This Fitness Expert Lost 140 Pounds--and Has Kept It Off for 20 Years*
A few months ago, we received an email from Debra Mazda, whose mantra is "Fitness Comes in All Sizes." We agree! She has a line of DVDs under her Shapely Girl brand, which she wanted us to review. When we heard about her success with weight loss, we couldn't wait to hear more about her story. She's such a motivator that we asked her to answer some questions for the dailySpark.
A little more about Debra:
At the age of 21 Debra Mazda weighed over 300 pounds. Depressed and battling high blood pressure, Deb made the decision to reinvent her life. She joined a health club. I was the only seriously fat person in the place. "I couldn't even buy athletic clothes in my size. I huffed and puffed and sweated my way through aerobics classes and didn't worry about whether anyone was laughing at me. At the same time I scaled back my eating. First, I reduced the quantity of my food. Instead of a rack of ribs and a milkshake for breakfast it was maybe, half a rack of ribs. Then I improved the quality of what I was eating. Next thing you know the pounds are coming off."
She lost more than 140 pounds and kept it off! With her new, buff body and a passion for sharing what she'd learned with others, Deb went to work for fitness guru Richard Simmons as the Training Supervisor at Simmons Anatomy Asylum health clubs in Denver, Colorado. Starting college in her 30s, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Human Movement and a Masters of Education in Sports Psychology from Temple University. Deb has become a much-in-demand accredited fitness trainer who has the unique understanding of what it's like to overcome obesity.
Debra shares with us her secrets for keeping off 140 pounds for more than 20 years!
dailySpark: You really seem to have a "can-do" attitude.
Debra Mazda: I totally believe that anyone can do what I did with the right commitment, drive and motivation. Giving up was never an option and I am still the same today.
dailySpark: You once weighed 300 pounds. Could you tell us how you lost the weight?
Debra Mazda: Yes, my highest weight was 325 pounds. My biggest weapon was exercise. Once I began experiencing the amazing benefits of exercise, I started working on the nutrition. I gave up dieting and started to learn how to change my eating and my relationship with food. That allowed me to stop failing, which is essentially what I have been learning from diets.
dailySpark: You're a remarkable success story. To have kept off more than 100 pounds for so long is quite a feat. How did you avoid "relapsing"?
Debra Mazda: Well, I did relapse many times. When you’ve been addicted to food, relapse is part of recovery. But I was able to get a grip on myself before re-gaining all of my weight and more. I stayed very focused on my goals and decided that I would succeed. This became a passion of mine and still is today, changing my life.
Posted 9/3/2009 6:00:00 AM By: : 176 comments 49,680 views
A New Me in Old New Orleans
Four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated her hometown, a SparkPeople member reflects on the cuisine that defines New Orleans and how she clings to her gastronomic heritage while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
By SparkPeople member Amani Jabbar
In New Orleans, it all starts with a roux. It might take nearly an hour to get the roux just right. That’s OK, though. There’s never a rush in New Orleans. You have to keep your eye on it. In a moment the flour and butter will turn from the perfect peanut butter brown to scorched black. Once it’s burned, that’s it. There’s no salvaging it. You have to start over again, and that’s all right, too, just a part of the process. As the butter melts slowly, the flour is gently stirred in, and you stir and watch and stir some more. Be patient. That’s the secret to a great roux: patience. In New Orleans, people take things slowly. We drive a little slower, speak a little slower. So, you have to be patient.
After you have the perfect roux, it’s time to add the Holy Trinity. That’s what we call the mixture of onion, celery, and bell peppers. It seems like everything in New Orleans is based on food and Catholicism. During Lent many New Orleanians observe meatless Fridays, and that means seafood gumbo and fried catfish specials. As a Southern-raised Muslim woman, I looked forward to the meatless Fridays. Those days I could order the gumbo without worrying about pork sausage being added to the pot.
Sunday is the Sabbath, which means people do their laundry on Mondays. While the washing and drying and folding is being done in the back of the house, red beans are slowly simmering on the stove in the kitchen. The beans have been soaked overnight, and they will simmer the majority of the day. The Holy Trinity and plenty of black and white pepper, tomatoes, cayenne, and other seasonings are added. After all that time and attention, they are no longer the simple red kidney beans that most people consider part of a meal. After that much time and care, they’re transformed. They are the meal.
