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| 6/26/2009 8:33:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Jocelyn McNamara after losing 136.5 pounds and reaching her weight loss goal. |
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| High blood glucose levels, high blood pressure and a weight that escalated to nearly 300 pounds was the wake up call Jocelyn McNamara needed to change her life. |
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Weight loss nets McNamara 'queen' crown
TOPS, exercise and trainer give Fort Calhoun woman new lease on life
Melissa Rice
Assistant Editor
Jocelyn McNamara of Fort Calhoun could pass for a model.
Lean, tanned, toned and elegant, McNamara reflects the professional appearance befitting her position as the assistant to the chairman of Mutual of Omaha. Her conversation is sprinkled with a heaping dose of humor, and a generous serving of realism.
But three years ago, she faced a crisis of monumental proportions, one that left her facing an uncertain future.
McNamara, who had battled her weight for years, got the word from her doctor her health had taken a serious turn for the worse.
"My glucose level was borderline high, my blood pressure was up, and my weight had escalated to nearly 300 pounds," McNamara notes.
That was the wake-up call she needed. McNamara got busy: she joined one of the world's most successful weight loss organizations: Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS.) She also joined a fitness center and invested in a personal trainer.
Like many Americans, McNamara struggled with her weight for years.
She put on weight after marriage, and especially after the birth of her second daughter.
"Plus, I loved to eat, and did lots of baking and cooking," she said. She also was an emotional eater. "I ate when I was mad, I ate when I was happy, and I ate when I was sad."
But she and her husband, John, an attorney, were busy with their daughters' activities and their own careers, and Jocelyn never seemed to be able to make time to concentrate on taking care of herself.
By the time things reached a critical stage, Jocelyn would be classified as morbidly obese. Her 5 foot 7 inch frame and weight left her with a body mass indicator of 44.8. (A "normal" BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9.) And high glucose levels meant that she was facing diabetes. The thought of needles terrified her.
"You come to this point, and you think, 'I don't want to be this way anymore' and 'Is this what my life is going to be?'"
But all those numbers can't quantify what her "life" was like.
There are few pictures of Jocelyn at her heaviest, because she avoided getting her photo taken. She remembers being wedged into seats, and being unable to cross her legs. She felt the shame of encroaching on other people's space, and being unable to climb the bleachers at Fort Calhoun High School. She remembers thinking that people must be staring at her because of her size. She recalls the time she was sitting in a plastic chair and, when she stood up, the chair came with her, stuck to her bottom.
"I was always hot and sweaty, but I didn't ever want to take my jacket off," she said. "I didn't want to go anywhere, especially in the summertime."
Previous weight loss programs were unsuccessful.
"I've tried them all: been there, got the T-shirt," Jocelyn said.
She turned to TOPS in May of 2003.
It wasn't the first time; she had joined TOPS twice before. But she was familiar with the program and knew how supportive the group could be.
She began attending the TOPS group in Blair, which meets at 6 p.m. every Thursday at the First United Methodist Church.
One of the benefits of TOPS is that it isn't expensive: There is a small joining fee, and a small monthly charge. Members don't buy expensive, pre-packaged food. In fact, TOPS members focus on making decisions based on real food they will be eating long after they hit their goals.
Success, Jocelyn said, is tied into one critical factor: accountability.
"It's calories in, and calories out," Jocelyn said.
TOPS works in several ways. There are tools available from TOPS itself, ranging from food diaries and exchange lists, BMI calculators and meal planners, grocery lists and food substitutions.
"The focus is more on adopting a healthy lifestyle," Jocelyn said. "There are no pills, no special food." Wise food choices, exercise, behavioral changes, and education all play a crucial role.
There is also the support of the group itself.
"I knew coming in that it was finding a safe group of people that I could feel comfortable with, knowing that I wasn't going to be judged," she said. "They are hugely supportive, just a great group of people."
TOPS leader Imogene Clements of Blair said the support isn't unlike that provided to those battling alcoholism.
"If you're up at midnight and ready to eat an entire chocolate cake, you can call me in the middle of the night and ask for help," Clements said.
The first year, Jocelyn dropped 50 pounds. Then she began to hit plateaus. She would have to take another step.
