This Fitness Expert Lost 140 Pounds--and Has Kept It Off for 20 Years

A few months ago, we received an email from Debra Mazda, whose mantra is "Fitness Comes in All Sizes." We agree! She has a line of DVDs under her Shapely Girl brand, which she wanted us to review. When we heard about her success with weight loss, we couldn't wait to hear more about her story. She's such a motivator that we asked her to answer some questions for the dailySpark.

A little more about Debra:
At the age of 21 Debra Mazda weighed over 300 pounds. Depressed and battling high blood pressure, Deb made the decision to reinvent her life. She joined a health club. I was the only seriously fat person in the place. "I couldn't even buy athletic clothes in my size. I huffed and puffed and sweated my way through aerobics classes and didn't worry about whether anyone was laughing at me. At the same time I scaled back my eating. First, I reduced the quantity of my food. Instead of a rack of ribs and a milkshake for breakfast it was maybe, half a rack of ribs. Then I improved the quality of what I was eating. Next thing you know the pounds are coming off."

She lost more than 140 pounds and kept it off! With her new, buff body and a passion for sharing what she'd learned with others, Deb went to work for fitness guru Richard Simmons as the Training Supervisor at Simmons Anatomy Asylum health clubs in Denver, Colorado. Starting college in her 30s, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Human Movement and a Masters of Education in Sports Psychology from Temple University. Deb has become a much-in-demand accredited fitness trainer who has the unique understanding of what it's like to overcome obesity.

Debra shares with us her secrets for keeping off 140 pounds for more than 20 years!

dailySpark: You really seem to have a "can-do" attitude.

Debra Mazda: I totally believe that anyone can do what I did with the right commitment, drive and motivation. Giving up was never an option and I am still the same today.

dailySpark: You once weighed 300 pounds. Could you tell us how you lost the weight?

Debra Mazda: Yes, my highest weight was 325 pounds. My biggest weapon was exercise. Once I began experiencing the amazing benefits of exercise, I started working on the nutrition. I gave up dieting and started to learn how to change my eating and my relationship with food. That allowed me to stop failing, which is essentially what I have been learning from diets.

dailySpark: You're a remarkable success story. To have kept off more than 100 pounds for so long is quite a feat. How did you avoid "relapsing"?

Debra Mazda: Well, I did relapse many times. When you’ve been addicted to food, relapse is part of recovery. But I was able to get a grip on myself before re-gaining all of my weight and more. I stayed very focused on my goals and decided that I would succeed. This became a passion of mine and still is today, changing my life.



dailySpark: You lost all that weight, started college in your 30s and eventually earned a master's degree. Was there ever a time in your life when you felt like you couldn’t achieve your goals?

Debra Mazda: I grew up with no direction or goals. I was obese and out of shape. The odds were truly against me, however, I had bigger plans for myself.

dailySpark: How did you overcome those mental plateaus?

Debra Mazda: I took back the power I had given to food. I stayed focused on my mission to not die young. Then I expanded my goals to include other choices to make my life more meaningful. By just believing in yourself and not letting anything get in the way you make progress. WHEN THE MOUNTAIN SHOWS UP, MOVE IT. I simply promised myself to stay on track and still do today. There are many times I want to give up but I have worked so hard and come so far. I think of those things and I do not listen to that INTERNAL NEGATIVE VOICE that so many women hear and act upon. That is not to say I am immune to fe Debra Mazda: eling down, but most of the time I can change my thinking and make things happen that are positive.

dailySpark: Your message is "Fitness Comes in Many Sizes." How do you help dispel myths about what a "fit" person looks like?

Debra Mazda: We have been taught to look at people and think because they are skinny they are fit. That is utter nonsense as I am a true testament to this. I am a size 12 and very fit and healthy. Thinness should not be the goal but good health. As an Exercise Physiologist, I have read quite a bit of research in the past few years that shows us that heavier people who work out regularly live longer than thin people who are sedentary. This is not to say that we shouldn’t try to get to a healthy weight, but I don’t want larger women to be discouraged and think that they have to be a size 2 to be healthy. Case closed.

dailySpark: How do you help people overcome their own body issues?

Debra Mazda: This is a tough one as I have all shapes and sizes in my classes in Philadelphia who do not feel good about their bodies. This issue is not one that solely affects plus-size women. There are plenty of thin women who detest their bodies. I have to think back to my days of being overweight and how I felt about my body. I knew I hated it, but the bigger part of me knew I WAS GOING TO CHANGE IT--so that gave me comfort most of the time. I did feel bad about my body but I never hated myself as that would have wasted my time and not allowed me to move forward. This process was an internal one for me and looking back my determination even amazes me sometimes. But I am here to say again, if you put you mind in the right place you can do it.

dailySpark: How do you stay in shape? What is your fitness routine like?

Debra Mazda: I work out 4-6 times a week and do all different activities. I teach the Shapelygirl Fitness classes 4 times a week, which include 40 minutes of cardio with weights and 15 minutes of core and Pilates work. I power walk 10 miles a week, teach step with body bar, spinning, and am currently training for a half-marathon in September. I have learned that in order to keep my weight down, it is 1/3 good nutrition, 1/3 fitness and 1/3 positive mindset. If one of those is out of order it usually creates an imbalance and that can lead to trouble.

dailySpark: What are some of the tricks and tips you've learned over the years?

Debra Mazda: I never beat myself up for not being perfect. I teach my girls to work on being better every day. We all have flaws and we need to deal with them and look at the positive in what we have going for us.

dailySpark: How do you stay on track and eat right?

Debra Mazda: Simply, I eat to live not live to eat. Over the years I have learned that FOOD is fuel for my body not an escape when things do not go well. I love wearing a size 12 and wear anything I want to--and that stays in my head. Feeling great and being my size beats binge eating any day of the week. Do I eat junk food? ABSOLUTELY. However, I rarely binge and have learned to eat the unhealthy stuff on special occasions. I teach my girls, the more sugar and refined carbs you eat, the more you want and that leads to binging.

dailySpark: When you were losing weight, did you ever encounter plateaus?

Debra Mazda: More than I care to talk about. It’s part of the process, although the diet industry doesn’t tell us that. We’ve been taught to expect fast, dramatic results through fad diets. I found a way to believe I would get through the plateaus but it was murder waiting. Jumping on the scale constantly is not something I do. First of all, sometimes the scale lies. Especially for women who have hormonal cycles. Second, I know that if I have been pretty much been on-program the scale will catch up. I find that a lot of overweight women allow themselves to become discouraged quickly. I have found by making small healthy changes the results will follow. Maybe not as fast as we’ve been trained to expect, but over the long term.


dailySpark: What advice do you have for SparkPeople members who are just setting out on their healthy living journey?

Debra Mazda: For anyone starting out or over again, here is my suggestion, stop putting limits on yourself. Stop beating yourself up, stop listening to those negative voices that want to tear you down. Get up and take a deep breath, get moving, get support, and always pick yourself up when you stumble. NEVER STOP OR QUIT. My weight loss has been the journey of a lifetime. I have laughed, cried, wanted to die, been happy, sad, frustrated and wanted to give up but through it all. But somewhere in my mind, body and soul I was bigger than any of that through determination.

Debra is giving away three copies of her fitness DVDs to the dailySpark, plus a T-shirt. To enter the contest, click here. (The usual rules apply.) (The contest closes Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. EST.)

Find more information on Debra Mazda and her DVDs here!

Were you inspired by Debra's 140-pound weight loss--and how she kept it off for 20 years? What is your own fitness mantra?


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