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Getting engaged gave Sarah Carhart the ultimate motivation to lose weight.
Vitals Sarah Carhart, 28,Myrtle Beach,SC
Occupation High school English teacher
Height 5’6″
Weight before 200
Weight after 125
Time required to reach goal 3 years
Lesson learned “You can’t rush weight loss. If you want a permanent change, plan your diet realistically.”
Secret weapon “TV. Sometimes you need a little distraction at the gym. I like to watch Oprah while I work out. When she’s done, I’m done.”
The Gain
Flipping TV channels was always Sarah Carhart’s exercise of choice, and her sedentary lifestyle caught up to her in graduate school. “The meal plan was amazing,” she says. “I ate all the time just because I could.” In denial about her expanding figure, she hid in baggy clothes and avoided scales. “I closed my eyes when my doctor weighed me,” she says. “I didn’t care about myself enough to try to be healthy.”
The Change
In 2004 Carhart unintentionally lost a few pounds when she took a job that required her to be on her feet all day. But at her annual physical soon after, she was shocked to see the scale’s needle at 200 pounds, even after her loss. “I was about to start a new career as a teacher and I wanted to have my own kids in a few years,” she says. “I started to realize that I needed to be healthy to do those things.”
The Lifestyle
Carhart began logging daily sessions on the treadmill and swapping cheese steaks for turkey sandwiches. A month later, her boyfriend proposed, and visions of a strapless wedding dress tripled her motivation. Carhart slipped into her gown 40 pounds lighter, but then her weight loss stalled. To get back on track, she axed fried foods and replaced starches with fruits and veggies. She upped cardio sessions and added the stationary bike and rowing machine to her routine. At home, she and her husband even had hula hoop matches using Wii Fit.
The Reward
“I used to dread the gym,” Carhart says. “Now getting on the treadmill is a great release at the end of the day.”
Sarah’s Tips
Experiment. “I never ate dark chocolate, but now I love it. Just a little satisfies a craving.”
Get support. “It’s important to lose the weight for yourself, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need someone to push you.”
Press play. “Working out to music cues me when to warm up, push myself, and cool down.”
Source: Womenshealthmag
Republished by Blog Post Promoter
