AFMC Command News

Civilian employees make great gains on weight loss goals

  • Published
  • By Holly L. Birchfield
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFMCNS) --  While some people are still pondering the thought of losing a few pounds in the New Year, Chris Lawless and Kelsie Fox are celebrating their new looks.

Mr. Lawless and Ms. Fox, electronic engineers with the 402nd Maintenance Wing's Electronic Warfare Division, have collectively lost almost 200 pounds since the beginning of 2005.

How did they do it? - Through exercise and a sensible eating plan.

Mr. Lawless, who has lost 107 pounds since his weight loss journey began in January 2005, said it was a lot of hard work, but his results were well worth it.

"I was sitting in the Commander's Call in November 2004 and Maj. Gen. (Mike) Collings (Center commander) was talking about the new (AFMC) civilian fitness program," he said. "At the time, I was looking for some new pants, but I couldn't find any in my size. After hearing about the new fitness program, I decided to forget trying to find my size and decided to lose weight."

The 24-year-old Georgia native bought a treadmill, turned his cravings for junk food in for healthier cuisine and ran from a size 48 to a size 34.

"When I started, I couldn't even do 1.7 miles in 30 minutes," he said. "Now, I'm up to 3.5 miles in 30 minutes, with a 2 percent incline."

Now, the avid runner jogs six miles a day.

To reach his weight loss goal, Mr. Lawless trashed his habit of downing more than a dozen soft drinks a day and said goodbye to his old eating ways.

"No more sodas," he said. "Now, I drink fat free milk and lots of water. I also make sure I get breakfast every day."

The engineer said he enjoys the new and improved person he has become.

"I feel fabulous," he said. "The belt that I had used to have about half an inch overlap in front of me now it goes all the way behind me."

Mr. Lawless said his weight loss required a total life change.

"It's a two part thing," he said. "You can't just have the exercise. You also have to have the food and the way you live your life all at the same time to lose the weight and get healthy."

While some may think the battle of the bulge is impossible to win, Mr. Lawless said it's not a far-fetched goal.

"I did this all by myself," he said. "I didn't go on any particular program. I just made up my mind and did it."

Mr. Lawless, who is now using the Base Gym and home workouts as part of his weight loss program, said setting realistic goals will help in the process.

"Say to yourself, I'm going to try this program of exercise and eating right for this amount of time and then measure yourself to see how you're doing," he said.

Although he faced a few challenges with proper diet and exercise, he said he is still on the road to reaching his 180 pound goal.

"Once you get started with it, you get addicted to feeling that good," he said.

Along with shedding pounds, Mr. Lawless said lowered blood pressure and cholesterol has given him a new lease on life.

And Ms. Fox, who recently lost 77 pounds by joining Weight Watchers and incorporating exercise into her lifestyle, is doing a little celebrating as well.

"When I saw a previous Christmas picture from 2004, I decided it was time to change," she said. "I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting and felt that I could do it from there."

Through encouragement from family and her determination to make eating healthier and exercise a priority, the 24-year-old engineering professional made a change that she says will last a life-time.

"Sometimes I'm tempted to go back to my old ways," she said. "But then I look at that picture of me, and I know that I don't ever want to go back."

Ms. Fox said before, she couldn't keep up with her friends during outings. But now that she's walking about 4 miles a day and eating more fruits and vegetables and less of unhealthy foods, she can easily hang with her friends.

"If I can do this, anyone can," she said. "When I started, I didn't like fruits and vegetables. Now, I absolutely love them."

With only 25 pounds left to lose before reaching her goal weight, she can now see the light at the end of the journey.

While Ms. Fox admits losing weight isn't a light task, she said making fitness fun and taking your weight loss journey one step at a time can help you be successful.

As more people are looking for ways to shed pounds and get fit, Phil House, Civilian Health Promotion Service Program manager here, said Robins is looking at ways to help people win at the losing game.

"We're working on developing fun ways to lose weight, like walking programs and other activities that people can take advantage of," he said. "The whole idea behind this program is to get rid of all the excuses people use to not exercise, like 'it's boring or I don't have time."

Mr. House, who has lost 35 pounds within the last year, said he's proud of the progress Ms. Fox and Mr. Lawless have made, and he encourages others to take steps toward their weight loss goals.