Jim Stone lost 69 pounds last year. (Image via USA Today)
If there’s one theme running through the success stories from the USA Today Weight-Loss Challenge, it’s “no excuses.” Those who took the challenge knew they had a problem, but their justifications and defenses kept them from doing anything about it. Until they could give these excuses up, each one remained overweight and unhappy about it.
Jim Stone didn’t think he had time to exercise. His job as an engineer in Madison, Alabama is time consuming. But then Jim started to notice that his older and overweight friends were facing health problems, and he realized he was next in line. So, he made changes to his lifestyle by joining Weight Watchers, incorporating more walking into his day and making time to get to the gym. “I considered other things more important,” Jim says. “Now I consider taking time to exercise an important part of my day.” He’s lost 69 pounds in the past year.
Linda Pottinger, who lost 28 pounds, used to blame her excess weight on bad genes. But at the age of 58, she decided that she wants to be a healthy and active grandmother. Linda cut her food intake down to 1,200 calories per day and started doing elliptical workouts. “I had to do the work. It wasn’t going to be handed to me on a silver platter.”
Paula Brown-Gray knew she had to let go of her excuses after seeing a “dreadful” photo of herself. She knew she could cut chocolate out of her diet, but she found that she could cut back to a small indulgence once a week. Now she tracks her calories and exercise. She likes to ride a tandem bike with her husband and goes for an hour-long swim everyday. Her efforts have paid off, and she’s shed 34 pounds from her 5 foot 4 frame.
What excuses do you need to let go of to reach your weight-loss goal?
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