Losing 100 pounds the old-fashioned way

BY all conventional wisdom, Barbara Wiggins' weight loss regimen was extremely unconventional. Tipping the scales at 235 pounds, the 33-year-old wife and mother of two shed her excess pounds the old-fashioned way--through hard work and patience. Losing weight without the benefit of an '80s-style diet center made her task all the more difficult, but she was determined. So with the help of family and friends, she embarked on a daily exercise routine and a self-styled diet, and in two years lost 100 pounds.

"I always wanted to be thin," says Mrs. Wiggins, a military supply clerk stationed in Pirmansens, West Germany, with her husband, Claude Wiggins III, who is in the U.S. Army. "I tried diet after diet, but I was never successful. Once I saw positive results, I'd start eating again, and I'd be right back where I started."

But this time Mrs. Wiggins did not fail. During the winter of 1987, she began her weight-loss journey. The process was "agonizingly slow," but the result was well worth the pain. First, she attended a military-sponsored aerobics class with a neighbor two or three nights a week. As her endurance increased and her body began to tone and firm, she was able to work out five nights. And she did so diligently.

"Going to aerobics was like a drug or a ritual," she says. "After a while, I just had to go. Just thinking about not going to class made me feel guilty."

As the pounds gradually melted away, the more weight Mrs. Wiggins wanted to lose. But she knew her weight loss would be limited until she altered her bad eating habits. Before the diet, she frequently fell victim to the tempting taste of potato chips, ice cream and soft drinks. Those high-calorie foods were replaced by a more wholesome fare of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, lean red meat or a popular low-calorie frozen entree.

Now Mrs. Wiggins' weight hovers between 135 and 140. She carefully monitors those pounds by being caustious and selective about the foods she eats. When grocery shopping, she reads product labels for calories, fat and salt content. And she drinks at least five glasses of water day. Though most nutritionists do not suggest the practice, Mrs. Wiggins skips breakfast. She opts for a few crackers and water. At lunch, she speed walks two to three miles, then eats a sandwich with a slice of lean meat on whole wheat bread. For dinner she prepares a diet frozen entree and a large salad of lettuce, tomatoes and a reduced-calorie salad dressing. She still attends aerobic classes three times a week, and occasionally is joined by her two young daughters.

"I don't feel like an oddball anymore," Mrs. Wiggins says. "I wasn't very happy being overweight. People used to always tell me, 'You have a pretty face, but . . .,' and I knew what was coming next. Well, they can't say that anymore, and I am so proud of myself."