Weight-loss winners share success 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.