When you visit someone’s home in New Orleans, be prepared to leave full. It doesn’t matter how well we know you, we will serve you something to eat. It’s how we show our love. But you won’t just leave full of food, you’ll also leave full of stories, laughter and pleasant memories.
The people of New Orleans know about good food. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad-tasting meal in New Orleans. People there take food seriously. I have seen people get into shouting matches over Gumbo. “This tastes like dishwater,” the woman shouted, as she stormed out of the restaurant, her refund grasped firmly in hand, vowing to never return again. Good food is life in New Orleans. I remember a jingle for a now-defunct grocery store. It stated, “Food is what we care about! In New Orleans, we live to eat!”
All that good eating is fine in moderation. Sure, there is nothing wrong with indulging in Crawfish Étouffée on a special occasion, but in New Orleans many people eat as though everyday is a celebration. Unfortunately, some people in New Orleans, just like in the rest of the country, overeat and do not exercise. New Orleans is definitely playing its part in contributing to the United State’s obesity epidemic.
So, this is the city that I grew up in. This is the place I will always call home.
Posted 8/26/2009 6:08:19 AM By: : 65 comments 17,167 views
Finally! An Entertaining Kids Show with a Healthy Focus!
By SparkPeople member Michelle Alfert (LAPOCHITICA)
Over the summer, I have been working with more than 80 elementary kids in a summer day camp program. About two weeks into the summer, a few of my 5th graders began joking about some Zefronk character.
Given our obvious age gap, I merely smiled as they hummed some diddy and attempted French accents. Of course, it wasn't long before I was dragged into the conversation given my terrible impersonation of a French accent. So who is Zefronk? I have to admit, I thought he was Zac Efron. Isn't he the preteen obsession right now? False!
Two weeks later I visited home and was bombarded by my very own sister--almost 12 herself.
"Michelle! Have you seen Zefronk?!" So I take it this was not Zac Efron.
"No, but I've heard of him."
"You have to see it!"
Right then I was led to the TV where she so conveniently had every episode DVR'd. I kid you not--my sister is the cool kid at school, but she sang and danced to the entire opening song. I guess that was the hum diddy.
So if, like me, you haven't caught on, Tasty Time with Zefronk is a Playhouse Disney cooking show featuring an animated Dachshund host. (Visit the website.) Also appearing on the show is his assistant, Sue the songbird, and sneaky Dom, the cat with a habit of stealing Zefronk's snacks. The animation is not particularly amazing, and the plot is fairly repetitive. Still, there is something ingenious to this 15 minute show that even grown-ups can enjoy.
With all the negative influences on television today, here's one that's positive!
Posted 8/24/2009 5:42:12 PM By: : 64 comments 18,319 views
I Found a Quick Fix for Motivation!
By SparkPeople member Megan Gale (GALE.MEGAN)
I've found a quick fix for motivation/body image issues! Want to know what it is?
Sign up for a race.
Mine is a long story, but I promise, it’ll make perfect sense, so bear with me! I started my weight loss journey after my fiancé, Kyle, proposed on December 27, 2007. I had always been thin and fairly active (hiking, yoga, rafting, skiing), and had never really watched what I ate.
As the years went on and my metabolism slowed, I gradually increased in my dress size, first from a size 4 to a size 6 in college, then from a size 6 to an 8/10 in graduate school. When Kyle proposed, I began to realize that my body wasn't what it used to be, and I wanted to look perfect for my wedding in August 2009. I knew what I had to do: eat right and exercise.
Diet pills really weren’t an option—I wanted to make a lifestyle change and didn’t want a quick fix (a pill) to fix the problem that could lead to more trouble down the road (a screwed-up metabolism). So I joined a gym with my good friend Alie, and signed up for the free session with a personal trainer at the gym. I showed up at the gym in my cute little yoga top and bottoms, fully expecting the trainer to tell me, “You don't need to lose weight! You look GREAT!" I got the shock of my life and started to cry when I stepped on the scale: 184. My driver's license (from high school, mind you), said I weighed 150 pounds. I was shocked and angry at myself that I had slowly piled on 34 pounds over the years. My BMI was at 25, directly on the border of healthy and overweight. How could I have let myself get out of control--I didn't even own a scale!
