“Now nothing holds me back!”
Sitting on the couch as her grandson played on the floor, Bonnie Wiles was struck by a harsh reality: “My grandson was becoming more and more active as he approached his first birthday, and I realized that if I didn’t do something about my weight, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him—I might not even be around to watch him grow up.”
Bonnie had been struggling with the physical effects of her excess pounds for years. She was taking medications for high blood pressure and high cholesterol and had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. But her energetic grandson was the push she needed to start making small changes, like logging meals in MyFitnessPal and joining a TOPS support group.
To make the most of her efforts, Bonnie started walking 10 minutes every day, working up to longer strolls with fast-paced intervals mixed in. “As the weight melted off, it became easier to move,” she says. “My pain subsided and my energy soared!” That enabled Bonnie to add stretches as well as body-weight exercises like planks and squats. “The weight continued to come off and I could see my muscles and loose skin tone up.”
Within 18 months, Bonnie’s health issues had cleared up and she was able to work with her doctor to get off her medications.
Now Bonnie has four grandchildren and there’s nothing holding her back from watching them grow up—or from joining in the fun. “I can’t wait to take them camping and swimming.
Life couldn’t be better!”