"I Discovered the Secret to Losing Weight"

Kandra's Weight Loss Plan

Age: 32
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 134
Pounds lost: 50
Months at current weight: 18

The Workout: Kandra runs three to five miles, six days a week. Four times a week, she lifts weights.

The Diet: Breakfast is a PowerBar, and later a snack of trail mix or fruit, crackers and peanut butter. For lunch, she has a veggie sandwich or a salad with tuna or chicken. Dinner is a salad with either fajitas, a stir-fry or even a small serving of pizza.

Stick-With-It Tip: "Reward yourself when you meet a goal." A new hair color and new gym shoes are just two of the incentives Kandra used.

Biggest Temptation: Cherry ice cream. "I buy myself some once a month as a treat."

Best Compliment Since Losing Weight: Three young women told Kandra that she had the best legs they'd ever seen. "I hugged them," she says. "It was great to get positive feedback from other women."

What She Couldn't Wait to Wear: Miniskirts and high heels. "I've always had nice legs, but now they're really well defined, so I love to show them off."

Originally published in Fitness magazine.