Form a habit: Get fit, stay fit and live well
Published June 15, 2006

It took Oprah 10 days of eating mashed potatoes and bread in Africa without exercising to tip her scale 10 pounds in the wrong direction. Now she knows for sure that "working out slows the aging process and makes you more vital."

Meanwhile, Janet Jackson, who also struggles with her weight, spent weeks "just eating whatever I desired" to gain weight for a movie role. She added 60 pounds to her five-foot frame, creating a woman she couldn't recognize in the mirror.

"My thighs got really healthy and hefty, and I got this really big stomach," she says in the June 5 issue of Us magazine. "It was very different, being in that skin."

I'm no celebrity, but boy, I sure can relate to their woes with weight. I have waged my own battle since I was about 5 years old. I lose weight, gain it back. I tried Weight Watchers and hired a personal trainer. I lose more weight, gain more back.

For my 40th birthday in 2002, I decided to run in a half-marathon. I trained and ran myself into a slimmer, healthier lifestyle, but did I keep it off? Fat chance. A serious foot injury nixed those plans.

Last month, I realized as I looked down the barrel of a size 16, I was the biggest I had ever been. Like Janet, I didn't recognize myself in the mirror.

I saw before me a life of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, cancer and limited mobility. That's when I decided to join a 30-day weight-loss program run by Rosemarie "Bud" Seaman.

Her program, Bud's Total Body Boot Camp, is touted as "a 30-day transformation, life-changing experience." That's just what I needed.

I walked into her Lee Road gym on May 1 feeling tired and disgusted, but determined to lose up to 20 pounds by the end of the program. I had my work cut out for me.

I had to adopt Bud's meal plan consisting of egg whites, fruit, turkey, fish, chicken, plenty of greens and vegetables, and 100 ounces of water a day. No salt. No carbs. No sugar. No fat.

I exercised twice a day -- for a total of three hours -- five days a week. And those workouts were intense. I had never cried during a workout until I met Bud. Her treadmill is just plain evil.

The program includes four coaching sessions to help participants determine what triggers them to overeat. The sessions with therapist Sandy Canfield of Winter Park were enlightening, and not as painful as I expected.

The best part of boot camp is working with Bud. She knew just what to say when I didn't lose weight.

"You lost 3 pounds of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle for a zero net loss," she told me. "Muscle takes up less space. You lost 10 inches. Look at the whole picture."

Talk about spin control, but it worked. Despite those days of not wanting to complete one more spinning class or walk another mile on the treadmill or lift another weight, I survived Bud's boot camp. In just 30 days, I lost 14 pounds, two dress sizes and 23 inches. I have more energy and stamina. I also have improved my eating habits, though I still crave pretzels. Just 26 more pounds to go.

"When you nurture your body, it reciprocates," Oprah says in her June magazine.

"We don't call it a diet plan," Janet says. "It's a way of life -- good portions, nice, balanced meals."

These are great lessons to learn about weight loss. Thanks to Bud, I have learned something else: "You can do anything for 30 days." And turn your life around.

Tammy L. Carter can be reached at 407-420-5223 or tcarter@orlandosentinel.com .