DEL.ICIO.USWEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS STORY
Lauralyn Bellamy, 61, of Roswell, loses 156 pounds
Gastric bypass, behavior modification led to her success
For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
• Former weight: 298 pounds
• Current weight: 156 pounds
Family photo
Laralyn Bellamy before picture. Weight in photo: 280 pounds; age in photo: 55 years; when photo was taken December 2002.
Lauralyn Bellamy after photo. Weight in photo: 156 pounds; age in photo 60; when photo was taken December 2007.
• Pounds lost: 142
• Height: 5 feet 9 inches
• How long she’s kept it off: Four years
• Personal life: “I’ve been an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister since 1989. I earned my master’s in Divinity at Emory. Though retired from active ministry, I still officiate at weddings,” says Bellamy. She and her husband, Jim Emig, have been married for 39 years and they live in Roswell. They have two grown sons, Luke and Zachary.
• Turning point: “I was living from the neck up and resenting this body I was dragging around,” says Bellamy. “I was put on my first diet at age 4 and spent the next 50 years experiencing myself as a fat girl either on a diet or off a diet. I was a diet pro; I could lose weight on any diet I went on. After I had kids, I went from being a yo-yo dieter to a roller coaster dieter — the weight gains got more extreme. By the spring of 2002, I’d begun hearing about laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery for the morbidly obese. Incredibly, at 280 pounds wearing women’s size 3X jumpers, I didn’t consider myself a member of that club.” In February 2003 she had laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.
• Diet plan: “I was really orthodox about following the food regimen my surgeon gave his patients and continued for the first two years. Because of that, I did not experience cravings or munchies. My relationship to food changed completely,” she says. “When I was hungry, I prioritized by protein, non-starchy veggies and some fresh fruits. Over the last three years, I’ve learned that if I am curious, I can take a bite of a dessert and really taste it — that’s all it takes.”
• Exercise routine: She does cardio, usually a treadmill or a recumbent bike, four to five times per week along with a daily 30-minute walk. She also works out with a personal trainer.
• Biggest challenge: “Learning to feel normal and happy in a healthy, strong body; learning to imagine the rest of my life putting my emotions, intelligence and energy into other projects now that weight loss, obesity and diets [are] irrelevant,” she says.
• How life has changed: “I was so thrilled with the behavioral modification success I devised I wanted to share it with others. I felt at home in my body and I had a healthy response to food, eating, nutrition and exercise. I have been life-coaching people in my Embody Success method (embodysuccess.spaces.live.com/) since the spring of 2005 and I love my new life,” she says. “My coaching program is actually about learning how to overcome one’s patterns of self-sabotage and, it turns out, that’s not limited to dieters.”
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Be an inspiration: Be an inspiration: If you've made positive changes in your diet and/or fitness routine and are happy with the results, please share your success with us. Include your email address, a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Suzanne Van Atten, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
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