Dana Pittman had to get in shape twice: once for the Army Reserve and then for herself, this time with the mission to get fit for life.
Age: 30 Height: 5’2″
Dana Pittman was 17 when the Army Reserve told her she was too heavy to join. “It was the first time my weight prevented me from doing something I wanted to do,” she says. Pittman had her first weight loss success when got the number on the scale down to where she needed to enlist–though she spent the next eight years gradually piling it back on, and then some.
When she developed weight-related health problems, her doctor prescribed medication, but Pittman quit the pills and regular checkups because she dreaded the lectures. In 2006, she hit 196 pounds and could no longer face the scale.
The Breaking Point
Watching a family video, Pittman caught a shot of her rear end. “For the first time, I really saw myself,” she says. She was ready to take action.
The Changes
In February 2007 Pittman enrolled in Weight Watchers and began logging her exercise and diet endeavors daily. She started walking for 30 minutes three times a week, and her chronic aches and pains disappeared. Then she stepped up to jogging.
The former comfort-food addict cut back on potatoes and frozen pizza and traded red meat and pork for lean chicken and fish. By her one-year Weight Watchers anniversary, she had reached her goal weight of 135 pounds. She rewarded herself with a treadmill, which gives her incentive to continue to stay healthy and fit.
The Bonus
Pittman no longer minds if her derriere is caught on videotape, and she feels as healthy and energetic as she did when she first joined the Reserve. “When you make health a part of each day,” she says, “you don’t feel like you’re always depriving yourself.”
Her Tips
- Think big picture
- “People give up on a diet if they mess up one meal. You’ll eat other meals–don’t blow it all because of one mistake.”
- Snack solo
- “Buy treats in individual servings, so you can’t cheat.”
- Use what you have
- “The Army taught me that the only piece of equipment you need to get in shape is yourself.”
Source: Womenshealthmag
