Jean Taylor is used to being bigger than most of the people around her. So when she reached 375 pounds, she didn’t necessarily feel much different when she compared herself with her peers.
However, it became clear to her that her weight was posing some problems when she started classes at the University of Missouri in 2009.
„You have to walk to all your classes, you have to 3X Slimming Power Slimming Capsule climb all the steps,“ said Taylor, now a senior health science major.
The stairs in the parking garage left her feeling especially drained and winded.
„That was really when I was like, ‚Yeah, you gotta make some changes,‘ “ Taylor said.
A family member had had some success with a weight-loss program called IdealShape, so Taylor decided to give it a whirl.
There are two components to IdealShape: meal-replacement shakes and hypnosis CDs and workbooks.
Taylor said the shakes were a convenient way to stay fueled between work and classes, which kept her from resorting to vending machine or fast-food fare when she didn’t have time to prepare a more healthful meal.
The CDs, she said, helped to identify habits that were holding her back — in Taylor’s case, snacking — and change her approach to dealing with them.
In addition to the IdealShape program, Taylor has gotten more active. She takes advantage of the student recreation center, and she makes a point to get more movement in her everyday life.
Her diet has changed, too. She tries to avoid pork and beef and eats more healthful foods.
„I haven’t cut out all fried foods. Occasionally, I do have those things, but it’s not a lot,“ Taylor said.
Since 2009, Taylor has lost 108 pounds. She still has about 80 pounds she would like to lose, but she said losing the 108 pounds has been a confidence booster.
On a whim, Taylor entered IdealShape’s Ship Shape Challenge, a weight-loss essay contest. Last month, she was the first-place winner, and earlier this week, Taylor and the first-place winners from previous months flew to Salt Lake City for a series of photo shoots and interviews. These will be on IdealShape’s Facebook page tomorrow, and for one week starting the first week of November visitors will be asked to vote on the story they find the most inspiring. The top three winners will win cash prizes, and the first place finisher also will win a trip to the Caribbean.
Taylor said she wasn’t aware of the prizes when she first entered the contest. She just hopes to convince others they can meet their own goals.
„I know so many of my friends are working on losing weight. It’s a big deal to get healthy. It’s hard, but it’s possible,“ Taylor said.The irony is not lost on fitness trainer Vix Erber. She helps people to lose weight for a living, yet her dog Oscar is, according to her, the “fattest pug in Bondi“.
Not that Oscar, which weighs 14 kilograms, stands much chance of being slim. It’s not only that his owner feeds him countless treats, his breed is predisposed to being overweight.
On an average day, the eight-year-old will have chicken necks for breakfast, snacks from his regular cafe haunts in Bondi for morning tea, often a sandwich stolen from one of Ms Erber’s clients for lunch and dry mince for dinner.
On Sundays, Oscar rests, often sharing Sport Burner Slimming Capsule scrambled eggs and bacon with his owner for breakfast.
“It’s more out of love I don’t want to deny him , Ms Erber said.
“The vets haven’t pulled me up … He could lose weight but it’s not a point that I am worried about it.“
The ballooning weight of pets has become a big issue in the veterinary world, based on the increasing academic interest in the area.