12 Get-Healthy Success Stories

I Lost 97 Pounds

Angela Kalal, pharmaceutical clinical trials manager, Rahway, New Jersey

Growing up in a carb-loving family that regularly indulged in pasta suppers and sugary desserts, Angela struggled with her weight and wore sweatshirts even in summer to conceal her size. "I would hide cookies in my room in case we ran out," she admits. "I turned to food for comfort and enjoyment." By the time she graduated from college, Angela weighed 230 pounds.

Turning Point
Tired of feeling like she was "too fat to do anything," Angela agreed when a close friend invited her on a group rock-climbing trip. Although embarrassed when she could not fit in a standard-size harness, she got over it. "I was with supportive people and had so much fun that I was inspired to be more active and take charge of my health," she says.

Smart Steps
Shortly after her first climb, Angela joined SparkPeople, an online healthy-diet-and-lifestyle community. "When I began using the food-tracking tools, I couldn't believe how many calories were in things that I thought were healthy, such as restaurant salads and granola," she says. "I was taking in about 3,000 calories a day." She cut that down to 1,800 -- swapping steaks for leaner bison meat and filling up on berries, broccoli, and homemade veggie-packed salads. To stay active, Angela continued climbing and found new hobbies, including hiking and competing in Spartan obstacle races. For motivation, she logged on to SparkPeople's message boards.