Shannon's Slim-Down Stats
How she did it: Low-carb foods and exercise
Height: 5'5 1/2"
Heaviest Weight and Size: 230 lb; size 24
Current Weight and Size: 123 lb; size 4
Vitals: 42, Redondo Beach, CA; magazine editor
What Packed On The Pounds
Destructive dieting
Put on her first diet at the early age of 4 by her family, Shannon Hammer grew up feeling as though her weight was constantly monitored. As a child, she'd rebel by sneaking food—a bite of cake here, a few cookies there—and then covering her tracks. Later, she tried every diet from cabbage soup to grapefruit, but her feelings of anger and shame, coupled with the intense hunger brought on by calorie restriction, led to full-blown binges. (Search: Is the cabbage soup diet safe?) One of her most vivid memories: finishing off a half-eaten pint of ice cream and running to the corner store to buy a new pint, then eating that to the halfway point to keep her family from discovering her shameful secret. "By the time I was thirty, I had tried every diet out there and even had taken laxatives and appetite suppressants—and I still weighed 230 pounds," says Hammer.
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My Lowest Moment
Eating the cupboards bare
"I'd eat whatever was in the house—half a loaf of bread, four bowls of cereal. I wouldn't stop until I was panting in pain." (Find out how to set up your kitchen for weight loss success.)
What Finally Worked for Me
Going cold turkey on trigger foods
After seeing a photo of herself in January 2001, Hammer, then a size 22, knew things had to change: "I was looking at an obese woman with my face. I was horrified." She started following a low-carb diet, largely because it eliminated sugar and flour, her trigger foods. She began looking at cake, cookies, and pasta the way a recovering alcoholic views a glass of bourbon: as off-limits—forever.
Snacks with Low Blood-Sugar
She also began walking almost every day, and, eventually, 20 minutes became 2 hours. Over the next 2 years, she dropped 40 pounds. Another 2 years later, exercising nearly an hour a day and controlling her portion sizes, Hammer had shed an additional 70 pounds.
What Keeps Me Motivated
The fear of backsliding
"I still feel like I'm one bite away from a binge. You can't return to your old habits after you lose the weight. This is a lifestyle that has to continue."
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My "Take It Off, Leave It Off" Secrets
No more straight to the plate. "I weigh or measure everything I eat or drink. Practicing portion control is key."
Fight pig-outs on paper. "I used to turn to food for comfort, but now I write in my journal when I'm frustrated or worried."
Investigate ingredients. "I always check labels to make sure I avoid sugar."
Now
Lost 107 pounds; has kept it off for 8 years
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