Zena Oliver: I’ve lost 37 lbs and 6 inches!

Today’s healthy transformer is Zena Oliver, a 48 year-old wife and mother of three from Delaware. We love her no excuses mantra and her willingness to take control of her body.

Weight lost: 37 lbs

Inches lost: 6 inches

Biggest hurdle: “Keeping myself motivated during the low weight loss weeks.”

Most proud of: “I have made a commitment to a lifestyle change. This is not a diet and it’s not a short-term effort. This is a change for the rest of my life. As part of this journey, I talked about things I thought were keeping me from being successful in the past and opened up to hear my husband’s comments and feedback. That led to a lot more open discussions between us and we have fallen back in love with each other. We are in this together. He has made eating changes with me to help me stay on track.”

Aspect of Transformation Nation that works best: “The two aspects of Transformation Nation that have worked best for me are the BMI assessment and starting new fitness habits. I based my weight loss goal on my current BMI and what is within the healthy BMI range. Next I knew I had to move it to lose it and started working out again. In December, I joined the YMCA to have even more fitness options available to me to help me attain my goal. My BMI has decreased from 34 to 28.”

Surprising thing she has discovered as a result of Transformation Nation: “I am mentally stronger than I have given myself credit for in the past. I am able to skip eating things I know I shouldn’t, I am able to convince myself to keep working out when I don’t feel up to it and I am strong enough to reach out to someone for support if I need to.”

Breakfast of choice: “A three egg white omelet with mushrooms, peppers, onions, jalepenos and/or tomatoes. I also eat one packet of either instant oatmeal or cream of wheat with no added sugar or margarine/butter, but I do use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray.”

One change that’s made the most difference: “The biggest difference for me THIS time (versus all of the other times I have attempted to lose weight) is the support system I made sure was in place right after I started. The biggest supporter I needed was my husband. I knew my kids supported me. I even have co-workers that are part of my support system. I am not ashamed…[to decline unhealthy foods].”

How she tracks her food: “I have a spiral notebook that I track my food in every day. I make sure to track calories, fiber and protein. If I cheat and eat something I know I shouldn’t have, I own up to it and write it down. I also write in my total calories burned at the gym at the bottom of each page…I use a notebook instead of an online tool because it is portable, I can put it in my purse when I travel.”

Exercise she enjoys most: “I do a lot of cardio. I spend about 75 percent of my workout time on the treadmill.”

Her ‘downfall’ food and how she avoids overeating it: “My biggest downfall is chocolate. I love chocolate and that will never change. To avoid overeating, I make sure I only have one or two small fun size pieces or two squares of at least 60 percent cocoa chocolate. Since I started eating the candy with, or shortly after, breakfast, I don’t crave it later in the day.”

Secrets to fighting cravings: “Don’t deny yourself completely in the beginning of changing eating habits. Learn to substitute…If you crave macaroni and cheese, use whole wheat pasta, skim milk, low fat cheese, etc…Always limit the amount of food you eat. Measure your portions instead of guessing. Substitute the fattier red meats and/or eliminate sodium laden cold cuts with leaner real meats like filet mignon, chicken, turkey breast, salmon and other fishes. Keeping an honest food journal puts actual calorie intake into perspective really quick!”

What keeps her going: “Dr. Oz shows visceral fat and discusses its impact to our internal organs, especially our heart. The thought that I was risking my life really made me feel horrible. My husband had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest as a result of his unknown family history. [While] he didn’t know he had heart disease in his family because he was adopted, I did know I was obese. [Obesity] is something I can control, and I didn’t care enough about myself, my family or friends to get my weight down and get healthier.”

How she stays motivated on ‘down’ days: “I remember what I looked and felt like just five months ago…I remember being out of breath constantly and just feeling ashamed and miserable. I hated the weight on me. When looking at the pictures isn’t enough, I either talk to my husband or replay a Dr. Oz episode on visceral fat that I have [saved] to my DVR.”

How she handles the weight loss plateau: “My weight loss has slowed down a couple time. The first emotion was frustration, then I took a step back and thought about it—this is usually when I have stopped in past [weight loss] attempts, but not this time! The first time I followed Dr. Oz’s advice to eat a little more to trick my body into thinking there is no need to hold onto everything. The second time I took Dr. Oz’s advice to increase my physical exercise. Both tips worked and I was able to see results at my next weigh in.”

How she keep her energy up: “I make sure I get 7-7.5 hours of sleep every night. Extra sleep and eating right keeps me feeling energized.”

Do you have a weight loss success story? Let us know in the comments section below, and remember there are only 5 days left to weigh-in!

File under: Success Stories