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'Everyone Calls Me The Incredible Shrinking Nan'

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 4, 2007

Nancy Barbara, 49, Tampa

Height: 5-foot-2

Starting weight: 247

Current weight: 183

Why I did it: I was having a hard time tying my shoes. Whenever I would tie my shoes, the laces would be to the left.

I had to use handicap bathrooms because I couldn't get into a regular stall and have the door close.

I'm the community relations manager at Barnes & Noble in Carrollwood, and I had fitness author Bob Greene come to my store. He was doing a huge author signing at my store with his "The Best Life Diet." I was too embarrassed to stand with him, so I got other booksellers to be with him during the book-signing.

I got his book and read it, which helped get me started.

I felt like my fat was what everybody saw. I got on the scale and said, "Oh my god, 247 pounds!" That was the breaking point.

How I did it: I'm an Internet junkie. I just went online and started to Google calories. I wanted to know what my caloric intake was.

I liked my-calorie-counter.com. It was simple. You put in your height, weight, age and activity level, and it tells you how many calories you need to consume to maintain your weight. I was having 2,900 calories a day to maintain 247 pounds.

It's all about calories in, calories out. I looked at it and said, "OK, I'll subtract 1,000 calories a week."

The site makes it very simple. You type in oatmeal, and every type of oatmeal in the world comes up. Then you find the kind you had, and a nutritional label comes up. The site tells you how many calories you just had, and it saves it in your favorite foods so you don't have to go searching for it again.

I keep a daily journal, which adds up everything from the sodium, cholesterol, crabs, even water and adds it to my target calories. I chose 1,325 calories a day, which means gobs of food. I would have breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner and a snack.

I made sure to pad my diet with ample fruit: watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, cherries and any in-season fruit.

I don't eat pasta, and I'm Italian. I have brown rice. I substitute bread with Pepperidge Farm whole-wheat bread. I eat sweet potatoes instead of white. I don't put sugar in my coffee. I use plain cinnamon and fat-free half-and-half. When I eat out, I have salmon and broccoli or roasted chicken and vegetables and a big salad. If you're having dessert, have one spoonful. Don't have the whole piece.

Everyone calls me the Incredible Shrinking Nan.

The first two or three months, I was too heavy and too embarrassed to do anything. I bought a DVD called "Walk Away the Pounds," and I stood in my living room and walked three or four days a week. I challenged myself to do a marathon a month.

The first couple of months, I made sure to log my 26.2 miles. Once I did that, I took it outdoors. I started walking a couple of days a week with my dog, first up to the corner and back.Now I take my dog on three-mile walks on the Tampa Bay Trail.

Hurdles: My first hurdle was after I lost 50 pounds. I hit my first plateau. For about 2 1/2 weeks, the scale didn't budge. I found out I was not eating enough calories, and my body was going into starvation mode. I bumped up my calories, and now I zigzag. I'll do something like 1,325 calories on Monday and Tuesday; on Wednesday I'll go up to 1,500 calories; and Thursday and Friday I'm back at 1,325.

It gives my metabolism a booster shot so it doesn't feel like it's just idling. After I got past that plateau, I hit another one at 58 pounds lost. It took a while to get to 60 pounds.

I just joined Shapes. Now I can walk and feel comfortable riding a bicycle, rowing and doing other things.

Going the distance: My goal is to lose 100 pounds. I'm going to up my exercise. I look at it now as play. When we were kids, we'd go out and want to play. Adults don't do that.

I see it as my recess time. I'm going to walk, run, jump and do everything I did as a kid.

I don't ever want to see the 200s again — ever. Once I hit my 100-pound goal, I just want to maintain that. I think it'll be easier now that I understand the math and I know how to eat.

I used to shop in dressbarn, and I'd go in on the plus side. The other side is the regular side. Recently I walked into the plus side, and the lady who always helps me said, "Oh my god, look at you! What are you doing here? Get out and walk in the regular side." It was wonderful. It was like graduating.

Then, for the first time, I bought clothing that didn't have an elastic waistband and was not polyester. Now when I go shopping, it's a little problematic because there are so many choices.

Best advice: There's such a good feeling about getting compliments every day. People tell me I look younger and energized.

All of those compliments are better than any food you could ever want. I think it's all about self-esteem, which is much more important than the meal in front of you. If you think people only see your double chin, stop thinking about it and just do it.

Start eating better, and start looking at the math. Start picturing yourself as that thinner and healthier person, and that's how people will see you.

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