National magazines have tapped the region for at least three stories this month about women who have lost 100 pounds or more.
I’ve already written about Fircrest kindergarten teacher Wendy McConkey, this region’s queen of weight loss, but she was highlighted in “People” magazine this month for losing two-thirds of her body weight.
More than five years of hard work and healthful eating allowed her to drop from 449 pounds to 147. Now that she’s lost 302 pounds she is keeping the weight off by staying active. She teaches Zumba classes at the Morgan Family YMCA in Tacoma and the Fircrest Recreation Center.
So staggering is her story that she’s also been featured on NBC’s “Today” show and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
“It’s great to hear when somebody says I’m an inspiration,” McConkey said. “But, really, I’m still me. I’m no different than anybody else.”
She’s not alone. Here are two other local women who got a little national publicity this month for losing weight.
Anne Potasky: The 53-year-old Puyallup resident is featured in this month’s edition of Women’s Day. She is one of three women in the article who share their stories of losing more than 100 pounds.
Potasky, a registered dietitian, dropped 120 pounds.
She worked at a college food service center and says nibbles added up to an overweight issue, according to statement released by the magazine. Her wake-up call came when she was diagnosed as being prediabetic.
“I thought, I’m a dietitian, I can’t have diabetes!” she said in the article. “There were definitely times I felt like a hypocrite being an overweight nutritionist, but I tried to use my weight struggles as a way to empathize with clients.”
She joined a local chapter of TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) and started a 1,500-calorie per day diet. Later she started walking. The lighter version of Potasky enjoys a more active lifestyle that includes bicycling trips.
Crystal Evans: The 28-year-old Olympia resident was featured alongside McConkey in the Jan. 9 issue of People for losing more than half her body weight. Evans lost 131 pounds using Nutrisystem and working out.
At 240 pounds she used her bikini for inspiration pushing herself to be thin enough to feel comfortable wearing it again. Today, the 5-foot-1 mom weighs a scant 109 pounds.
She said her weight problems started during pregnancy when complications required bed rest. Her love for cooking coupled with her habit of oversampling in the kitchen didn’t help either. She said she kept her self motivated by rewarding herself for every 10 pounds she lost.
AGLOVES
Not sure if you’ve notice, but it is cold outside.
Too cold to go jogging barehanded (at least for wimps like me).
With so many smart phone apps out there designed to complement your outdoor workout, you may have noticed one major hassle about running with gloves. Your phone’s touchscreen won’t work.
A new glove, Agloves, claims to have solved this problem with a glove made with silver. (The periodic symbol for silver is Ag, hence the product’s name.)
Touchscreens respond to the body’s natural bioelectricity. Agloves claim to use the silver woven into its gloves to conduct that bioelectricity that regular gloves block.
Reportedly, the gloves will also keep your fingers warm.
Agloves offer a variety of colors and styles, including one made from bamboo, that range in price from $18-24. For more information, visit agloves.com.
Craig Hill’s fitness column runs Sundays. Submit questions and comments via craig.hill@ thenewstribune.com, facebook.com/adventureguys or twitter.com/adventureguys. Get more fitness coverage at blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure or thenewstribune.com/fitness.
