“I lost more than half my size!”

It worked for me

When Laura Harless entered the university lecture hall and heard students giggling, she automatically thought, Are they laughing at me?

It was a natural reflex after being teased her entire life. Still, at nearly 400 pounds, she somehow found the courage to teach 8 hours every day. Confidence in her job was the only thing that kept her going.

Over the years, Laura tried exercising the pounds away using high-intensity workout videos like Tae Bo—but after 30 minutes a day for 6 months, she was frustrated by her lack of results. “I thought I must be missing something,” says Laura. “The problem had to be me.”

Leaving work one night, the halls were so quiet, Laura could hear herself gasping for breath as she walked. She realized, I’ve had enough! So she tried an exercise approach she’d never done before: walking. She built up to 40 minutes at a moderatesteady pace. Says Laura, “Walking in the evenings got rid of all the negative energy and helped me relax.”

When Laura lost the first 15 pounds, she was ecstatic. “I never had anything work that well before. I thought I’d have to go longer or walk faster to see results, but I didn’t.”

Sprint ahead 22 months: This ShapeFit.com member lost more than 200 pounds. “I never really plateaued,” says Laura. “I feel better at 41 than I did at 21!” She also walked away from size 32 pants and stepped into a size 6. Laura even stands 1 inch taller without all those extra pounds to weigh her down.

“Now I have confidence beyond the classroom,” she cheers. One colleague, who didn’t even recognize Laura at a recent graduation ceremony, told her, “You look like a supermodel!”