Ken 2.0: Seeking inspiration from colleagues' success

I need some inspiration, so this week, I'm turning to a few of The Oklahoman's fitness superstars for help. You may recognize their names — Julie Bisbee, Jenni Carlson and Bob Doucette — but you probably don't know their personal stories.

So here they are. I'm letting them tell their tales in their own words.

"When the scale reached 170 pounds, my heart sank. I'm sure I chalked it up to water retention or some other excuse. But deep down, I knew I didn't want to be that dangerously close to 200 pounds. In the fall of 2007, I started Weight Watchers. I'd like to say improving my health was the primary motivator to drop nearly 30 pounds, but it wasn't. It was vanity. I was getting married in the spring of 2008. I didn't like the way I looked in my engagement pictures. Chubby arms, full round hips, a little bit of a double chin and a paunch belly. Wedding photographers aren't cheap. If I was going to lay out the cash, I wanted to love how I looked in my wedding pictures.

"When I started Weight Watchers, I didn't think my diet was all bad. I ate a lot of veggies and didn't drink pop. The program helped me to realize that little bites before making dinner or nibbles off somebody else's plate have calories too. Some days I just had to think about food as fuel. Not something that would make me happy, curb boredom or end depression. Other days I could indulge and realize that when I fall off the healthy eating train, I've got to hop right back on the next one.

"I never thought of myself as athletic. It is a well worn joke with family and friends to talk about how I am so uncoordinated. I decided to ignore all that and pretend to be a runner or some other type of athlete. Maybe it would feel right eventually. It did. At the end of the process I ran a 5K in under 30 minutes. I've kept the weight off nearly three years now. In that time, I've had a baby, gained 50 pounds and lost it. Using habits learned in Weight Watchers and being a busy mom, I've lost the weight and now weigh 143 pounds."