Success story: Ginna Parsons

Ginna Parsons, before and after losing nearly 70 pounds.

Amount lost: 68 pounds

How: Diet, exercise

Ginna Parsons hit an all time high weight of 203 in the summer of 2002.

By March of 2003, she'd dropped 31 pounds, "which was a size 10 and the smallest I had been since I moved to Tupelo," she said. "Gradually I let the majority of the weight creep back on and when I weighed at the Wellness Center on Dec. 31,2006, the scale said 190."

That lit a fire in her, and started her doing the "right" things, the things she heard dieticians and nutritionists and doctors say every day: eat right and exercise.

"I exercise 30-45 minutes at least five times a week, I don't eat any fried foods at all, we eat lean beef about once every week and a half, pork once a week and the rest of the time we eat chicken, fish or we go meatless," she said. "Basically, for me at least, it's a low-fat way of life."

By Dec. 31, 2007, she had lost 44 pounds, and weighed in at 146. Today, she weighs 135.

"I think this is my ideal weight," Parsons said.

For her, it's all about choices.

"If I choose to have filet mignon, baked potato and salad for dinner, I'm probably going to choose Special K with 1 percent milk and a banana for breakfast and a large garden salad with fat-free dressing for lunch," she said. "... The USDA Food Pyramid recommends women eat 65 grams of fat a day or less ... I try to keep my fat intake under 30 grams a day, although some days I do splurge."

Once a week, she allows herself chicken fajitas at Las Margaritas, and Chinese at Sun Kai. And there's no fat in a glass of wine or a martini, she joked, "unless you count the olives."

Her healthy cooking choices include light sour cream, light Hellman's and reduced-fat cream cheese. She eats real cheese and butter — and less of it — and substitutes half and half for whipping cream.

"But I only use about half the amount called for in a recipe," she said. "I'm a carb freak, so I can eat all the rice, potatoes and pasta I like as long as I don't drench them in butter, cream or cheese. I've never had a sweet tooth, so that's not a problem for me."

She's carried her healthy lifestyle changes over to her family, and
said her two children are making the same healthy food choices she
does.

"Mary and Patrick and Patrick's friend, Josh, were in the car Saturday and Josh said something about hamburgers and Mary said, 'I don't eat hamburgers,'" she said. "And Josh said, 'Why can't you have hamburgers?' And Patrick quickly interjected, 'No, Josh. She CAN have hamburgers. She CHOOSES not to eat them.' I was so proud of him."

And while Mary foregoes burgers, Patrick asks for healthy school lunches: turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread, light on the mayo; Nutri-grain bar; banana or green grapes; reduced-fat Pringles or pretzels; and a low-fat sweet treat, like a Rice Krispy treat or a 100-calorie snack pack.

"He has never had a weight problem and, God willing, he never will," his mother said. " ... I just really don't want either of them to ever have to struggle like I did.

"And notice I said DID. Because that demon is in my past. Never again. I feel too good now, sleep well, look better, etc. Don't want to ever go back."

To share your weight loss success story, e-mail sandi.beason@jackson.gannett.com