The McNamara's third daughter, Ramey, headed off to college, allowing Jocelyn more time to focus on her health. John and Jocelyn joined a 24-Hour Fitness Center in Omaha, where she decided to invest in a personal trainer.
It wasn't something she looked forward to.
"The thought of sweating was, 'Are you kidding me,'" Jocelyn laughs. "I've always been kind of a pansy."
Jocelyn was in poor physical condition.
"I could hardly walk," she recalls. Because of her weight, she had developed Plantar Fasciitis, making walking painful and discouraging. But her trainer, Tory Robinson, developed a program she could follow, and Jocelyn took a realistic approach to her goal.
"I told him if I can lose a pound a month, then that's 12 pounds a year I won't have," she said.
Hard work paid off for Jocelyn. She met her goal, losing 136.5 pounds, and, in December of 2008, she became a KOPS (Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly.) She was named Nebraska's TOPS Queen this April in Grand Island and, this July, will head to Florida for International Recognition Days.
Being named "royalty" is a special honor, given to those individuals who, at the end of the year, have officially recorded the largest weight loss from their original starting weight, regardless of the time taken to reach their goal.
Perhaps not surprisingly, given that Blair's Chapter No. 222 has been in existence since 1968, McNamara is not the first "royalty." Clements said the Blair chapter has boasted one "king" and three "queens," in addition to McNamara.
While Jocelyn's weight loss goal has been achieved, it doesn't mean her struggle with weight is over. The reality is that Jocelyn will continue to monitor her weight and continue with her fitness program. She'll continue to use the tools and techniques that took her from a size 24/26 to a trim size 8/10.
"There are certain food items I can't have around," Jocelyn said. Baked goods, like cakes and pies, and snacks like pistachios are foods that are "triggers" - they are just too tempting.
Her fitness regime with her trainer continues. Today, the former self-affirmed "pansy" does cardio five to six times a week for 30 minutes. She meets with her trainer weekly, who provides her with her resistance training program, which she tries to do every other day. Even when an injury sidelined her, she modified her routine, adopting water aerobics until she recovered.
Her weight loss and improved fitness have increased her stamina and given her new goals.
Her oldest daughter, Nicole, competes in marathons, and middle daughter, Rachel, is planning to try a triathlon.
"I thought, wouldn't it be fun if all three of us could do a marathon?" Jocelyn said.
Jocelyn's journey toward better health is one that she is sharing. When people ask her how she achieved her goal, she points to her trainer, to TOPS and to realistic goals.
"You do it, day by day, and each day it gets a little easier. "
She said the local TOPS group gets calls from other groups, asking Jocelyn to come and be a speaker and share her success story.
"For those of you out there who don't think it's possible - take advantage of all the love and support that is available, amaze yourself," Jocelyn writes. "You're worth it!"
Editor's note: In Nebraska alone, TOPS members lost a total of 5,377 pounds in 2008. There are 7,496 chapters in the U.S., 1,541 chapters in Canada, and two chapters overseas; and, in 2008, members lost 861,535 pounds (430.77 tons).
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Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, April 02, 2010
Article comment by:
Dorothy Fenech
I have not struggled with weight all of my life in fact, I used to be thin. Middle-age and menopause crept up on me and losing (and trying to lose) weight is new to me. Therefore, I didn't know what would work and what wouldn't work and I didn't know how hard it would be - it wasn't that hard to put the weight on, but it is hard to lose it and to maintain. I just wanted to thank TOPS for being there for me and for helping me with this journey. The support that I get at AZ TOPS 503 is wonderful. Everyone is so helpful and kind and inspiring. I WILL take off pounds sensibly! I will, I will, I will! I am not going to give up.
Posted: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Article comment by:
Trisha McNamara
We are all so proud of you Jocelyn, you're an inspiration! Congrats!
Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009
Article comment by:
Nicole Lindquist
What a well-written, inspiring article! We will definitely do a triathlon/race together someday!
Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009
Article comment by:
Shirley Neary
Congratulations, Jocelyn! What you've done is amazing, and hard, and worth it. Your health is the most important thing! Your professionalism, and engaging personality has not changed--Bravo!
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