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Claudine Paris, 68, and her daughter, LeAnne Anderson, 49, have agreed to participate in USA TODAY's Weight-Loss Challenge so that others can learn from their experience. We'll check on their progress this summer.
When Claudine Paris decided to lose weight this winter, she had two goals: to be healthier so that she could join the Peace Corps, and to inspire her daughter, LeAnne Anderson, to lose, too.
Both women have struggled with their weight. Paris was able to maintain hers for about 10 years by following a low-fat diet and jogging 2 miles a day. ''The least I have weighed is 155,'' she says.
Then she started gaining because she ate too many carbohydrates and exercised less. A divorce in 1997 sent her into a ''tailspin,'' and her weight climbed. ''I had two dogs that I walked two or three times a day, and they went with my husband.''
Health problems, including breast cancer and excruciating pain in her sciatic nerve, also hindered exercise. By last Thanksgiving she weighed 187 pounds and had high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity. These conditions kept her from qualifying for the Peace Corps.
Paris wanted to be healthier. ''I don't necessarily want to live forever, but I don't want to be sick. I don't want to spend my money on medication.''
So she read The South Beach Diet by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and started following the plan that cuts way back on carbohydrates for the first two weeks, then turns into a moderate-carb diet, which includes whole grains, healthy fats, fish and chicken. By late February, she was down to 175 and now weighs 166.
Her daughter has tasted weight-loss success before. More than a year ago, she lost 20 pounds in six months on the Atkins diet. She didn't have a hard time sticking with the low-carb, high-fat plan as long as she ate the vegetables and fruits it allows.
Then last summer, she and her husband went to England and Italy, and Anderson got off track. Although she was active, she gained about 3 pounds eating pasta, bread and desserts and drinking wine. When she came back, she started having occasional treats such as latts, cookies and ice cream, and she gained 8 pounds.
Her mother gave her The South Beach Diet book for Christmas, and Anderson decided to give it a try. At 5-foot-8, LeAnne weighed 191 pounds when she started the diet in late February.
A nurse and the mother of three grown children, Anderson is focusing on eating ''good carbs,'' such as whole grains, and ''good fats,'' including olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil. ''I need to eat whole foods and good protein and stay away from processed stuff.''
To lose weight, she says, ''you have to pay attention to what you eat.''
Paris says South Beach ''requires preparedness. You need to think ahead when you're grocery shopping and when you're going to be away from home. I try to make sure I take nuts or string cheese or veggies when I'm leaving the house.''
To keep her sweet tooth in check, she keeps a low-carb chocolate bar and sugarless Jell-O pudding on hand.
Now that she's losing weight and her health is improving, Paris is reapplying to the Peace Corps.
Weight loss is almost mythical, she says. ''It's like you can't believe you can lose weight. How is it going to happen? And yet, you don't have any trouble imagining gaining weight.''
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