How I Lost 60 Pounds In 6 Months'

"It kicked off my nearly-100-pound weight loss."

COURTESY OF CHARLENE BAZARIAN

By Charlene Bazarian As Told To Danielle Page

My weight first became an issue for me when I gained the “freshman fifteen” in college. Then, when I went to law school, there were so many sedentary hours of studying and late-night eating that I put on even more weight. Then I got married and had children, and the pregnancy pounds I gained definitely didn't help the situation.

I knew I needed to lose weight, and I would try everything from Atkins to Weight Watchers. While I would sometimes lose a few pounds, invariably, I found that any weight I lost would slowly creep back on. Nothing seemed to work long-term.

A day at the spa was my wakeup call

COURTESY OF CHARLENE BAZARIAN

In June of 2000, I scheduled a spa day for myself. When I checked in at the desk, the receptionist handed me a “one-size-fits-all” robe. But it didn't fit me. I was mortified. I had to return to the desk and ask if they had a larger robe. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

When I returned to the dressing room with the “fat” robe, fighting back tears, I promised myself that I'd never feel that fat again. While my day was far from relaxing after that embarrassing exchange, the experience did spark my “aha” moment. It highlighted what a huge disconnect there was between the person I felt I was in my head and the person I had become.

I knew I had to lose weight, but didn’t feel “that fat.” I didn’t think I had to lose a hundred pounds—and I certainly never envisioned I’d become someone who wouldn't be able to wrap a one-size-fits-all robe around my middle. As much as I cringe when I think about it, this moment truly opened my eyes and made me realize that I had to make a change.

I cut out sugar, white pasta, white breads, and white rice

COURTESY OF CHARLENE BAZARIAN

I had tried so many diets and failed—but they did give me a basic understanding of which foods were healthy and which weren't. So I started to think about which foods had derailed my efforts in the past—and I cut them out of my diet.

The first thing I did was eliminate the "white" foods in my diet: I cut out sugar, white pasta, white breads, white rice. I realized that my diet consisted of a lot of sugary drinks, so I definitely cut back on those. I also knew that if I got too hungry, I'd just eat whatever I could get my hands on, so I decided to factor in mid-morning and late-afternoon snacks to keep that from happening.

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An example day after I overhauled my diet might be scrambled eggs and sautéed spinach for breakfast, a handful of almonds around 10 a.m., a turkey wrap with lots of veggies for lunch, a 3 p.m. snack of more almonds and fresh berries, and shrimp with veggies and brown rice for dinner.

I made workouts a mandatory part of my routine

DANA LANE PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF CHARLENE BAZARIAN

Immediately after that spa day, I began doing workout DVDs at home (I wasn't yet comfortable enough to work out at a gym). Three months into working out at home, I heard that Carla Dunlap, a bodybuilder and former Ms. Olympia, was training at my local gym—so I joined and hired her as my trainer.

One day per week, we met for an hour, and she put me through a series of weight-training exercises that focused on different parts of the body. I went to the gym two to three more times per week, and I would try to do what I had learned from Carla and my DVDs for the hour I'd spend there. Six months into my new habits, I was down around 60 pounds.

I worked with Carla up until a few years ago (she moved away from my area, sadly), but I still use what she taught me as a framework.

When I look back, I'm proud of myself for taking that awful feeling at the spa and channeling it into a relentless determination to change my life. I put my workouts on my to-do list every day, and made them like brushing my teeth—something I did without question or discussion.

Now, my new habits are just my lifestyle

COURTESY OF CHARLENE BAZARIAN

After I'd lost almost a hundred pounds, people started asking me how I achieved such major results. I eventually created a Facebook page to discuss fitness and weight-loss with a few of my friends (my top tip is to cut out the foods you know will be problematic for you). The page has grown to more than 7,800 followers.

It's an amazing feeling to know that my story and advice helps inspire others—and I got so much positive feedback that I created a blog. Now, I hear from people from all over the world who tell me that my story resonated with them, which is pretty incredible.

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