meat and potatoes" diet, but softball, track, basketball, and soccer kept her weight around 150 as a teenager. After her mother's death, her diet deteriorated. "I'd skip breakfast but chow down on chicken wings and beer at 10 p.m.," she says. By 26, she weighed 250; a few years later she was up to 280. Around then, she was studying to be a physical therapist. "I started to wonder if patients would take advice from someone my size," she says. "I decided to try to slim down."
Dieting Smart
Samantha began with a sensible low-carb eating plan. "I cut portions and replaced fried foods, white bread, and pasta with fish, vegetables, and whole grains." She also started eating breakfast. Within four months, she had dropped almost 50 pounds. Then she started walking two miles a day; later she joined a gym and added cardio and strength training. Ten months later, Samantha was down to 135 pounds.
"Everything is better since I got healthy," says Samantha. "I'm in better shape now than I was in high school."
Samantha's Weight-Loss Plan
The Diet: For breakfast, Samantha has two egg whites and two ounces of broiled salmon. Lunch is grilled chicken salad. Dinner is chicken or fish with salsa and steamed cauliflower. She snacks on raw veggies, whole wheat cereal, and hard-boiled egg whites.
The Workout: Samantha does 90 minutes of cardio (elliptical, cycle, treadmill) and 30 minutes of strength training five times a week.
Biggest Temptation: Buffalo wings. "When I crave them, I make grilled chicken with hot sauce."
What She Couldn't Wait to Wear: Trendy underwear. "I actually cried the first time I went shopping at Victoria's Secret and was able to fit into the colorful, sexy bras and undies.”
I know that everyone doesn’t have the time to workout two hours a day, but Samantha wanted to lose weight fast and that’s the way to do it. Even if you can’t do a two hour workout, you can still lose weight. Naturally the more you workout, the faster the weight loss. If you think about it, how many people can spend two hours a day in the gym. It’s not realistic. I lost my weight in stages. First I dropped about 30 pounds. I hit a wall and for several months I stayed the same. The following year knowing I regained about 5 pounds, I wanted to continue and try and lose 20 more. It actually took me several months of yo-yoing up and down before I got down to 175. That was 45 pounds total over a couple of years. Like everyone else, my life is hectic and I’m pulled in several directions at once and can’t always watch what I eat, so losing weight can be challenging for anyone.
I hit the wall again at 175 and stayed there for a couple of years until I felt I had too much body fat and wanted to lose more. Today I weight about 160. I want to start weight training again and hopefully gain a few pounds of muscle. As a senior more muscle is a good thing.

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