Losing 100 pounds and keeping it off

45 million Americans go on diets each year. There's no doubt many Oklahomans have weight loss at the top of their list of New Year's resolutions. <br/><br/>One Green Country woman may inspire

Tuesday, January 4th 2005, 6:05 am

By: News On 6

45 million Americans go on diets each year. There's no doubt many Oklahomans have weight loss at the top of their list of New Year's resolutions.

One Green Country woman may inspire you to drop the weight and keep it off. News on 6 anchor Craig Day has her story.

â€œI did the grapefruit diet. The Hilton Head metabolism diet. Richard Simmons he had a thing out.â€ Mary Bedard tried every kind of weight loss plan imaginable. Nothing worked. "The yo-yo dieting. I did a lot of that. You know you starve yourself for a little amount of time."

After having a heart attack at the age of 40, Bedard knew she had to keep trying. Her persistence paid off with dramatic weight loss. "100 and one and a half. Since March. I started in March." That's right. More than 100 pounds. She did it with a combination of regular exercise, fewer calories and carbs, and plenty of support through the Curves weight loss program. "This saved my life. It really did. I had a lot of health issues when I came here. My hips popped, my knees popped. And I got out of breath going to the store. Walking from my car to the store."

Now she is able to run five and a half miles. She has enough energy to play with her children now. Bedard doesn't have to pop pain relievers to ease her joint pain. Not only does Mary feel better, because of her physical changes. She also has a much different state of mind because of her dramatic weight loss. "It just really changed everything. The way I feel about life. The way I feel about myself. My interactions with people."

Bedard says she wants to lose another 40 pounds. She says she'll reach her goal and others can reach theirs too making 2005 a year to remember.

Despite all the good intentions, many dieters quit when they don't see the weight loss fast enough. Most doctors will agree a reasonable expectation is to lose one to two pounds each week.