Meet Tammy Adell
Business Services Director
Parkway Medical Group

At start of Lighten Up 4 Life	At present!

Tammy’s journey to a 109-pound weight loss began as a simple desire to “help out the team.”  With a starting weight of 262 pounds, the idea of starting “a diet” wasn’t even on Tammy’s radar.  She simply agreed to join an office team because they needed one more person.  That was almost two years ago, and today Tammy has gone from wearing a size 24 to a size 8.  She credits her phenomenal success to taking that first step in supporting her team mates in the Lighten Up 4 Life Challenge. “I incorporated what I had learned in Weight Watchers into an eating plan,” she said. “I began to eat “rounded” meals, including an item from each food group into every meal.” Because of her weight, Tammy’s initial physical activity was limited.  “It was an effort just to walk,” she said.  Tammy says when she seriously started to watch what she ate, things began to change.  In fact, her team took second place in the competition that first quarter. 

Tammy’s journey has been about much more than weight loss.  “I made a decision that I wanted to be around for my son, and hopefully grandkids some day,” she said.  Tammy signed up with another LU4L team for the next quarter and enrolled the help of a nutritionist.  “I realized I didn’t really know the right way eat – or even how to read labels in the grocery store,” said Tammy.  Tammy, who suffers from diverticulitis, stopped eating all glutens and sugars at the advice of her nutritionist, and her health improved dramatically.  She also keeps a daily food log.  “I don’t cheat on my food log,” she laughed.  “If it goes in my mouth, I write it down.”

As Tammy’s weight dropped, her confidence grew. “In October I joined The Rush Fitness Center, and got a personal trainer who helped me learn the right way to use all of the machines,” said Tammy.  “My upper body is much stronger, and the workouts have helped me build balance and agility, which I really needed.” 

The office staff at Parkway Medical has been very supportive of the LU4L Challenge.  “We’ve got the drug reps bringing in healthier meals,” she said.  “We even started an office challenge where we each chipped in five dollars and the entire pot went to the winning team.”

Today Tammy is just 14 pounds away from her goal weight.  She has consistently participated in the LU4L Challenge for the past two years.  “I don’t think I would have ever started to improve my health if it hadn’t been for the program,” she said.  “I go to the website frequently for helpful tips and healthy recipes, and all along the way I’ve used LU4L to keep motivated.”

As you might imagine, Tammy is looking like a different person these days.  “I never paid attention to my picture on our website until one day someone told me I needed a new one!” she enthused.  Needless to say, Tammy has a new picture up now – but more than that, she has a new outlook on life and great hopes for maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the future.  In fact, look for Tammy to be featured in a segment of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” reality TV series as part of the Manna Food Bank Pound-for-Pound Challenge.