Capital Health Plan

"If I can lose the weight, a lot of people out there can do the same."

Let's start with the amazing numbers:

107 pounds lost, from a size 22 to a size 8. What is not amazing, says CHP member and weight-loss success Lula Robinson, is the method: "It really doesn't involve hard work. I don't starve myself. I think losing weight is a mental issue. Make a change, and stick to it."

Stress and the Jeans Factor.

How did the problem of extra pounds happen? Ms. Robinson, a diagnostic billing specialist at Tallahassee Primary Care Associates, points to a reason many will recognize. "I was under a lot of stress . . . and I ate a lot."

How did she decide enough was enough? "I tried on a pair of size 22 jeans, and I couldn't zip them up. I prayed that night for encouragement, strength, and will power. I woke up the next morning, knew I'd better do something or get bigger, and started walking that day."

The trigger for change is different for everyone, and excuses for backsliding varied and inventive, but almost everyone who follows through has a revelation: Life is easier, not harder.

Waking Up and Liking It.

Robinson paints a vivid picture of life Before and After: "I didn't want to walk in the past. I used to come home and sleep and get mad if someone woke me. Now I jog, and that is something I never did in my 41 years of living. And I love it. I look forward after work to walking or jogging with my dogs, and I don't let anything stop me, because that is also my time to myself. I call that my Freedom Time." The exercise hasn't only paced off the pounds; it has remedied one original cause. "I feel that I am not under as much stress. I live my life differently." While Robinson believes motivation must ultimately come from within, she also credits her three children and her fianc, Robert Allen, for "making sure I stick to my goal." They want her healthy too.

Common Sense in the Kitchen.

Diet definitely changed for Robinson too. She learned about nutrition, following the tried and true recommendations of fewer calories, less fat and sugar, and more vegetables. "I stay away from fast food restaurants and fried food. I do not go back for second servings. When I cook something fried or sweet for my family, I may sample it, but that's all. I also make low-calorie desserts for my boys and fianc-banana, grapes, light cool-whip, and a shortbread cookie-which they love more than cake."

Listen to Lula (and Her Dog).

Lula Robinson really believes anyone can follow her path . . . except perhaps for one extra surprise. She says, "You can be successful, but you have to take a step forward, instead of waiting for one day when 'I am going to do it.' Don't give up on yourself. Do not let anything or anyone discourage you. If you can lose an ounce, you can lose a pound, but only if you try."

And the surprise? "Well, my rottweilers are very protective of me. One day I was walking with one of them and stopped to get her some water at a convenience store. That is where I met my soul mate. I knew Robert was the one for me, because my dog let him get close to me. So I guess I got something good out of the walking besides losing the weight!"

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