ideal weight: three women with inspiring weight-loss stories [1]

Are you ready to take control of your health, but aren't sure how to start? Try taking a page from the get-fit plans of these three women. Whether you're an overworked single parent, a mom struggling with the baby weight, or simply a sister who can't find time to exercise, their experiences and our expert advice will give you the ideas, information and inspiration you need to create your own success story.

LONICA HUGHES, 26, Administrative assistant
How she did it: Calorie control
Height: 5'9"
Before: 200
After: 155
Weight loss: 45

Lonica's Story

"I don't want to say I let myself go--it just happened," says Lonica Hughes, who believes that being a young mother of two who was dealing with a difficult marriage is what led her weight to creep up from 170 to 200 pounds. When she decided to leave her husband, Lonica came to another realization--that she wanted something more from life. And the first place she chose to start making changes was with her weight.

While watching TV one day at her mother's house, Lonica caught an infomercial about how one mother lost weight with Billy Blanks's kickboxing program. She immediately ordered the DVDs and began using them. Then after seeing the documentary Super Size Me, which chronicles one man's weight gain after a steady diet of fast food, Lonica concluded that she wasn't going to consume any more fast food or sugary sodas.

Instead, Lonica now eats a multigrain cereal with blueberries for breakfast, at least one salad a day, and swears by Healthy Choice and other diet entrees. Though she still drinks coffee with several teaspoons of sugar, and occasionally craves brownies and key lime cheesecake, she watches her daily caloric and fat intake.

To stay in shape, she works out six times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. Lonica usually exercises when her kids, who are 3 and 2 years old, are napping so she doesn't have to worry about anything but getting her workout on. She's focused on maintaining her weight and having a healthy heart. "I want to be here when my kids see their grandkids," says Lonica, who credits her support system--sister, morn and a couple of close girlfriends--for helping her reach her goals.

Expert Advice

KEEPING LONICA FIT AND FOCUSED

Lonica has made her new fitness regimen fit into her schedule, which Constance Brown-Riggs, R.D., nutritionist and author of Eating Soulfully and Healthfully With Diabetes (iUniverse) commends. Next Lonica would like to start strength training and increase her stamina for running. Whatever the change, it must be sensible, Brown-Riggs says: "It's the only way it will last." Her suggestions:

Get support. Lonica had her family and friends to rally around her, which is ideal when you begin a challenge that will change your life. Whether it's making a workout date with a friend or letting your girlfriends know you need to dine out at a place with healthy alternatives, the road to herideal weight--and keeping off the pounds--is easier with help.

Supplement when necessary. Lonica's commitment to eating multigrain cereals allows her to have a good source of fiber in her diet. Multivitamins are also a wise choice to get whatever your diet's missing.

Be creative. Because Lonica has a thing for chocolate, she may want to try a healthy low-carb chocolate bar or hard chocolate candies to satisfy her craving. Not able to avoid the call of brownies or cheesecake? Allow yourself to indulge one day a week and practice portion control the rest of the time.