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'A Poster Child for Healthy Weight Loss'

Posted on: Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 12:00 CDT

Kim Cella, 45, of Marietta, Ga., is a firm believer that exercise is key to shedding weight and, even more important, inches. n She has dropped 17 pounds, two pants sizes and lots of inches (3 in each thigh) since she started USA TODAY's Weight-Loss Challenge in mid-July. n She's one of a dozen participants who are sharing their success stories this fall. n Her weight-loss plan: lots of vigorous exercise and calorie control. n ''I'm probably the last person you'd think would be working out five times a week, but it can be addicting once you get used to it.''

Occupation: Business data analyst for a telecommunications company

Starting weight: 181 pounds

Current weight: 164 pounds

Height: 5-foot-3

Motivation: Wanted to lose weight for her brother's wedding, which was last weekend, and plans to run in a 5K race around Thanksgiving. ''I want to be down one more size by March. I'm taking each goal one step at time.''

Program: Following WebMD's Weight Loss Clinic eating plan (www.diet.wedmd.com) and exercising five days a week at a local gym, doing weights, bicycle spinning class, the elliptical trainer and the treadmill. She works with a trainer twice a week.

Pitfalls: ''The weight didn't come off as fast as I thought it would, but I've lost a lot of inches. I got a new dress for the wedding, and it was two sizes smaller than I normally would wear.''

Insights: ''Exercise is such a big part of weight loss. I just can't emphasize that enough. It was hard the first month to get up and go exercise. It really hurt because I hadn't exercised in so long. I ached from lifting weights and doing the bicycle class. But once you get used to doing it, it becomes natural. I feel so much better with the energy level I have now. And my self-esteem has just soared. I feel so much better about myself. I am so much happier with life itself.

''My daughter, Lindsay, has been one of my biggest motivators. She's 20. She thinks it's wonderful.''

Point of view from the pros: Yavonne Virella, Cella's personal trainer at Gold's Gym in West Cobb, says: ''I've seen some big differences. Kim's gotten a lot stronger. We started out with dumbbells at 2 or 3 pounds. Now she's up to 15-pound dumbbells. She hasn't gotten into that little black dress she wants to get into yet, but we'll get there.''

Kathleen Zelman, director of nutrition for WebMD Health, says Cella is ''a poster child for healthy weight loss. She is experimenting with new healthy recipes and serving them to rave reviews from her friends and family. She can't imagine leaving the house without breakfast, (as) she used to. Kim also indulges her need for chocolate, only now the portions are reasonable.

''She understands that she can have her cake and eat it, too, as long as she limits her portions and keeps up with her physical activity.''

The Weight-Loss Challenge ran on Mondays in USA TODAY this summer, offering expert advice and a variety of menus and recipes. It's not too late to start; no signup is needed. Just check our Web site for past stories: dietchallenge.usatoday.com.

Source: USA TODAY

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