• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Trio of Weight Watchers Members Becomes Big Losers

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 00:00 CDT

DAILY MAIL STAFF

This trio has collectively lost 728 pounds. Meet Tira Pittman, whose weight dwindled from 543 to 247 pounds, Wayne Spangler, who went from 422 to 197 and Lynn Hill, who went from 409 to 202.

Many people struggle with 10 or 20 extra pounds. Some conquer bigger amounts.

Consumers are regularly bombarded with messages from the weight- loss industry. The diet plans generally break down into two categories: low carbohydrate/high protein approaches like the Atkins Diet and balanced-nutrient/low calorie strategies. These days many grossly overweight persons also are deciding on surgical procedures.

The three people profiled here happened to opt for Weight Watchers, one of the oldest and perhaps best known of the balanced nutrient programs.

These three went way beyond what most would consider a challenging amount of weight.

They say they managed to lose more than 200 pounds each through persistence, exercise, persistence, group support, persistence, changing eating habits, and persistence.

They have changed their way of life. As a result, their lives have changed. Here are their stories.

* n n

As Tira Pittman's weight dwindles, the entire town of Parsons cheers.

When she's out walking the family dog, people blow their horns and stop to talk. And residents are proud that she was featured in a front-page article of the local newspaper.

"Tira has the support of the whole town," said her mother, Sue Ann Pittman. "We got a lot of calls after the article appeared in the Parsons Advocate."

Tira's weight-loss journey began May 3, 2004, when she attended a Weight Watchers meeting at First Baptist Church in Parsons. At that time, she weighed about 543 pounds and was unable to walk without gasping for breath.

She now walks the family dog about four times a day, visits a local gym three times a week and is trying meals from her fourth Weight Watchers cookbook.

At 247 pounds, she is half the size of her former self.

"I love it," Tira, 36, says of her weight loss journey. "I will go all my life to Weight Watchers."

Her mother added, "She had gotten to the point she didn't enjoy life. She couldn't walk without gasping for breath. It was a struggle daily for her to get up and function.

"I thought something had to give. My husband suggested stomach surgery. Then I saw a Weight Watchers ad. Weight Watchers saved her life."

Tira, who was born with a thyroid problem, has always struggled with her weight. She tried calorie counting as well as diet pills. Sometimes she would lose a few pounds and then gain it back.

However, she has found Weight Watchers to be the proper fit for losing weight with its combination of group support and varied recipes. As her weight declines, her confidence soars.

She also serves as an inspiration to others, said her group leader, Lois Nelson.

"Tira's quite an inspiration to the rest of the group," Nelson said. "She tries all the recipes and tells us which ones she likes. She is inspirational and helpful."

* n n

Wayne Spangler, a Monroe County teacher, says it is easier to keep up with his second-graders since his weight has dwindled from 422 to 197 pounds.

"I've got a pair of size 60 pants I once wore," said Spangler, 45, of Ballard. "I am a size 36 now."

It has taken two years and four months of choosing proper foods as well as exercising to get to his current weight. Getting started was the hard part.

He recalls a doctor visit when he was too heavy to weigh on the scales. Because she needed to know his weight, the doctor suggested he go to a feed-and-seed store and use the business scales.

Spangler huffed and puffed when he trailed down the hallway at Peterstown Elementary with his class. The kids never commented about his weight. but he longed to keep up with them.

And he was concerned about his health.

Finally, he gathered the desire and courage to head to Weight Watchers.

"It was a little uncomfortable," he said of the first meeting. "When I realized I weighed 422 pounds, I felt even more uncomfortable."

He began trading fast food and chips for fruits and vegetables.

"I make smarter choices," said Spangler, who also eats ice cream and cake, but now in moderation.

After he lost the first 50 pounds, he added exercise and now rides a stationary bike daily.

"I started with a mile a day," he said. "Now I can do 50 miles a day. When school is in, I do 25 a day during the week and 40 a day on weekends."

Spangler said he loves his new lifestyle.

"I can buy clothes at stores," he said. "I don't have to order from catalogs. I can move better.

"I was not a good role model to my kids. I feel I'm setting a better example. If I drop a pencil, I can pick it up myself."

There have been other health benefits, too.

Spangler once took 15 pills for everything from cholesterol to high blood pressure. He's now down to a half a pill for blood pressure control. Eliminating prescriptions adds up to a tremendous financial savings as well.

"The doctor says I'm a great advertisement for West Virginia," Spangler said. "She says I have been an inspiration."

* n n

For Lynn Hill, the final wakeup call came in the form of a medical test.

And it wasn't the results that scared her.

"I was to go to the hospital for an MRI of my kidneys and a general checkup," she recalled. "When I called to pre-register, they asked my weight and then put me on hold. They came back and said, 'We can't accommodate you. You are too heavy for our machine.' "

"I cried. I thought, 'I'm going to be sick and won't be able to get the care I need.'

"I knew I had to do something. I was in my early 20s and not living the life of a 20-year-old."

Hill, 28, has lost more than 202 pounds in three and a half years.

But until that day, Hill just wasn't motivated.

In fact, she recalled when she was working for the West Virginia Board of Medicine and a friend asked her to join an at-work weight loss program.

"I said no," Hill said. "I wasn't ready to make that commitment. You have to have it in your head that you are going to do it for yourself."

She has always struggled with her weight. In third grade, Hill weighed 175 pounds. As she got older, she sometimes lost as much as 50 pounds only to gain it back. Diet pills sent her on an emotional roller coaster that she could not tolerate.

Just before her 25th birthday, she joined Weight Watchers. She weighed 409.6 pounds. She is now down to 207, and appears to weigh less because she is so active.

"I work out at least five or six days a week," she said. "I run 5K races. I do aerobics and spinning. I truly love to exercise just because I can.

"I no longer eat one huge meal at night. I look for fat-free things and what I know will fill me up. I don't avoid foods or deprive myself. I just watch and make sure I stay within my points. I have fruits, vegetables and water."

Her determination to stay on program is boosted by weekly meetings, where she hears about the success as well as obstacles of others and gathers tips along with recipes.

Hill, who holds a degree in computer information systems from the University of Charleston, is now a data systems administrator for NGK Spark Plug Co. near Sissonville.

Losing weight has given her the energy to juggle work and exercise. She also has gained confidence to enjoy social activities and loves shopping for clothes.

"I never want to weigh 409 pounds again," Hill said.

Contact writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith at charlotte@dailymail.com or 348-1246.

Source: Charleston Daily Mail

More News in this Category