Fat is stored in adipose tissue and muscle fiber after being extracted from the food we consume daily. The fat molecules then break apart to glycerol and fatty acids, but only after a certain amount of strenuous exercise.
It’s Biochemistry 101. For Ms. Carly Russo, whose daily life as chemistry teacher of Diamond Bar High School is wildly inundated with chemical equations and experiments, the concept of weight loss was as simple as that—exercise and diet. And that’s exactly what she did for the past fourteen months, after one life-changing visit to the hospital.
“I lost 80 pounds over a year. I had my thyroid removed in August 2011 and I went back for a follow-up. I found out that I gained even more weight after the surgery. I didn’t want to have more surgery. I wanted to get healthy again, because I wasn’t always heavy,” Ms. Russo recollected.
Her aspiration to change her entire lifestyle began when she downloaded an iPhone application that monitored what she ate, after Mr. Jose Marquez suggested it to her during a meeting. After Ms. Russo’s newfound goal became known, the entire faculty of DBHS banded together to support her in her journey. Ms. Teresa Hebert climbed the campus stairs with her during brunch. Ms. Nicole Cabase, who shared the same prep period, walked a route around the vicinity of the campus with her a few days a week. Ms. Jennifer Bravo suggested to Russo that she join her neighborhood gym. And when Ms. Russo faced her most difficult stage in the last leg of her weight loss, Ms. Sonja Burns engendered school wide support by organizing a “Biggest Loser” competition among faculty members.
Today, she still exercises and watches her portions regularly. “My whole mentality towards exercise and diet changed. I look forward to exercise. I think, ‘I have half an hour on the soccer field, so I’m going to run.’ I still go out to eat, but I look at the nutritional facts and choose something that’s healthy,” Ms. Russo shared. She still aspires to get in even better shape to prepare her for the many activities she has in her agenda, including running a half-marathon with her sister.
Her success is most evident in her current, noticeably slender figure. Students and teachers alike are more than inclined to do a double take when they spot her on campus. “When people ask me what diet I am on, I say I’m not on a diet. I changed my life,” Ms. Russo commented.
Ms. Russo is truly the victor of her own battle, but she would like to dispel the idea of “becoming someone different” after her dramatic weight loss.
“It’s really important to just love yourself. If you really love yourself, you’re going to want to be happy. You’re going to want to be healthier. I am happy, I feel good, and I have a way to release my stress. I think I am just as good a person as I was before, but I just look a whole lot different. Be around people that love you, and it will happen for you.”