Posted 8/12/2009 2:52:57 PM By: : 86 comments 27,362 views
INTERVIEW: Swimmer Dara Torres on the Power of Positivity
One of the most riveting and inspirational stories of last summer's Olympic Games in Beijing was the comeback of swimmer Dara Torres, then 41. Torres, who had retired after winning five medals at the Sydney Games in 2000, returned to the pool seven years later, shortly after the birth of her daughter, Tessa. With her perseverance, positive attitude, and, oh yeah, those washboard abs, Torres captivated audiences worldwide long after the closing ceremonies.
Torres recently took some time between swimming in the National and World Championships to answer some of our questions!
Posted 8/6/2009 6:06:32 AM By: : 55 comments 35,916 views
I Found the Secret to a Happy, Successful Life
By SparkPeople member Michelle Stone (OUTOFCONTROL)
Legendary golfer Walter Hagen once said:
"Don't hurry, don't worry, you're only here for a short visit, so be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
I don’t know much about golf, but this is how I try to live my life, too. I gave up worrying toward the end of high school. I used to make myself sick with stress and worry over my grades, then in my senior year I realized that in the grand scheme of things it really didn’t matter. From then on, I put everything I did in proper perspective. I even managed to get through law school and still have a life.
Later on, when it came to losing weight, my perfectionist tendencies surfaced again. When I joined SparkPeople I told myself that I would not let perfectionism get in the way. I would track my food and exercise the best I could, but if I didn’t track all the time it was OK. Instead of trying to lose weight quickly, I set my goals for only half a pound a week. It took me almost a year to lose 25 pounds, but it went by quickly. There were days I consumed so many calories that the Healthy Lifestyle Tracker couldn’t compute it, but I didn’t regard those times as failures, just detours. I was still going to get where I was going, maybe just not as quickly.
My friends and family often wonder how I manage to go through life so calmly. The answer is that I take responsibility for the things within my control and let go of the things that are beyond my control. Making a decision and putting it into action can change things, but worrying doesn’t accomplish anything, it only wastes precious time. You can spend your time getting stressed out and worrying about things that may never even happen at all and playing the "what if" game, or you can use enjoy the time you have right now because every moment is a gift.
I feel like even the setbacks I have experienced along the way turned out to be blessings in disguise. In December 2007 I accomplished a goal that went way beyond my wildest dreams--I finished a marathon. But in the months after that, I sustained an injury training for a half marathon, and this injury has taught me important lessons.
Posted 8/4/2009 5:16:27 AM By: : 141 comments 22,740 views
UPDATE: Watch SparkPeople on 'Entertainment Tonight' THURSDAY, July 23
A special "ET" interview with SparkPeople members and founder airs tomorrow!
Posted 7/21/2009 12:02:35 AM By: : 257 comments 23,354 views
I Tried It: Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins
We're kicking off a new feature on the dailySpark: food reviews written by you, our loyal readers!
Jessica Dudley aka MRSDUDLEY celebrated her first Spark-versary on July 7! Shortly before that remarkable day, she wrote the dailySpark to share with us a new product that she just loves. She wanted us to review it, but we asked her to do the honors, as she has such an affinity for this product. Read on to learn more about the food that gave bread the boot in her house!
By Jessica Dudley
What is the product called?
Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. They are also available in Multi-Grain, Whole Grain White, and while I have not seen them in the store, their website shows them being available in Seedless Rye. (yummy...I'm thinking Reuben)
Posted 7/16/2009 2:35:31 PM By: : 496 comments 61,000 views
Meet Denise, A SparkPeople Member Turned Employee
You said you'd love to know more about SparkPeople, so we launched the series Meet the SparkPeople Team. Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be interviewing various SparkPeople employees. The behind-the-scenes folks here are really excited to tell you a little about what they do at SparkPeople!
Read the entire series here!
Now meet Denise, one of SparkPeople's most inspirational employees--she started out as a member! She's a versatile and dedicated member of the team!
