Weight-Loss Winners Share Their Stories

Stay-in-shape tip: Squeeze exercise in, however you can. Howard’s schedule doesn’t leave her much time to work out, other than on weekends. Still, she’s up at 6:30 every morning to fit in some leg squats and gentle stretches before a day at the office, and if she and her husband can sneak in a walk on the beach before or after dinner, they will. “He takes such long strides, it’s a workout for me to keep up,” she notes. On Saturdays and Sundays she hits the gym for an hour. “I’m proud of that because I don’t like the gym and it’s always such a struggle to get there,” she says. “But I go there, do 35-45 minutes on the elliptical, some weights and 15 tummy crunches, and that’s it. I’m done, and I can go home and start my day.”

Motivational tip: Seek out social support. Howard credits her husband of 15 years for providing the emotional support and stability that help her succeed. “A lot of people eat because it’s soothing to them, but I find that being in a wonderful relationship provides that same level of comfort,” she says. “When you’re really happy," she adds, you're less likely to eat as a way to "boost your mood.”

Beginning his weight-loss effort to address his type 2 diabetes, Donald Mazzella ended up with more energy and a noticeably trimmer physique.

Courtesy Donald Mazzella

Donald Mazzella, 75

Ridgefield, N.J.
Weight lost: 28 pounds

What spurred him to lose weight: Seven years ago, Mazzella was having trouble controlling his type two diabetes, a condition he’d suffered from since his 40s. “My wife kept telling me she was worried about my health and that she wanted me to lose weight so I could stay alive until my 90s,” he recalls. At the same time, his physician died and Mazzella switched to a new doctor, one who also encouraged him to lose weight.

How he did it: Mazzella cut down on his ultimate favorite food, spaghetti. “It’s my Achilles' heel. I don’t crave sweets or snacks, but even since I was a teenager, I could go through a whole pot of spaghetti drenched in tomato sauce,” he says. Now his wife, JoAnn, shoots for meals with at least three colors: white for lean protein such as shrimp, chicken or pork, as well as reds, yellows, purples and greens from various veggies. If Mazzella wants spaghetti, he eats it as a very small side dish, sprinkled with garlic, clams and a drizzle of olive oil. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and usually consists of a large salad topped with a protein, like chicken or fish. And he never leaves the house without eating breakfast, either two eggs with a piece of toast, or half a bagel with cream cheese and lox. “It’s the one meal older people tend to skip, but if I don’t eat it, I backslide,” he notes. Mazzella's physician also switched him from metformin to another diabetes medication, Victoza, that can promote weight loss (it mimics hormones in your brain that help you feel full).

Stay-in-shape tip: Work out with a companion. Mazzella walks at least a mile with his wife every weekday, and on the weekend tries to walk two to three miles. “I definitely noticed that as the weight initially came off — and it fell off gradually, only a pound or two a month — and my blood sugar got under better control that I had more energy,” he says.

Motivational tip: Focus on the long term. When Mazzella was first trying to lose weight, his wife bought him ‘9’ and ‘7’ birthday candles — a goal to healthily reach at least his 97th birthday. “Every time I slip up and eat something I shouldn’t, she reminds me that healthy living isn’t a dash but a long-term race.” Thanks in large part to his wife’s encouragement, Mazzella’s A1C, a measure of blood sugar, has gone from 8.2 to 6.4 — a sign that he's in good control of his diabetes.

Chuck Underwood, 69

Miamisburg, Ohio
Weight lost: 22 pounds

What spurred him to lose weight: Underwood had always been physically fit, working out five days a week, alternating weights and running. But two years ago, he was forced into a one-year caregiving situation to help his sister recover from brain surgery. “I still ate healthy foods, just too much; emotional exhaustion stripped me of my energy to work out,” he explains. All 22 pounds settled around his waist. “I’m slim elsewhere, so I looked eight months pregnant, which is a hideous look for a man,” he notes. Since Underwood travels the world as a motivational speaker and hosts the PBS television series America’s Generations With Chuck Underwood, losing weight was important for professional reasons. “My career, my livelihood, was at stake.” 

