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***image1***Two women have been shedding pounds since September and don’t plan on stopping now.
Andrea Wynne and Gabi Kessler, 435th Services Squadron, motivated by Andrea’s husband’s deployment, decided they were going to kick into gear and get into shape.
Andrea, who weighed 260 pounds beforehand, started off by enrolling in Weight Watchers online and going on a portion controlled diet. Gabi, 196 pounds beforehand, followed and began limiting her meals and counting calories.
Although the meals they are eating now are healthier, they didn’t rid themselves of all their favorites.
“It’s OK to eat certain things when you do it in moderation,” said Andrea, who lost more than 85 pounds to get down to 173. “I still eat pizza but I only eat one slice instead of two or three.”
Andrea and Gabi agree on what is a good diet to follow when trying to lose weight. Both said fruits, vegetables, salads, whole grains and a lot of water are essential. However, the key to the diet is not eating at night or at least two to three hours before bed.
Getting their diets straight was only a third of the battle for the officemates, as their whole lifestyles began to change when they started working out five to six times a week. Gabi, who dropped more than 40 pounds, started to run everynight. She runs with neighbors and friends and occasionally walks with Andrea during the day.
Andrea hits the gym every day and takes advantage of classes offered there. She takes spinning and kickboxing classes and exercises on cardio machines other days.
“People should really take advantage of the free classes at the gym. They have good, professional instructors and are very beneficial,” said Andrea.
The final, and for most people the hardest, part of the battle is maintaining their new lifestyles. The two said everyone has to find their own motivation. For them it was physically seeing the results, fitting into smaller clothes and getting compliments they never got before. They also use little tricks to keep their desire burning. They hang old pictures of them around the office and keep a pair of small jeans on the back of their office door.
“It’s a question of discipline,” said Gabi, who plans on losing 20 more pounds. “You have to set small goals and take it day-by-day.” With the results and the compliments, along came self-confidence for the two women. Both said their confidence levels have risen and it has prompted them to care more about their appearance and more about themselves.
“These girls are the perfect example of team work,” said Isaac Melendez, who works in the same squadron as the ladies. “They are a good example for everyone, civilians and military, to show that it can be done.”
For information on fitness classes contact the Ramstein Northside Fitness Center at 480-7661. For information on dieting and being healthy contact the Health and Wellness Center at 480-4292.
