Sheila
Before: 278 pounds
After: 226 pounds
Walter
Before: 244 pounds
After: 183 pounds
The Lifestyle
For married couple Walter Dietrich, 58, and Sheila Kemper Dietrich, 57, from Boulder, Colorado, food has always been about more than just fuel. Since both have jobs and their three children, the duo found themselves turning to food for relief and joy, too.
Walter loved cooking with butter—he makes a mean hollandaise sauce, says Sheila—and indulging in wine before and during dinner. But it was his late-night cravings that really caused his weight to creep up. "I would sneak down right before bed and have some sort of snack—like chips and sour cream or crackers and cheese," says Walter. "I've been overweight for a long time," he says. "But I always saw myself as husky or large." As for Sheila, she'd serve herself a mini meal before eating another dish with her family. "I would graze while I was fixing a meal," she says. "It was probably one of my worst habits."
Both say that they were "active"—walking regularly—but neither really committed to workouts that left their hearts pumping or caused them to break a sweat. At their heaviest—about three to four years ago—Walter, who's 6'1," weighed 244 pounds. And the 5'11" Sheila clocked in at 278 pounds.
The Change
Before moving west, Sheila worked as the executive director of the American Heart Association in Denver, which really opened her eyes to the health concerns related to obesity—especially for her children. "When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said we're now living in a generation where parents are going to outlive their kids because of obesity, I got mad," she says. "No mom ever [wants that to happen]." One pediatrician she worked with even said nowadays, children as young as 14 have the heart health of 40-year-olds. After taking a year to research all the available data about how to get healthy and lose weight, Sheila wanted to start her transformation. As for Walter, he decided to tag along on Sheila's mission to be supportive—he never really expected he'd shed pounds, too.
Their first plan of action: fix their relationship with food. They stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies and lean meat. Then in 2011, Sheila and Walter created Livliga—plates, bowls, mugs, and glasses that use strategic (and pretty!) designs to help you consume healthy portions of each food group. "We were becoming more aware of portion control and satisfaction," says Walter. "This wasn't a restricted diet, and we never felt deprived."
MORE: 19 Ways to Measure Perfect and Healthy Portion Sizes
To fuel their weight loss even more, Sheila and Walter added more exercise to their daily lives—but we're not just talking about hitting their local YMCA five days a week for an hour each day (which they do). They're both major advocates of staying active outside, particularly through hiking and biking. "I was never into cycling because I was so big," says Sheila. "But now we go on biking adventures." Recently, the pair went to Minneapolis and explored the city on bikes, estimating that they logged between 15 and 20 miles. "We're many years older at this point, and we're having fun getting healthy," says Sheila. "We're becoming jocks in our fifties!"
MORE: 5 Research-Backed Health Benefits of Biking
While they still plan to lose more weight, Sheila and Walter have shed a combined total of 113 pounds so far.
The Reward
Walter has lost 14 inches from his waist—going from a 48 to a 34, which he's very proud of. "[Clothes] feel so much better," he says. And body aches that used to bother Walter—such as kinks in his shoulders and knees because of his weight—have practically disappeared.
Sheila says she's happy that she can fly in an airplane and not feel uncomfortable about her seating arrangements. "When I was large, it was so embarrassing," she says. "When you're the biggest one in the row, you feel like you're taking up more room." Now that she's lighter, she fits better in the seat and has plenty of room to adjust her seatbelt around her waist. It's little wins like this, says Sheila, that make all of the effort so worthwhile.
Sheila and Walter's Tips
Forgive yourself for mistakes. "We all have days when we screw up—but we shouldn't obsess over it. Acknowledge that it happened, and know that this one bump hasn't messed up your entire life."
Keep track of your progress. "We have to be more mindful if we want to lose weight. We tend to overestimate how much exercise we really do—that's why I'm glad we have Fitbits to help. Food journals really make a difference, too."
Become a planner. "We really think about what meals we're going to eat ahead of time. If we eat out with friends, we tell the restaurant to box up half of it ahead of time so that when it appears on the table, we have much more appropriate portions."
Have a buddy. You knew this one was coming, right? "It's not competitive—it's supportive."
MORE: The Weight-Loss Mistake You've Been Making
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