5 weight loss decisions of Chantel Hobbs

It's funny how things happen sometimes.

This column was going to be about a local guy who has chosen to go public - very public - in his quest to lose 100 pounds. But I decided his story would have to wait when a colleague dropped off a book for me to look at.

On the cover is Chantel Hobbs, a gorgeous woman who has shed 200 pounds - without surgery, pills or deprivation. The subtitle caught my eye: "Make five decisions and break the fat habit for good."

What a coincidence. My last two columns have been about five small changes to your eating habits and five helpful hints to get you off the couch. So, in what seemed to be a theme, I just had to check out Hobbs's five. And they're all good.

Her book, Never Say Diet (WaterBook Press, 240 pages, $24.99), isn't vastly different from the huge choice of weight-loss books lining store shelves, with exercise suggestions and food guidelines. What I do think sets Hobbs's book apart is her blunt honesty and her belief in a more spiritual approach to weight loss.

Anyone knows - or should know by now - that when you have significant weight to lose, it's usually about more than just the brownies.

Hobbs, who lives in Florida, suggests we make a real connection to our inner selves in order to bring about change.

Her five decisions - Be Truthful: Be Forgiving: Be Committed; Be Interested and Surrender - are the cornerstones of her program.

She goes into personal details for each one. And her experiences can be quite painful.

When I spoke with her last week, she told me that "change comes from a place of misery," and she had been miserable - even though most people wouldn't have guessed it.

In the Get a Move On chapter, for example, she cites the time when she was trying to begin an exercise regime. A member of the gym staff tried to measure the percentage of her body fat, but couldn't - the machine couldn't handle more than 50 per cent body fat.

Still, it didn't stop her from trying. As she stresses in her book, consistency is vital.

"Since my goal was to establish a new exercise habit, I needed consistency. No debating whether I wanted to exercise every day. I treated it as my new job. I had to show up six days a week no matter how I felt or how I might be influenced by outside sources. As with any new job, I figured I had no vacation or sick time coming."

And stick to it she did.

The first month was the toughest. She eliminated all sugars and junk food. But after that, she didn't deprive herself of anything. If her family was having fettuccine alfredo, then she would, too - just a much smaller portion. And after the third month of her eating plan, one evening a week she'd indulge in whatever it was she wanted.

A church-going gal her whole life, Hobbs claims it was God she turned to in order to help turn her life around.

She remembers with clarity the evening she asked Him for help, and recounts hearing a voice saying she was not being the best she could be. And she wanted to be her best.

Hobbs has certainly accomplished that. She's now a certified personal trainer, a spinning coach and motivational speaker. She even runs marathons. "There are days even I can't believe I run them," she laughed. And she admits: "it's awesome to know I don't ever have to go back. I can be the new me forever."

Hobbs has begun a Brain Change Challenge on her website, encouraging people to get on their own path to changing their lives. She's been on Oprah and on the cover of People magazine

There's no denying her commitment - and the value of the five decisions that led to it.

For more information, visit www.chantelhobbs.com.

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