My story began with an act of friendship. A friend of mine owns the Curves for Women Fitness Center in my area. I entered a drawing she had to win a free month at the center and I won. In August of 2002, I went to weigh in and learned that, at 5 feet 7 1/2 inches, I tipped the scale at 270 1/2 pounds. I was devastated and so was my friend. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Philis, you are my friend and I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’ve just got to do this.” That someone would care so deeply for my well being really touched me and I got serious about working out. The trouble was, I was still eating all the wrong things so even though I was exercising at the gym and walking, I’d only lost three pounds. My friend then suggested that I keep a food diary for a week. It was incredibly eye opening.

As it turns out, I was eating a lot of carbohydrates, the bad kind. My diet was mostly rice, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, ice cream and cookies--things of that nature versus the better carbs like fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread. So I made some dietary changes--all at once. It was a drastic turnaround. Then I continued to keep a diary. I wrote down absolutely everything I ate. I wrote down every food, the number of carbs, the number of calories--I recorded what was in my diet to a tee. People tend to say I’m a by-the-book person!

The changes I made were mainly to switch from bad carbs to good carbs and to follow a plan that increased my protein intake and was more moderate in fat. In three months, I went from a size 24 dress to an 18. I lost 28 inches, 36 pounds and reduced my body fat by 5.4 percent. When I signed the contract that Bob and Oprah published in O Magazine, I was already losing, but I said, okay, I can renew my commitment. It was a re-dedication. I am now wearing a size 16 and have lost 50 pounds. My daughter is six years old and tells everybody at church or wherever we are, “My mother, she’s like a teenager now!” She talks about how I have more energy and the nice clothes I can wear now instead of looking all frumpy. I feel so much better about myself. I love looking at myself. I look in the mirror now and it’s like, “Wow!”

I mentioned before that my family has been part of my success. I have a family history of diabetes and I want to avoid that for myself, my children and my husband. The healthy changes I have made for myself have affected my family for the better. Now I keep bags of oranges and apples, granola bars and flavored water in the house. The whole family has gotten healthier and my husband has lost weight, too. At first, I got a few frowns, but it’s better now--and there is still room for treats in our lives. It’s just that now we go out and get ice cream “Blizzards” on occasion instead of keeping a gallon of ice cream in the freezer.

The truth is, losing the weight hasn’t been a walk in the park. I made up my mind that I wanted to do it and I have! But it’s not just about losing the weight; it’s about being in good health. In my heart, I so desired to make a change: to lose weight and to get healthy, fit and strong. Then, through research and reading, I changed my way of thinking and took action. Now each day I choose to make healthy choices and it’s for life.

Tips from Philis

Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that have helped me stay the course:

• Make exercise a habit. My days start at 4 a.m. I do my prayer and meditation, and then I do Strength Training for at least 30 minutes, get my daughter and son up, cook breakfast, and send them off to school. I used to do 20 or 30 minutes of stationary bike riding or walking after that, but now I walk after my kids get out of school so they can walk or ride bikes with me. I do this at least four or five days every week. It has become a habit.

• Set realistic goals. You didn’t gain the weight overnight, you’re not going to lose it overnight.

• Plan your meals. My meals are healthful and quick. I grill chicken on weekends and use it the rest of the week in salads and other dishes. It keeps you from saying, “What am I going to eat?” and then turning to something that you shouldn’t eat. I also keep healthy snacks on hand so I don’t have temptations.

• Really assess what you eat. For 12 weeks I kept a food diary to give me a handle on what I was eating. I also weighed and measured my food. It was tedious but you learn what proper portions are.

• Make yourself accountable. I was accountable to my friend who owns the Curves gym, and, by keeping a food diary, to myself.

• Don’t expect yourself to be perfect. My daughter and I baked holiday cookies this year. I had a few, but I didn’t sit down and eat the whole batch like the old me would have. I’m not perfect and I’m not going to tell you that I never eat chips or anything. I don’t have a desire for them like I once did (I’d keep bags of Doritos in the house), but every now and then if I want some I get a bag.

• Count on setbacks. I take the pout-then-pounce approach. Don’t let disappointment and setbacks turn to discouragement…and failure. Recently, I went seven days without exercising. I was miserable and I was beating myself up about it. But then I thought to myself, “Philis, for over a year you have exercised five days a week, at least 30 minutes a day, so you take a week off? Give yourself a break, don’t be so hard on yourself. Pick right back up where you left off.” And that’s exactly what I did.

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