Treadmill Success Story

Janet used to weigh 337 pounds. She bought a treadmill and initially just walked on it for five minutes a day. She increased the time gradually. By the time the treadmill gave out she had put 3,000 miles on it over two years and had lost 100 pounds. She was eager to buy another one.

But then she plateaued and wanted to try weight loss surgery. (She is only 5'1") Her doctor suggested she first try the Medifast diet for one month. She ended up doing this for 12 months and losing another 120 pounds.

Read her inspiring story and see her 'after' photo here.

A Treadmill Weight Loss Story

Thanks much to Caroline Jhingory who submitted this post about her weight loss story. See her site at myspace; I Lost 122 Pounds. and her before and after pics at Facebook.


What's your weight/fitness story?

I was 5’2 in height and 273lb the year before starting high school at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Over the last eight years, now at 29 years old and still around 5’2ish, I have lost and maintained a 123lb weight loss without gastric bypass surgery, any commercial diet programs or fad diets.

I attribute my weight loss success to strengthening my faith, determination, patience…and a treadmill.

Exercise has been the central tool in my transformation, but it’s still only one part of the puzzle towards health. I significantly changed how I eat; altering my relationship to food and eating. Again, I adhere to no specific diet. I practice mindful eating, remaining disciplined and limiting my intake of carbohydrates, sugar, dairy products and caffeine..

What was your turning point and/or "Ah-ha!" moment?

There was no major incident that caused me to have an “aha moment” really. One day I was home visiting from college. And I just said to myself “I had enough!” Enough of wearing body girdles to fit into certain outfits, enough of being the girl that guys never acknowledged. Overall being obese had caused me to miss out on enjoying simple things in life: I had not worn a bathing suit since I was 9 years old, was never able to ride a roller coaster because the safety bar did not fit over my stomach, and did not have my first boyfriend until graduate school.

How has losing weight/being healthy & fit changed your life?

Outside of all the superficial stuff of being able to wear cute clothes and a guy or two noticing me, my weight loss has made me more driven all around. Losing 123lbs has made me feel as if no obstacle is too big whether its school, work-related or family-related. Life has taught me that God is never gonna give me more than I am capable of handling.

How often do you exercise?

My key to success was learning to replace an unhealthy addiction: mindless eating while sitting in front of the television, with a healthy addiction: hitting the gym everyday. “I eat everyday, so I workout everyday,” is my number one fitness tip when giving advice to others.

What is your favorite workout?

For 60 minutes, I love to do a combined high speed and high incline walk on the treadmill while listening to music and/or watching a mindless reality show on the built in televisions. It really makes me feel like I’m challenging myself and using every muscle in my body to pull myself up on the incline. I also enjoy riding my bike through downtown DC and to the World War II Memorial at night.

What 5 food items are "must haves" in your kitchen?

Costco’s Kirkland Organic Salt-Free Seasoning – Sure it is healthy, but I have just never been a fan of salty food.
Economy size bag of frozen chicken breasts. – I think of chicken breasts as my “chameleon food.” I can make them adapt too almost any dish and they are a convenient source of lean protein.
Frozen veggies such as cauliflower, spinach and bell peppers – Being that I am a single lady and feeding only me, fresh veggies tend to spoil very quickly. Frozen veggies of course last longer, are usually already chopped and cheaper!
Leak-proof Tupperware – I am a creation of convenience. On Sunday, I typically cook my lunches and dinners for the week and put them in Tupperware. That way I always have healthy food ready that I can just pop in the microwave.

Bottled water, water, water and more water – Living in Washington, DC there has been way too much controversy on drinking the tap water here. Water keeps me well hydrated for my workouts and lubricates my joints for tough workouts as well.


What is your favorite motivational/inspirational quote?

Those who can truly be accounted brave are those who best know the meaning of what is sweet in life and what is terrible, and then go out, undeterred, to meet what is to come. -- Pericles .... (a gift from Tulane Professor Cinda Lanza, when I was having a really bad day)


How do you find balance in your life?

