Health

By COSHANDRA DILLARD
Staff Writer

A Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics employee will step into the spotlight Monday when she appears on NBC's "Today" show.

Deb Taylor, 38, will tell viewers how she lost 170 pounds through diet and exercise. In the year it took to attain that goal, she also shed a lot of emotional pain and is ready to inspire others to do the same.

New to East Texas, Ms. Taylor is a registered nurse and the divisional director of Trinity Mother Frances Heart Institute.

After being recognized by the American Heart Association in Dallas with the Lifestyle Change Award, a Dallas firm pitched her story to "Today" producers.

Each week, the show inducts a new member into nutritionist Joy Bauer's Fit Club. People in the club have lost and kept off 100 pounds or more through diet and exercise.

Ms. Taylor left for New York City on Friday and said she was looking forward to sharing her experience in a seven-minute live segment.

"If I can make a change, anyone can make a change," she said. "No one else is going to do it for you. I want to inspire them and if I can have a positive impact on one person, that will make my experience that more rich."

Working as an administrator in a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program, Ms. Taylor said she felt guilty that she was not a good example for patients so she decided to change the way she thought about food. She also began a vigorous exercise regimen to put her on the right track toward healthy living.

She said her solution was simple: expend more calories than what she was putting in her body. She went on a 1,200 calorie diet which included three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit each day.

"It was work but it was fun work," she said. "It really is all about planning, sticking to a plan and moderation. I thought before that it would be horribly difficult but I had so much support and positive feedback and I feel so good, so it makes it worthwhile."

When Ms. Taylor began her new regimen, she said she could barely walk 20 minutes on a treadmill. Within two or three months, she could power walk 13 miles. She has also completed a 14-mile run and competed in cycling events.

While losing weight the old-fashioned way suited her, she said she doesn't knock popular diets or surgical remedies to get the weight off.

"What is safest is to get the weight off and keep the weight off," she said.

She admits some people may not be as disciplined, so it comes down to what works best for the individual.

"Figure out what food means for you," she said. "There's never one thing that works for everyone. The realization is whatever you choose has to be something you are willing to live with the rest of your life. It's about changing behaviors and sticking with it."

Ms. Taylor said she advises people to partner with a doctor before adopting a weight loss routine.

In addition to the example she wanted to set for her patients, Ms. Taylor also had some deep-rooted problems that led to the massive weight gain.

She said she began packing on the pounds just two months after she was raped in college 15 years ago. The weight was her "security blanket," she said.

"I put on the weight to protect myself from men," she said.

To gain weight, she made poor eating choices, frequenting fast food restaurants.

Ms. Taylor said she had issues with intimacy and food often fulfilled what she lacked.

"I craved hugs and touch," she said. "The weight kept going up because my needs weren't being met. Cookies and cake and candy are what fulfilled that."

After the acknowledgement, she was able to shed that victim mentality.

"I decided that I didn't want to be a victim to the weight anymore," she said. "I'm no longer Deb the rape victim, but I'm Deb the girl that has accomplished something tough, is proud and wants to help others."

Losing the weight was easy but maintaining fitness is more difficult, Ms. Taylor said.

Today, she has the same regimen that got the weight off, exercising six to seven days a week and watching what she eats. But that doesn't mean she deprives herself. Every once in a while she will indulge in whatever she wants.

"I love sweets so I decided I'm not going to give up sweets," she said.

She uses precaution, though.

"When I crave chocolate or cookies I have to step back," she said. "What do I really want? Nine times out of 10 I want a hug. So I look for the hug instead of the brownie."

She admits she does not "eat like a bird."

"I eat to be satisfied. I like volume. I focus on fruits and vegetables because you can eat a lot of it."

Obese for 15 years, Ms. Taylor said she did not suffer from any major illnesses.

"As a nurse, I'd have regular checkups. At 36-years-old and 320 pounds, I was lucky not to have any major diseases yet," she said.

But she did have an insufficient high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level - or good cholesterol. She said doctors told her that number should be 50 or higher. Hers was 31, which would have put her at risk for cardiovascular disease. It is now greater than 65.

Losing so much weight left extra stretched skin and she had two surgical procedures in January to remove it from her abdomen and the back of her arms.

Ms. Taylor said she is willing to talk to groups about her experience. To contact Ms. Taylor, send e-mail to dltaylorrn@sbcglobal.net. Watch for Ms. Taylor on "Today" during the Joy Fit Club segment beginning at 6 a.m.

Here are a few things that worked for her: