She Walks the Walk to Healthy Retirement
When I retired from Southern California Edison Co. a year ago, I weighed 138 pounds, my highest weight ever. I made up my mind to lose weight and devised a daily exercise and eating program with my husband’s guidance.
As soon as I wake up, I put on a pair of walking shoes for a power walk. I started out walking 30 minutes carrying 2-pound weights. I gradually increased that to 45 minutes with 5-pound weights. Now I walk 45 minutes to an hour carrying 9-pound weights. If it rains, I ride a stationary bike and read a mystery to break the monotony.
My eating program consists of three meals a day with low-fat and low-calorie foods in smaller portions, avoiding fast food and cutting down on eating out. I was eating as much as my husband before I began this program. Also, I do not eat anything after 6 p.m., with few exceptions.
When I lost 10 pounds, I knew I was going in the right direction. When I lost 20 pounds, I saw a twinkle in my husband’s eyes. I was determined to get down to 100 pounds, which was my weight when I married him 30 years ago.
By walking or doing daily workouts and eating healthful foods faithfully, I accomplished my mission of losing 38 pounds in eight months.
My goal is to maintain my current weight and enjoy my early retirement with my husband by staying healthy and fit to travel around the world.
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Vital Statistics
Name: Chieko Fuchs
Age: 54
Occupation: Retired stock transfer analyst
Old weight: 138 pounds
New weight: 100 pounds
Time to get there: 8 months
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Want to Share Your Success Story?
Losing weight is as individual as gaining weight. Do you have a story on how you got in shape and stayed there? If so, we’d like to hear from you with a 500-word essay listing what worked in terms of diet, encouragement / support, exercise, as well as your emotional and physical changes.
We’d also like you to send us full-body color photos of you, before and after.
Send essay and photos to “How I Did It,” Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, and include daytime and evening phone numbers. No phone calls, please. Submissions cannot be returned.
In addition to publication, winners will receive a Los Angeles Times gym bag and a gift certificate for a free pair of athletic shoes of your choice, redeemable at any Big 5 Sporting Goods store.