My faith, exercise and travel have become my therapy.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

It would be expected that losing 123lbs is my greatest accomplishment. However, my greatest accomplishment is coming to peace with the car accident death of my two teenage cousins and absence of my father after my parents’ divorce. For many years, I was angry at the world and God about these two things. I dealt with my anger by vacuuming in Hot Pockets and Hostess cupcakes. Perhaps my real “aha moment” was reaching a place of forgiveness.


What do you love most about your body?

I love and admire my body’s stamina when I am at the gym. The amount of physical activity I am able to do always shocks me. Even still I ask myself where did this come from?!?!

Best compliment?

A cardiologist looking at a sonogram of my heart, told me that I have the heart and heart rate of a marathon runner!

What are the last 5 songs played on your iPod?


Chuck Baby - Chuck Brown
Again - Faith Evans
Keep Hope Alive - Crystal Method
On to the Next One - Jay-Z
Triumph - Wu-tang Clan


What weight loss/fitness tools do you use that you rely on in your weight loss/fit life journey?

Good, comfortable and affordable workout clothes from discount designer stores like Marshalls and Ross. You really can find the durable sweat resistant workout clothes there for half the price. For me, having cute fitness clothes, motivates me to workout.

My IPOD and Black Berry! A few weeks ago an intern at work showed me how to stream music through my Black Berry so it’s a stand in for my IPOD from time to time.


I am a member of many online wellness and fitness communities. Discussing health and wellness with individuals from all over the world keeps me motivated and most of all EDUCATED on adhering to a health lifestyle.

Finding the Time to Exercise

I don't have enough time in the day to exercise regularly. At least that's my excuse. With a toddler around most of the time, and with my part time work and household chores, how am I supposed to find the time to work out?

It's a feeble excuse and I know it. I could probably find that one hour in a day if I was more motivated.

It seems that some of the most motivated people do their workouts while most of us are still sleeping.

Condoleezza Rice is one of these women. She's one of the busiest people in the world. She has a demanding career as Secretary of State, where she often puts in 14 hours a day justifying international killings here and there and everywhere. But she still finds the time to work out daily, almost without exception.

No matter where she is she gets up at 4:30 each morning and does a 40 minute cardio workout, typically on a treadmill or elliptical trainer. Next she does an ab workout. She does this for a total of one hour each day. See a video of her workout here.

If she can find the time, I have no excuse.

Treadmill Dance Motivation - OK GO

Have you been working out on a treadmill as a New Year's resolution for the last few days? Here's some very fun motivation to get you going faster and longer.

It's a video of the OK GO band singing Here It Goes Again while dancing on six treadmills.

This has been a huge surprise hit on You Tube. It's been viewed over ten million times! Their sudden popularity has completely stunned the band members.



They wanted to do something wacky that would get attention on YouTube but they didn't think it would become this successful in their wildest rock band ego dreams.

The treadmill dance was choreographed by one of the band member's sisters. They had come to her saying they wanted to do something really different. She replied, "Well of course. Treadmills!" They say she is a complete maniac and obviously also a very talented choreographer.

My husband, who turns 50 this year, really likes the music. He was saying the sound reminded him of another band from way back. Then it came to him; this is The Clash remixed. Anyone else feel this way?

This is a super energized and fun video. Even if treadmills are not your chosen route to fitness, you will likely feel inspired to jump around after watching this.

Treadmill Motivation: One Man's True Story

Ralph Klein, 63, decided to do something to lose some weight and get back in shape. This was twenty years ago. At the age of 43, the 5'8" politician weighed somewhere between 230 and 240 pounds. He says he was 'grossly overweight' at the time.

That's when he started running on a treadmill. At first he found it very difficult to complete even one mile. It took him six months to get up to three miles. He soon got down to 185 pounds. And he has maintained this weight, give or take a few pounds, for the past 20 years.

His method has been to do an average of 3-4 miles on the treadmill each day. He seems to have incredible will power; he says he has probably only missed less than five days in the past twenty years. Klein says he doesn't pay much attention to his diet and that he has a weakness for hamburgers and pizza.

But the exercise has more than compensated for this. Klein is happy with his weight and doesn't see himself stopping the exercise routine when he retires next year.