Name: Denise Tausig (also known as DENISE_SP)
Position at SparkPeople: SparkPeople Resident Expert and SparkTeens Community Leader
Age: 30
Family: I am married (to Matt, who is also a successful member!) with no children, but we do have two wonderful cats, Ares and Cora, who rule the house.
How long have you worked for SparkPeople? About 3 1/2 years.
Posted 7/8/2009 6:02:07 AM By: : 45 comments 16,858 views
Operation Beautiful: Random Acts of Inner Beauty
The dailySpark recently featured a new website called Operation Beautiful in the weekly link round up. Because dailySpark readers responded so positively to the post about Operation Beautiful, we asked its founder, Caitlin, to tell us a little more about it.
My name is Caitlin, and I'm 25 years old. I began www.OperationBeautiful.com because I believe in a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle -- it's not just about what you eat or how you work out, but the caring and thoughtful things you do for yourself and others, too.
In 2006, I got my fitness act together and transformed my life. I live in Orlando, Florida, with my college-sweetheart husband and our two dogs, James Bond and Maggie Thatcher, and we both love living a healthy, active life. I work two jobs and am also a part-time blogger (at www.HealthyTippingPoint.com, which is my personal food and fitness blog, and www.OperationBeautiful.com.
Caitlin also took some time to answer our questions about Operation Beautiful!
dailySpark: What is Operation Beautiful?
Caitlin: Operation Beautiful is simple; all you need is a pen and a piece of paper. I’ve begun leaving positive messages on the mirrors of public restrooms--at work, at the gym, at the grocery store. I scribble down whatever comes to mind--“You are beautiful!” or “You are amazing just the way you are!” Now, the Operation has spread beyond me, and hundreds of other women are participating. The women write notes and send them in, and then I post them on the site for thousands of others to enjoy.
Posted 7/7/2009 11:46:07 AM By: : 166 comments 35,360 views
It's Time to Let Go of Childish Things--Like the Scale!
By SparkPeople member
Patty McIntire (NIKNAKPATTYMAC)
So please be careful with me, I'm sensitive
And I'd like to stay that way."
--Jewel, "I'm Sensitive"
I've run into several blogs written by people who are truly suffering, who are slaves to the scale. They are desperate and miserable and my heart goes out to them, and how sad that they (and we) obsess over the number on the scale. If you are doing most everything right (and believe me I need to hear this for myself as well) and the scale doesn't move, it doesn't mean anything other than the number hasn't changed on that instrument.
It doesn't tell you that your blood sugar is down.
It doesn't tell you that your blood pressure is lower.
It doesn't tell you that your cholesterol and triglycerides are better numbers.
It doesn't tell you that, by continuing to work out and eat better, you continue to improve your health and lower your risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, cancer, etc.
Posted 6/30/2009 10:17:40 AM By: : 155 comments 25,684 views
10 Reasons to Spend Your Food Dollars at a Farmers Market
This dailySpark guest blog post was written by a SparkPeople member whose healthy lifestyle is fueled by fresh food from her local farmers markets. Here, she shares tips on eating at a farmers market.
By Christina Certo (BANANAFISH711)
Embracing the bounty of the summer harvest season is a great way to help turn your weight-loss journey into a permanent healthy lifestyle. One excellent way to do this is by seeking out local farmers markets and roadside farm stands in your area.
Here are 10 reasons to buy produce from your local farmers market this season:
Posted 6/29/2009 12:06:48 PM By: : 148 comments 24,458 views
Meet One of SparkPeople's Newest Employees
You said you'd love to know more about SparkPeople, so we launched a new series: Meet the SparkPeople Team. Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be interviewing various SparkPeople employees. The behind-the-scenes folks here are really excited to tell you a little about what they do at SparkPeople!
Paul kicked off "Meet the SparkPeople Team." Then our perky, generous and hilarious office manager, Kelly, continued it.
Now it's time to get to know the woman behind all things Local on SparkPeople! (Some of you probably met her at the Spark Your Life Convention!)
Name: Jenny Uhlmansiek
Position at SparkPeople: Category Brand Manager
Age: 27
Stats: 5’7" and athletic build. Lost 5 pounds since working at SparkPeople thanks to eating healthy and incorporating more workout bursts.
