Never, Never, Never Give Up

Gabrielle Pro, 48, Tampa
Height: 5-foot-9
Starting weight: 188
Current weight: 178

Why I did it: Almost a year ago, I was diagnosed with a neurological condition, which within a couple of weeks affected my ability to walk and took away my endurance. It's called Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy and is like multiple sclerosis of your peripheral nervous system. Before, I was very active and swam about five miles a week. Now I was having a hard time walking to the end of the block.

I quickly gained 10 pounds since I continued to eat as before. I always ate fairly healthy, but I liked to eat a lot of food. And one can gain weight eating a lot of healthy food, too.

Several months into this, I realized I was not improving and also had not lost the weight I gained. I panicked because suddenly I didn't have the endurance or ability to go work off the weight anymore.

How I did it: I started physical therapy and was able to try out different activities like the treadmill, small weights and a few machines. I also paid attention to my meals, tried to eliminate a number of additives and preservatives and increased my fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and legumes.

The good news was I wasn't gaining weight but I still wasn't losing. A friend suggested biking and bought me a recumbent trike. I had tried a stationary bike, but could only ride for 59 seconds and had to stop. The recumbent trike took care of my balance issues, and allowed me to ride fast, and I could cover miles of territory rather than feet. We added a heart monitor a couple of months later, and I was able to pay attention to my heart rate. Very slowly, I started to lose a little bit of weight.

I am very much a routine person, so every morning I ride my bike more than three miles. This is nothing in the biking world, but for me it is a million miles. I also have stayed on a very natural diet: fruits, vegetables, proteins such as fish and chicken, and try to limit what I eat in the evening. I have lost 10 pounds in the past six months.

Hurdles: My biggest Challenge was not giving up on exercise or myself. It sounds silly, but everything I do wears me out. I could lift hand weights for one set of 10 reps. After a while, I realized this was not going to build any muscle and I became frustrated. I figured out however that doing something was better than nothing. And if that is all that I could do, it was better than not doing anything.

Going the distance: I would still like to lose about another 10 pounds. I am exercising as much as I am able, so I am focusing on controlling my diet and making healthier choices. I also have not deprived myself of anything. And this was really important to me. If I want a sweet or a treat, I have a bite and that's it. And I have it early in the day, so I have all day to use those calories up.

Best advice: As Winston Churchill said: Never, never, never give up. It may take a longer time to get to the goal I want to reach, but at least I have set a goal and little by little am getting there. I can't stress enough to keep looking and searching for an activity that you like and that you can do whether it be walking, riding or lifting some weights. Nearly everyone at every wellness level can do some type of activity. And most important, have fun.

taken from Tampa Bay Online

Below, Almost a year ago, Gabrielle Pro was diagnosed with a neurological condition that affected her ability to walk and took away her endurance.