HERLIFE Magazine

If you would have told Heather Townsend one year agothat she would be training for a half marathon or wouldhave just completed a 5K race she would have thoughtyou needed serious help. But today, 85 pounds lighter and 6 dress sizessmaller, she is living proof of what determination, grit and making alifestyle change versus ‘fad’ dieting can do when you set your mind toit. Recently, she has been named as a candidate for Woman of the Yearby the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.“I still wake up every morning and am amazed I have lost so muchweight,” Heather exclaims. “I tried many different weight-loss options inthe past but never received results like I did with this program.”The program Heather decided to use? The Medi-WeightlossClinic: a national physician-supervised weight-loss center. Theprogram is unique because it’s a three-phase weight-loss approachand patients return to the clinics on a regular basis for continuedmonitoring. Unlike many other weight-loss programs, the programincludes an extensive maintenance phase to help patients keep theweight off.“At the end of week one, I had lost 11.8 pounds and wasenergized going into week two,” Heather says. “Were all of my weighinsas exciting as week one? Absolutely not. While I did have somebig weight loss weeks, I averaged a five-pound loss per week. Thisprogram is not a ‘quick fix’ or ‘fad diet,’ it is a lifestyle change.”Born and raised in Leawood, Kansas, Heather’s father, EugeneFibuch, is a physician and her mother, Annette, is a homemaker. “Mydad is my inspiration and role model in life and while I won’t ever bea doctor like him, I hope to one day be just as successful and be thekind of leader he is today.”Over the years she listened to her father talk about theconnection between excessive weight and cancer. “My dad wouldfrequently tell me the more body fat you have the more estrogen youproduce, and the more estrogen you produce the more likely you willdevelop cancer someday,” she says. “I listened intently to the advice hegave because he has treated many cancer patients for pain control overthe years. Being the daughter of a physician, I was sold on the Medi-Weightloss Clinic because it is a physician-supervised program and Iknew there was research and validity behind the program.”But what propelled Heather the most was several close familyfriends were diagnosed with various types of cancer in 2009 and 2010,and she knew the clock was ticking and needed to become seriousabout losing weight…she needed to make the time to make thechange. Heather says after all the unsolicited lectures, provided freeof charge by her dad, deep down in her heart she knew he was right.“My dad is always right and I just knew someday I would have to tellmy kids I had cancer and would wish I had listened to him,” she adds.“While losing the weight doesn’t give me a ‘get out of cancer free card,’I (and my dad) can rest easier knowing I have taken a step to try andprevent it.”She chose Medi-Weightloss after doing her own research andinvestigation into the different programs out there for the consumer.Heather explains, “I officially started my lifestyle change on January1, 2011. The staff and Dr. Jim Mirabile give me the support andcounseling I need. They really help you achieve the success that youwant. I love going to my weigh-in visits and always look forward to thesupport and guidance I receive from each staff member. They helpedme change my eating habits and the way I look at calorie counting, carbsand exercise, so that I can remain as healthy as possible. I will never eatlike I did before and the food I bring into my house for my children hasdrastically changed thanks to the Medi Weightloss program.”“My dad would frequently tellme the more body fat you havethe more estrogen you produce,and the more estrogen youproduce the more likely you willdevelop cancer someday.”Dr. Mirabile has practiced medicine 19 years and is a boardcertified OB/GYN. He cites how weight-loss programs, if not doneproperly and with balance, can easily fall into a fraudulent field. WithHeather, he attributes her consistent weight loss with determinationand the wonderful diet and support she received through Medi-Weightloss. “Combined with medications, counseling, guidance,injection of vitamins, and lipotropic injections (helps burn fat safely),she is like a different person; a completely different person.”Dr. Mirabile himself has lost 65 lbs. on the program and has keptit off for a year. Although Medi-Weightloss Clinic was the tool Heatherused to keep her on track, she quickly adds that the support system ofher friends and family have uplifted her when the road wasn’t alwayssmooth going. Just as her mom has always been constant in childhood;attending plays, musicals, running her back and forth to dance practiceand helping with homework, she has been Heather’s cheerleaderthrough the weight-loss process. “Without the support of my mom, Iknow I would not have made it through the tough days.”There were many days when Heather would experiencetemptation to cheat or would feel like just throwing in the toweland quitting. Staying motivated at times was hard. She admits thatrealistically, there is no way to stay motivated 24/7, 365 days per year.“It’s not humanly possible,” she adds. “The key for me was to take32 HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM