Losing Weight and Reclaiming Your Life

By MARIA MIRAKAJ BROWNSELL

It is easier to say “go lose some weight,” then to actually lose it. Many people try diet after diet with limited success and eventually give up and go back to their poor eating habits. It is common for people to not think about that excess weight and how it will affect their health until it is too late.

Rockland County resident Dawn M. Barclay was in that exact situation when she made the decision to take her life back.

“I was a heart attack just waiting to happen,” said Barclay who was nearly 200 pounds back in 2010. She was on blood pressure and cholesterol medication and also antidepressants. She was pre-diabetic and a glaucoma suspect. Barclay, a former 5k runner, could barely walk a quarter of a mile without her knee bothering her.

It was on July 20, 2010 that she decided to make a change in her life. She read the book “Wheat Belly” by William Davis, M.D. and decided to cut out bread and sugar. She also started physical therapy for her knee and had orthotics put in her shoes. In the past 3 years, Barclay has lost 75 pounds and has dropped from a size 16 to a size 2!

“The unique thing about this weight loss is that I’ve kept the weight off for a year. That’s never happened before,” said Barclay. She describes herself as a “yo-yo” dieter throughout her life. She’s tried Weight-Watchers, self-hypnosis tapes, and Atkins among others. She would lose the weight while on the diet, but as soon as she stopped, the weight was back.

“The difference now is that I know if I go back, I’m going to get very ill and I can’t risk that. I look at sugar like it’s heroin. I know I’m an addict and one bit for me could easily become 75 pounds,” she said. Barclay grew up on frozen dinners and believes that all the processed foods are the root of her weight problems. “The wheat of today is not the wheat of 50 years ago. It’s been genetically changed and is addictive and responsible for about 440 extra calories a day,’ she added.

Barclay has changed her entire life around. She enjoys working out daily and being able to fit in the clothes in her own closet. She’s a wife, a mom of two, and a busy Associate Broker with Keller Willams Hudson Valley Realty.

“Your circumstances don’t control you. You control your circumstances. And once you lose your health, you’ve lost everything. Don’t set up mental roadblocks like, ‘I could never do that.’ Instead, take a leap of faith. You might surprise yourself,” said Barclay.

Barclay is currently being featured in the June 3 editon of Women’s World magazine for her weight loss success. She was also in the Huffington post in January of 2012 where she shared information about her dieting.

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