Bio: Tracy Rasmussen, 33, is the clinical coordinator in the maternity department of Rose Medical Center and a labor and delivery nurse. The center is a busy place, and Rasmussen often spends most of her 12-hour shift on her feet. She reduced her schedule from three shifts a week to two after having a baby, Mikayla Rasmussen Diaz, last September.
The Challenge: At the suggestion of a friend, Rasmussen joined Weight Watchers about two years ago to lose weight that had crept onto her 5-foot-7-inch frame, and dropped about 18 pounds before she got pregnant. “I enjoyed it; it didn’t feel hard for me,” says Rasmussen, who is a vegetarian. “It’s not a diet; it’s a way of thinking about food.” Weight Watchers is known for its scientifically based programs, which include Internet tools and meetings that offer coaching.
Despite her good intentions, Rasmussen gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy, and after she had the baby, she was intent on returning to her prematernity weight. Still, she needed to be careful to eat well while nursing Mikayla, and not skip meals.
How She’s Doing It: A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and lean sources of protein such as veggie burgers fuels Rasmussen with high-quality, low-fat nutrients. She also likes to run, regularly strapping the baby into the jogging stroller and visiting nearby parks for exercise. Rasmussen weighs in weekly at Weight Watchers and says she enjoys the meetings at which diet issues are discussed.
For work, she packs such healthy snacks as cheese slices and cucumbers rather than giving in to the temptation to eat chips or order pizza. She doesn’t let herself get too hungry, because then she’d have a tendency to overeat. “And I pay attention to when I feel full, and stop eating,” she says.
Rasmussen says she has just a few pounds to go until she reaches her goal weight of 149. She and her husband share meal-preparation duties and baby responsibilities to give Rasmussen a little more time for herself.
Motivation: “I had no energy and didn’t feel comfortable in my body,” Rasmussen said of her original decision to start on Weight Watchers.
Still Working On: “The first few weeks are the hardest, getting used to what to eat, and exercising,” she says. The demands of motherhood also keep her close to home, so she’ll exercise along with classes on TV when she can’t go for a run or to the gym.
Best Advice: “It takes nine months for the baby to grow, so you should give yourself nine months to lose the weight. It takes patience,” Rasmussen says. “And it’s OK to indulge every once in a while.” Her weakness? “Ice cream.”
– Suzanne S. Brown
Do you know someone who has lost a lot of weight, rebounded after an illness or made a healthful lifestyle change? Send a name, daytime phone number, a description and photo to Fitness, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202, or e-mail to living@denverpost.com.
