Quantcast
Home manage Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

Living


THEY DID IT THEIR WAY: Weigh to Go!

Las Vegans faced the battle of the bulge -- and won



















If weight loss were easy, the United States wouldn't have an obesity problem. Yet while so many struggle to control their weight, others find great success. Today, the Review-Journal shares some of those success stories.

MINDY CONNOLLY


Most Popular Stories
  • LIFE ON THE COUCH: Frustrating 'Mad Men' season full of ups and downs
  • MIKE WEATHERFORD: Smaller fish finding more wiggle room on Strip
  • ON THE SET: CINEMA CITYLas Vegas is Cinema City
  • BAZAARS: Consumers, charities benefit from sales at holiday bazaars
  • TRIP OF THE WEEK: Rogers Spring a scenic natural oasis
  • More adults getting their kicks from playing soccer
  • MIKE WEATHERFORD: Book reveals Gans' grudge
  • HUMAN MATTERS: Life's journey includes pain of suffering
  • NFL FOOTBALL: LINE UP FOR A NEW SEASON
  • THE R-J GOES TO A PARTY: Las Vegas Philharmonic Guild aids Kids to Concert




  • LOST 123 POUNDS

    Age: 33

    Height: 5 feet, 3 inches

    Starting weight: 253 pounds

    Current weight: 130 pounds

    Lost: 123 pounds

    How long she has kept it off: Three years

    How she lost weight: Diet, exercise and personal trainer

    Biggest challenge: "Keeping motivated -- sticking with it."

    Biggest motivation: Using a personal trainer and hearing "Look at how good you're doing."

    Tips for others: "The biggest thing that helped me was to do the diet and exercise and make it a lifestyle." What doesn't work is "the whole diet pills, and lose weight in 10 days. It's changing your entire lifestyle."

    Fun fact: She's engaged to her personal trainer, Ron Green of Two Tigers Fitness.

    VALERIE HALEY-DUNNE

    LOST 55 POUNDS

    Age: 44

    Height: 5 feet, 3 inches

    Starting weight: 180 pounds

    Current weight: 125 pounds

    Lost: 55 pounds

    How long she has kept it off: 12 years

    How she lost weight: Weight Watchers (third time)

    Biggest challenge: Work -- "all the food brought into the office, and going out to lunch."

    Biggest motivation: "Myself, my health. "

    Tips for others: "It's a daily awareness." Remember that "it's how you feel. I have never felt better in my life. If I goof off and I go above 130, I start feeling like crap. Maintaining a good weight is a good feeling." Haley-Dunne said she tried various other diets, but weekly support and a realistic approach helped her lose weight and keep it off.

    DAN IBELING

    LOST 49 POUNDS

    Age: 25

    Height: 6 feet, 4 inches

    Starting weight: 245 pounds

    Current weight: 196 pounds

    Lost: 49 pounds

    How long he has kept it off: About three years

    How he lost weight: Increasing exercise, watching what he eats and drinks.

    Biggest challenge: "The temptation to eat." A "night owl," he's tempted to eat at night, but has reduced that.

    Biggest motivation: "I just wanted to look good. I'm in the performing business and you've got to look good."

    Tips for others: Cut out all sugary drinks, including coffee drinks (and juices), skip the gym but walk more and take the stairs instead of the elevator, eat more food at mealtimes instead of snacking, and don't eat at night (although he'll have a cookie or some dry cereal at bedtime).

    Fun fact: An opera singer, he's a singing gondolier at The Venetian.

    PATRICIA WEILER

    LOST 106 POUNDS

    Age: Would rather not say

    Height: 5 feet, 2 inches

    Starting weight: 271

    Current weight: 165

    Lost: 106 pounds

    How long she has kept it off: Three years

    How she lost weight: Take Off Pounds Sensibly, or TOPS

    Biggest challenge: "To find a (low-carb) lifestyle that I could live with so I could continue maintenance."

    Biggest motivation: "To be healthy, and to be a member of the TOPS Century Club," which is open to those who have lost 100 pounds.

    Tips for others: "The universe supports you when you go within. Choose a nutrition plan that fits your budget, pleases your palate and satisfies your taste buds. Share your dreams daily with someone; your dream will come true faster."

    BOB WELCH

    LOST 149 POUNDS

    Age: 77

    Height: 5 feet, 7 1/2 inches

    Starting weight: 332 pounds

    Current weight: 183 pounds

    Lost: 149 pounds

    How long he has kept it off: A year

    How he lost weight: Take Off Pounds Sensibly, or TOPS

    Biggest challenge: "To stop eating."

    Biggest motivation: Doctor who was treating him for diabetes told him that he wouldn't lose weight. "It's always reverse-psychology."

    Tips for others: "Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables." Six days a week he watches portion control; "on the seventh day I pig out at a buffet and eat anything I want to."

    SUSAN CORBETT AND RACHAEL CORBETT

    LOST 76 POUNDS AND LOST 91 POUNDS

    Name: Susan Corbett

    Age: 50

    Height: 5 feet, 6 inches

    Starting weight: 231 pounds

    Current weight: 155 pounds

    Lost: 76 pounds

    How long she has kept it off: A little more than five years

    How she lost weight: Weight Watchers

    Biggest challenge: Sweets.

    Biggest motivation: "The reason I did it was because my daughter was a junior in high school, coming up on being a senior and then going to college. I had decided I was never going to lose weight, but I wanted her to, so I did it with her. And then we both lost."

    Tips for others: "Watch your portions. Eat slowly. Have a small amount of something you truly love every day."

    Name: Rachael Corbett

    Age: 22

    Height: 5 feet, 8 inches

    Starting weight: 258 pounds

    Current weight: 167 pounds

    Lost: 91 pounds

    How long she has kept it off: Almost five years

    How she lost weight: Weight Watchers

    Biggest challenge: Four years of college.

    Biggest motivation: "My mom, originally. I didn't want to go, I thought I looked fine. I'm way happier."

    Tips for others: "Exercise; my skin went back to normal. Don't keep bad food in your house -- the most tempting food that you love -- or you're going to gorge yourself on it. If you want to have something, you can have it; just eat it in moderation."

    Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

    Leave Your Comment 3 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

    Report abuse

    Barbara C wrote on October 23, 2008 12:33 PM: Weigh to Go to all of you!!!
    I too have lost a lot of weight and did it just in time for my lovely Las Vegas Weddings. Vegas is a great spot for weddings of all kinds. I urge you all to keep up your hard work, stay focused and be proud of yourself. You too might by celebrating honeymoons or weddings in vegas! GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!


    Report abuse

    mickalin C. wrote on August 14, 2007 03:12 PM: I feel what you all are doing is very worth wild, many people are willing to do extreem diets for a quick fix that will cause health problems later but are not willing to have the Long-term programs be apart of ther lives.


    Report abuse

    TOPS AREA CAPTAIN REATHA CONTE wrote on June 28, 2007 10:28 AM: Heidi,

    Loved the article! Weigh to go. The pictures told the true story.

    Reatha