Diet Success Stories: How I Lost Weight

Name: Wendy DeMent

Home: Clinton, Illinois

Age: 40

Height: 5'6"

Previous Weight: 301 pounds

Current Weight: 165 pounds

Pounds Lost: 136 pounds

How I Lost It

Six years ago, I thought I was having a heart attack. It turned out to be a false alarm, but I wondered: What if the next time it's not? I was morbidly obese and diabetic. So I began counting calories with an app called Lose It! and SparkPeople.com. The weight started coming off.

Eating six full meals a day -- including fast food -- was my old M.O. The new norm is typically a three-egg-white omelet with onions and fat-free cheddar for breakfast, a 3-ounce lean burger with steamed sweet potato for lunch, and spaghetti squash or BBQ chicken with salad for dinner. I'll snack on a half cup of trail mix or 3 cups of air-popped popcorn.

Before my kids wake up, I pop in an exercise DVD so I don't have to waste time getting to -- or money paying for -- a gym. A few of my faves are: The Biggest Loser's Calorie Knockout, Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds series and Billy Blanks' This Is Tae Bo. I also did the Couch-to-5k program.

My advice to other moms: Don't wait for your kids to be grown to get healthy. Don't wait for the new year and don't even wait for Monday. Do it today. It's hard to be fit, but it's hard to be fat too!