Before: 205
After: 125
Height: 5'5"
Age: 29
Lindsay Rick, 29, was never skinny. As a young child, she took dance classes, but as she reached high school and college she exchanged dancing and playing outdoors for vegging in front of the television or computer. In college, Lindsay continued to lead a mostly sedentary life. “I was uninspired by working out,” she says. She tried diets from time to time but would either fail to make progress or would gain back the weight she lost. By the time she was a senior she weighed over 200 pounds.
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The Turning Point
Lindsay’s wake-up call came a week before her college graduation. “I was trying to put on one of my summer outfits from the prior summer and couldn’t get the pants to button,” she remembers. “I couldn’t believe I had allowed myself to gain another size or two.” She couldn’t face having to buy bigger clothing again. “I knew I could not allow myself to continue on this destructive path,” she says. “I decided that there were no excuses, and I needed to take a different approach as I headed out into the adult world.”
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The Lifestyle
Shortly after Lindsay resolved to lose weight, she ran into an old friend who had just completed a term with the Marines. He’d just begun working as a personal trainer and needed clients. As a favor to him—and to herself—she scheduled some sessions. They met once a week for hour-long boot-camp-like training. (Search: Find a boot camp class) After about three months, Lindsay began to see major progress—she’d already dropped 35 pounds. Once her trainer returned to the military, Lindsay began working out at a local gym doing a mix of weight lifting, core training and cardio.
Lindsay also overhauled her diet by cutting out soda and fast foods completely and replacing them with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. She also learned to read food labels and began eating for nutrition rather than for pleasure.
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The Motivation
Lindsay stays on track by looking at old pictures from before she lost the weight; it reminds her that she’d never want to go back to being that heavy. She also strives to set a good example for others who are trying to slim down. “I love being able to offer support to people who are still working on their journey, and people who are contemplating becoming healthy,” she says. “It's a great feeling knowing you are making a difference for yourself and others.”
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The Reward
Last year, Lindsay showed off her new figure at her 10-year high school reunion. “In high school I was a quiet, bookish, and overweight girl who barely made eye contact when spoken to. At my reunion I exuded confidence none of my peers had ever seen in me,” she says. She even won the “Changed Most Since High School” award. “People could not believe I was the same Lindsay from our graduating class,” she says. “I left my reunion excited by the fact that I had become the woman I had always hoped to be.”
Lindsay’s Advice
Make little goals. “Don’t expect to drop 50 pounds in two months; if you start small you can stay on track.”
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