Family: I come from a large close family. A family party is never a small deal. Typically, a holiday celebration consists of 30+ people, ranging from age 1 to 80. I have a wonderful boyfriend, and we hope to add a new puppy to our family soon!
How long have you worked for SparkPeople? One of the newer employees, less than a year.
Tell us your proudest accomplishment at SparkPeople or a fun fact about your job:
Getting to work on the first-ever SparkPeople Spark Your Life Convention. It was so much fun to put together, and I loved working with members and our staff to pull it off. It was amazing to hear everyone’s stories and see the excitement the day of the Convention. I was definitely moved to tears and so were our members! It felt awesome to know that we touch everyone’s lives each and every day, and seeing it in person was so rewarding – I look forward to many more!
Posted 6/2/2009 10:17:11 AM By: : 52 comments 9,436 views
Birdie Shares a Giant Thank You and Motivational Message
Last week was Birdie Varnedore's time to shine. First, the 35-year-old SparkPeople member was featured in People magazine--in her bikini. Then, she went on Good Morning America to talk about her 140-pound weight loss--and she even mentioned SparkPeople.
Her whirlwind trip to New York behind her, Birdie has returned to her normal life in Orlando, as a neurologist and mother of five. As a way to say thank you for all your support and to answer your questions, Birdie wrote a guest blog post for the dailySpark. (She told us that she would love to answer each SparkPage comment, SparkMail and dailySpark blog comment personally, being a doctor and a busy mother of five doesn't leave much free time--especially when you're keeping up with regular strength and cardio workouts.
Before you read Birdie's heartfelt thank you and her brief interview with the dailySpark, check out this new video of her. ABC did a follow-up interview with Birdie and two other women who also lost 100-plus pounds and were featured in People, so be sure to click here and watch that!
Posted 6/1/2009 1:00:26 PM By: : 154 comments 18,333 views
From the Mouths of Members: Age is Just a Number to This 'Old Man'
UPDATE: The paperback of THE OLD GUY RULES was released on July 30th. The book can be purchased at SmallDogma.com, which is the publisher's website. The first chapter of the book can be read on the author's website, www.theoldguyrules.com. The price of the book is $13.95 plus shipping.
Jim Rodgers, a SparkPeople member known as CONAN76 (above, with his son), learned the hard way that life doesn't work out the way you planned. Now 44, with a great marriage, a wonderful teaching job and a loving family, he is far removed from the heart-breaking divorce that left him a struggling single dad.
Through it all, Jim kept his chin up, even when life seemed unbearable. When he turned 43, he decided to share his life lessons, writing a book called The Old Guy Rules. Jim believes in the power of fitness and wants to prove that life--for guys and gals--doesn't begin or end at a certain age. In our youth-inspired culture, he discusses how he feels simultaneously wise and naive. He shared his inspiring story with the dailySpark.
By Jim Rodgers
What does it mean to be “old”? I began writing my book, The Old Guy Rules, on my 43rd birthday. As I write this article for SparkPeople.com, I am 44. Do I feel old? Absolutely not. I feel like I’m a baby, just getting started. That could have something to do with the fact that I’m a teacher and most of my friends are retired teachers, ranging in age from 55-75 years old. I’ve been at my current school, Glenbard North High School in the Chicago suburbs, for more than 15 years now, and many of the guys with whom I taught when I first came here are now retired, much to their delight and my dismay. But not a single one of those guys thinks he’s old or acts old.
In the summer, I work out at a gym with six of those retired teachers every morning and have a ball. I can’t help feeling young around those guys. They never fail to remind me how old they are, but they act like they’re still in high school, and even that might be stretching the level of maturity at times.
My kids and my students think I’m positively ancient. My daughter, who is almost 18, calls me “Pa” and “Old Man” when I fall asleep on the sofa watching House with her at 8 p.m. But I get up at 4 every morning to work out before school, and I feel pretty darned young when I do that. I can still outrun my kids, though the margin of victory isn’t quite what it once was.
Posted 5/31/2009 4:23:31 PM By: : 134 comments 17,270 views
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