How he did it: Underwood went on Nutrisystem, a commercial weight-loss program that offers prepackaged foods. “I did not have the knowledge of nutrition to guess on a diet, and I didn’t have the patience to do a lot of trial and error,” he admits.  “I went online one Saturday morning and googled weight-loss programs, and Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem were the first two that came up. Weight Watchers seemed to focus on in-person meetings, which I didn’t think I’d have time to commit to, as I’m very busy with work and travel constantly. Nutrisystem just seemed simple — they’d send me the food in the proper proportions, I’d eat it, and I’d lose weight.” The eating program's structure worked for Underwood, who is single and believed that he wouldn’t be motivated to cook healthfully on his own. The first week he lost nine pounds; after that he stabilized at about a pound a week. “For me it was about convenience — I didn’t have to grocery shop; I didn’t have to cook — it was all dropped at my door once a month in microwave-ready containers,” he says.

Now that’s he’s lost weight, Underwood still relies on Nutrisystem for most of his meals but has either lunch or dinner on his own every day.  “Usually, whether I’m out at a restaurant or at home, it’s the same thing: a grilled chicken breast, a side of rice and a plain tossed salad with vinaigrette,” he says. “Some people might find the same routine boring, but I thrive on consistency.”

Stay-in-shape tip: Underwood set up a simple home gym with a treadmill, a weight bench and dumbbells, so he wouldn’t have to drive to a fitness center whenever he wanted to work out. “The local YMCA was only about five minutes away, but that drive was long enough to be a deal breaker on days when I just didn’t feel like I had the energy.” 

Motivational tip: Focus on the health benefits of losing weight. “A couple weeks after starting Nutrisystem, I hopped on the treadmill and noticed that since my two legs were now running with 10 pounds less above them, I had more energy and could run even farther — two and a half miles, instead of two,” he recalls. He was also able to scale back on his blood pressure medication. But the biggest satisfaction was when he attended his 50-year high school reunion, a few months ago. “I was probably the only male in the room who was at his high school weight,” he says proudly.

Dani Mackey, 52

Washington, D.C.
Weight lost: 10 pounds, but her body fat dropped from 31 percent to 17 percent. “A lot of that fat was replaced by muscle,” she explains.

What spurred her to lose weight: turning 50. “All my friends were celebrating this milestone by throwing big parties, but I decided to focus my efforts toward not feeling older,” she recalls. Mackey reactivated her gym membership and spent the next couple of years immersed in kickboxing and cardio barre classes. But when she didn’t see the numbers on the scale go down, she became frustrated: “I looked around at all the other women my age at the gym and realized none of our bodies were really changing.”

How she did it: Mackey hired a fitness trainer, who advised her to switch from an hour of daily cardio to a routine with more weight training. “I still exercise six days a week, but only about 35 percent of my time at the gym focuses on cardio,” she explains. Instead, each day she focuses on a different body part to weight train: Monday may be chest and arms, Tuesday she may focus on her back and delts, and Wednesday, just on legs. “My goal is to do exercises for each body part twice a week.” Her trainer also recommended she eat more protein, to help preserve muscle mass that can decrease with age. “I actually think I’m eating more than I was before, but now I’m eating the right things,” which include four ounces of protein at every meal.

A typical day consists of a breakfast of fruit, egg whites and turkey bacon; a midmorning snack of whole grain bread topped with blueberries and almond butter; a lunch of four ounces of lean protein, such as chicken, shrimp or tuna over a bed of leafy greens; a midafternoon snack of three ounces of chicken or turkey paired with 10 almonds or a tablespoon of nut butter; and a dinner made of six ounces of fish or chicken paired with salad and veggies. Mackey ends her evening intake with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, which research suggests may help with weight loss. One Japanese study found that gulping down a tablespoon of this liquid twice daily caused obese subjects to shed four pounds after 12 weeks.

Stay-in-shape tip: Put yourself first. “I prioritize my exercise time as nearly as important to my life as getting my job done,” says Mackey, who enlists her husband to take on dad duty after school so she can hit the gym. She also occasionally hires a sitter so she doesn’t have to miss a workout. Mackey chose a gym with multiple locations around town, allowing her to visit whichever one works with her schedule. “I have also found fitness and cycling studios around D.C. that let you just book one class at a time, so if I’m near one, I can pop in for a quick workout.” 

Motivational tip: Make it easy for yourself. Mackey stocks up on plenty of staples, like packages of four-ounce chicken breasts, which she can easily sauté or throw onto the grill with some veggies and then pack with salad as a lunch the next day. “I try to plan as much as possible, but if I can’t, I make sure I have something portable with me, like a protein bar, so I can eat that instead of having to resort to the drive-through,” she says. Once a week she allows herself a cheat meal, eating whatever she wants.