All in the family

RACHEL'S CHALLENGE

As a teenager, Rachel M. Campos could eat whatever she wanted and not worry about gaining weight. Then, in her early 20s, she got married and soon became pregnant with her first child. After giving birth to her son, Rachel found herself 20 pounds overweight, but before she could do anything to lose the extra pounds, she became pregnant again and had a daughter. Two years later, Rachel's weight had peaked at 150 pounds, much too heavy for her 5-foot-1-inch frame, and she barely fit into her size-12 clothes. She had given up on getting her pre-pregnancy body back. "I was married and had two young kids," she says. "I didn't have the time or energy to do anything about my weight."

HER TURNING POINT

Rachel's wake-up call came when her mother, who was in her late 40s at the time and also overweight, suffered a mild heart attack. "Her doctors recommended that she lose weight to prevent another heart attack," Rachel remembers. "I wanted to support her and keep her motivated, so I decided to join her in her efforts."

HER WEIGHT-LOSS & EXERCISE PLAN

A month after Rachel's mother was discharged from the hospital, the two went to their first Weight Watchers meeting together. "The biggest thing I learned was the importance of eating fruits and vegetables," Rachel says. "Not only are they healthy, but they filled me up without adding a lot of calories." Rachel felt too self-conscious to exercise at a gym, so she dusted off an old treadmill at home and walked for half an hour three or four times a week.

MAKING SUCCESS HAPPEN

Rachel planned a week's worth of healthy meals each Sunday and carried lowfat snacks with her everywhere she went. "At first, it was a challenge to plan ahead, but it really helped me stay on track, and I wasn't tempted to eat fast food," she says. Rachel's favorite on-the-run snacks included lowfat granola bars, lowfat trail mix, and carrot sticks with lowfat salad dressing. She kept an eye on portion sizes and, instead of cooking her family's favorite meals in oil or butter, used nonfat cooking spray. She also opted for leaner meats like turkey and chicken rather than beef and gave up drinking soda, instead getting at least eight glasses of water daily.

She kept a food journal, too, and recorded what she ate each day. "Seeing everything in writing helped me make better food choices," she says. "I could see where my strengths were and where I needed to improve my eating habits."

In just one month, Rachel felt like she was on the right track, and when she stepped on the scale, she saw she had lost 5 pounds. "My clothes were fitting better and I had more energy," she says. As the weight began to come off, Rachel's self-confidence grew, and she joined her husband at the gym, where she began a strength-training program.

It took Rachel a year to lose 30 pounds, and she now weighs a healthy 120; her mother also has lost 30 pounds. "My mom has always been there for me," Rachel says. "I feel fortunate that I've been able to help her and, in the process, improve my own health. I feel like a healthy new woman."

RELATED ARTICLE: RACHEL M. CAMPOS, 28, TEXAS

* Height: 5'1"

* Pounds lost: 30

RACHEL ON ...

* POWERFUL PAIRINGS "Lowfat frozen entrees are a great way to help you keep track of your portion sizes. Add a salad or other vegetable, and you've got a balanced meal."

* THE RIGHT TO BARE ARMS "I love wearing tank tops to show off my toned arms. Whenever tanks are on sale, I usually end up buying one in every color."

* MAKING YOURSELF A PRIORITY "When you have a family, it's easy to put your needs on the back burner. Taking care of yourself first will make you a better wife and mother."

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group