Sports’ biggest losers
DROPPING THOSE POUNDS Some success stories from the sports world to help you lighten upbold

By Jenni Carlson Comments 5
Published: January 1, 2009

You woke up this morning intent on losing the weight. Maybe you already bought the diet book or chose the running shoes.

I know. I’ve been there.

University of Oklahoma's Ashley Paris. Photo by Chris Landsberger

Multimedia

NewsOK Related Articles

Sports Biggest Loser: TV Sportscaster Bob Barry Jr.
01/01/2009 Used to be, Bob Barry Jr. polished off a family-size bag of chips from Sam’s Club in a day or two. In the past year and a half, he’s eaten less...
Sports Biggest Loser: Oklahoma City mayer Mick Cornett
01/01/2009 The sports television anchor turned Oklahoma City mayor put the city on a diet a year ago, and he wasn’t excluding himself. Here’s Mick the...
Sports Biggest Loser: OSU basketball player Obi Muonelo
01/01/2009 Basketball motivated Obi Muonelo to lose weight last summer. It wasn’t the first time. Long before he became a guard at Oklahoma State or even a high...
Sports Biggest Loser: OSU basketball player Shaunte...
01/01/2009 Shaunte Smith heard the same advice from her coaches for two years. Lose some weight, and you’ll play better. "I thought I was playing as well as...
Sports Biggest Loser: OU basketball player Ashley Paris
01/01/2009 Ashley Paris comes from a big family. It’s big in number and in size. The Oklahoma forward is one of six children, all of whom are 6-foot-3 or taller...

For years, my annual New Year’s resolution was weight-related. That it was an annual pledge tells you how successful I was.

Wanting to lose weight is one thing.

Deciding to do it is another.

Before going any further, let me admit that writing this is difficult. It has nothing to do with shame or fear. It’s about being the story, something most journalists do their darnedest to avoid.

And yet, this is an important tale to tell. The same goes with all the stories of weight loss from the sports world in our fair state.

In them is hope.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or battling some other demon, there is hope in the stories of Shaunte Smith, Bob Barry Jr., Ashley Paris, Obi Muonelo and Mick Cornett. Inside today’s Sports section, you can read about their victories.

Maybe there is some hope in my story, too.

I tried to lose weight for years.

Went on a few diets. Tried to work out. But the truth is, I never worried that much about it; my parents taught me to be confident, and it was a lesson well-learned.

Then in October 2007, a friend e-mailed some photos that stopped me in my tracks.

Did I really look like that? Was that really me?

That’s when I decided to lose weight.

Another friend was doing Weight Watchers with fantastic results. While I knew no diet was perfect, what she said about the program sounded promising for my lifestyle.

You could eat what you wanted as long as you counted the points.

So, I joined an at-work group.

My weight at the first meeting: 194.4 pounds.

My weight now: 138.2.

It was a decision to lose each and every pound. I had to decide that I would change my food choices and limit the high-calorie, high-fat foods. I had to decide that I would run 30 minutes five or six days a week.

Those are decisions that I’m making still.

On this first day of 2009, I’m still making a New Year’s resolution about weight. It’s just a little bit different than years past.

Decide every day to keep it up.