Weight loss for life

According to the CDC, even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10% of a person’s total body weight can decrease risk factors for chronic diseases related to obesity. Health benefits associated with weight loss can include improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugars, and weight loss is often attributed to a long list of other positives including increased energy and mobility, enhanced sleep, less prescription medication, better moods and increased self-esteem.

Thanks to local residents Martha Ford of Stokesdale and Max Gardner and Albert Howard of Oak Ridge for sharing their weight loss journeys with us in this annual edition of To Your Health. We hope you’ll be inspired by their stories as much as we are!

Determination nets a 70-pound weight loss

After dropping from a size 16 to a size 4, Stokesdale resident Martha Ford says determination helped her lose her excess weight and is helping her keep it off

By ANNETTE JOYCE

One of the things Martha Ford absolutely hated about being overweight was shopping for clothes.

“When I would try on clothes, I couldn’t find any that would fit me and look good,” she said. “I was disgusted with myself.”

After losing 70 pounds, Ford doesn’t worry about that anymore. In fact, these days she even shops online with confidence. As an example, she recently reached out to her 23-year-old daughter for help picking out a dress for an upcoming wedding.

“Katie sent me a photo of a dress and shoes and I just ordered them online,” Ford said. “They fit perfectly. I’ve never been able to do that in my whole life, and it feels so good!”

While being able to find well-fitting, attractive clothes was a factor in starting her weight-loss journey, Ford, 58, was also spurred on by the death of her best friend’s husband.

“He was in his early 60s and had diabetes and all kinds of health issues,” Ford said. “He spent 115 days in the hospital before passing. It was a wake-up call. I saw myself getting bigger and headed in the same direction.”

In March 2021, Ford was searching for a solution to her weight problems when she ran across a photo of another friend on Facebook. The last time Ford had seen her friend she was

Photos courtesy of Martha Ford

 Martha Ford before she made the decision to lose weight – for good.  Martha Ford (left), shown here with her husband, Leon, is a radiant mother of the bride. After losing 70 pounds, Martha dropped from a size 16 to a size 4.

quite heavy, but she had obviously lost a substantial amount of weight in the time since.

“She looked like a teenager,” Ford said.

After reaching out to her friend, Ford learned she was using a program that included prepackaged foods that were size proportioned and balanced in vital nutrients. The more Ford learned, the more excited she became. By the end of the conversation, she had signed up for the program and her first package was on its way.

The program required eliminating sugar and processed foods from participants’ daily diet. Once a day, Ford ate a “regular” meal which included grilled chicken, steak or fish that was supplemented with salad and lots of veggies.

Although she faithfully followed the program, Ford admitted those first two weeks were really “awful,” and she thought about quitting more times than she could count.

“Everyone around me was eating whatever they wanted,” she said.

But as she adapted to her new way of eating, things got easier. It also helped a lot that her husband and daughter started eating the same meals.

As the pounds started coming off, Ford turned her weight loss into a game. Along with seeing how much weight she was losing, she also enjoyed seeing how many inches were coming off. She dropped an impressive 10 inches from her hips and from her waist and was amazed that she lost two inches from her neck.

As the weight melted away, Ford’s co-workers and friends took notice and began asking how they could get the same results. It wasn’t long before some of them were signing up for the program. Ford liked the idea of being able to help others so much that she became a certified independent health coach.

“I wanted to help people not feel the way I felt (when I was overweight),” she said.

Ford reached her goal weight this past January and has been in maintenance mode ever since. She attributes much of her success to healthier eating and portion control.

Her preferences for what tastes good have also changed. For example, she now finds the French fries she once loved to be “just too greasy.”

She still uses the packaged shakes and bars that sustained her as she was losing weight, saying she likes the taste and they fill her up. They’re also convenient, and she can grab one when she’s on the go and know she’ll be satisfied.

It was determination to lose the extra weight she was carrying that made all the difference in her success, Ford said. And now that she’s lost the weight – and gone from a size 16 to a size 4 – she’s just as determined to keep the weight off and eat healthy for life.

Out with the bad habits, in with healthy habits

Max Gardner lists having more energy, no knee pain, and increased mental clarity among the positives he’s experienced since dramatically changing his eating and exercise habits

By PATTI STOKES

When he was younger, Max Gardner was physically active and in shape. He played multiple sports, including football, wrestling and running track, and he could eat anything he wanted – including a regular diet of fried foods, desserts and sweet tea – without being overweight.

As with most people, things changed as he got older.

“Our eating habits don’t affect us the same way when we’re younger,” the Oak Ridge resident and local business owner

OFFERING THE COMPLETE FITNESS PACKAGE

• Free Group Exercise Classes • Myzone Fitness Tracker Classes • Personal Training • Fit3D Body Scans • And More!

Learn About Membership

ymcagreensboro.org/join

Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO After embarking on a life-changing journey six months ago, Max Gardner of Oak Ridge has shed 60 pounds, is stronger and more fi t, and says he has 50 to 60% more energy than he did before.

said. “But as you get older your life changes, and work can take you away from a lot of activities. Even the type of work you do changes. At first, I did everything in my business, but now my work is more sedentary.”

A much less physically active lifestyle combined with a high-fat, high-sugar diet led to a weight gain of many unwanted pounds over time. About 12 years ago, Gardner decided to make some lifestyle changes.

“I started going to the gym all the time and was careful about what I ate. I was growing a business, but I was also (weight) training with a friend.”

But when his friend quit going to the continued onp. 20