By Becoming a Fitter and Better Nurse
Theresa Lou Bowick, 42, was raised in the South on fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and no exercise. Is it any wonder that she tipped the scales at 245 pounds by the time she was 30?
As a nurse with a family history of heart disease and diabetes, Bowick knew losing weight was essential, but as a single mom with a busy career, concern for her own well-being fell to the wayside…until there was more at stake. “My 16-year-old daughter weighed nearly 300 pounds, and I realized a lot of it was my doing,” she recalls. “I never set a healthy example for her. I was digging us both into early graves.”
Bowick joined a Weight Watchers group at work where she’s a day program nurse coordinator for the Arc of Monroe County program, which provides health care to the disabled in Rochester, N.Y. Step one was a good breakfast—such as oatmeal and fruit—which set her up to eat healthfully throughout the day. She nixed fried and fast foods altogether, instituted baking and broiling, and shopped for whole grains, lean meats and fresh produce. “My schedule at work was unpredictable, so on the days I couldn’t cook, I relied on low-fat frozen entrees or soup,” she says. At work, she kept healthy foods in the fridge to sustain her through her shift.
Even though she was on her feet all day, Bowick joined her local YMCA, where she walked on the indoor track three to five times a week for 30 minutes. “I got there at 5 a.m.—no one needed me at that hour, so it became ‘me’ time.”
When Bowick saw she was steadily losing one to two pounds a week, she realized her diet-and-exercise program was actually working, and vowed she’d wear a bikini. Now 160 pounds, Bowick has not just one bikini, but an entire collection.
She also noticed that as she became more fit, she became a better nurse. “I wasn’t winded after moving a patient and I wasn’t tired and grumpy all the time,” she says. One of her biggest thrills was going to the White House as a slender woman to accept an award for volunteer nursing from then-President George W. Bush. “I love that I got my photograph taken with the President wearing a size 10 nursing uniform instead of oversized scrubs. “I wouldn’t have had the confidence to meet the President if I were still heavy.”
Although her daughter still struggles with the scale, Bowick is confident that one day she will be able to conquer her weight problem. “From seeing me, she knows that by changing one thing at time and setting small, attainable goals, it’s possible to lose weight,” she says. “Small changes equal big results.”
THERESA LOU BOWICK STATS
Pounds Lost
85
Has Kept Weight Off
Four years
The Workout that Worked
Bowick likes to set a new fitness challenge each month to prevent boredom and ensure she stays active. She switches among cycling, running and dancing.
• Walking: 45 to 60 minutes, 5 to 7 times a week
• Pilates: 45 minutes, 3 times a week
• Chin-ups: 50 to 55, 3 to 4 times a week
Snack Tact
Roasted almonds
Smart Moves
• Post a photo in your kitchen of someone whose body you admire, like Janet Jackson in her rock-hard abs days. Every time you reach for an unhealthy snack, it’ll help you rethink your choice.
• Don’t give up all your favorite foods. Indulge once a month, not two to three times a week.
• Plan your meals two to three days in advance so what you’re eating is one less thing on your mind.
