Published: January 16, 2008 04:26 pm            

Woman's gains came from big loss

After dropping 128 pounds, Aliette Aviles found herself featured in People Magazine.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Many success stories these days are all about gain: gaining fame, gaining fortune, or achieving some other kind of material gain.

Similarly, the story of Tahlequah resident Aliette Aviles is a story of great personal gain. But her gains came through great loss.

The retired nurse embarked on a life-changing journey, through which she lost 128 pounds and gained her life back along the way.

On Jan. 4, Aviles became an inspiration to many women just like herself when she told her story in an issue of People magazine.

As a child, Aviles said, she was always overweight. She grew up heavy, and as a result, felt different and unimportant.

“From the time I was 8 years old I weighed 100 pounds, and I just climbed from there,” said Aviles.

In 2005, she began a serious, portion control dieting program and began to see results. As the weight began to come off, Aviles felt the desire to take things further.

“As soon as I started losing some weight, I thought I should get moving,” said Aviles.

Aviles said joined a local Curves gym, began a six-day-a-week workout program, and has never looked back. And her success didn’t go unnoticed.

“People magazine put out a call for weight loss success stories,” said Aviles. “Curves manager Brenda Skaggs got on the Curves Web site and nominated me. I wrote up a story, telling them what happened, the manager sent it to the Curves Web site, and they sent it on to People that evening.”

An e-mail arrived the next morning from Ericka Souter, the author of the article, saying they had narrowed the winners down to five, and Aviles was one of them.

“They said they had to narrow the five down to three for the next issue, and that ‘We’ll let you know in about five days,’” she recalled.

But the decision didn’t take five days.

“They called back in about five minutes and said, ‘We’ll let you know now – you’re one of them,’” Aviles said. “It really went pretty fast.”

Magazine representatives came to Tahlequah for the photo shoot.

“Almost every member of Curves here in Tahlequah has told me how they’ve been inspired by my story, and people have been joining left and right,” said Aviles. “It’s been crazy.”

And Aviles doesn’t mind a bit. Now a Curves manager herself, she hopes that through her own experiences, she can help people make the same transformation.

For those hoping to begin their weight loss journey on their own, Aviles offered some insight.

“They should really try to match their heart’s desire with their mindset,” Aviles said. “From there, they should begin by setting small goals. The small goals are easier to achieve, and you won’t get discouraged by not losing some big number. And don’t weigh but once a week. That’s really important. If you do, you can get discouraged.”

Likewise, Aviles said, support is a vital part of any successful weight loss plan.

“Find a good, positive support system, that’s so important,” said Aviles.

For Aviles, all the hard work has paid off.

“I feel wonderful,” she said. “I feel very healthy and I have more energy.”

But she's also gained more.

“I have more self-esteem and self-confidence,” said Aviles. “I never had any of that before.”



Garron Marsh writes for Tahlequah (Okla.) Daily Press.

        

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