Nurse inspires others by unveiling immense weight loss, on Today Show
Rosemarie Jeanpierre is a nurse from Los Angeles who was featured on the
Today Show, today (Monday, Sept. 15). Her story is simple yet monumental in proportion: she lost 110 pounds in 18 months.
When Matt Lauer introduced the segment, which showed pictures of a heretofore 220-pound Rosemarie, with a voiceover description of the sad state of her then-fatty life, he made this point: She lost the weight without any surgery.
Interesting, isn't it, that we've come to a point when people assume you've had surgery if you've lost a lot of weight. It's as if the idea of self-discipline and self-awarness have become passé with the advance of bariatric medicine. This is not meant as an indictment of bariatric care. Many lives are improved if not saved through this important specialty.
The old-fashioned way
But let's not forget that we also have intellect and decision-making in our personal toolkits. Rosemarie, it seems, decided to make all the right choices once her doctor warned her she was a candidate for a heart attack. She swapped a high-carb, high-fat, overindulgent diet for more intelligent choices - healthy carbs, whole grains, lean protein. She first put herself on a low regimen exercise program that grew to an hour treadmill run, then translated into a passion for hill-and-dale running. She's now running - and even winning - marathons. Inside her formerly fat form lurked the heart of an athlete. Who knew?
Matt Lauer injected another interesting commentary into the segment when he said he had a feeling Rosemarie would have no problem maintaining her newfound state of health. The now diminutive nurse concurred, noting, "It's do-able. It's self-discipline."
I've personally known two people who underwent surgery for purposes of weight reduction only to gain back the weight two or three years after immense losses. Medical intervention can certainly help you lose, but it won't do the maintenance work for you. But when you truly embrace a positive attitude - "do-able, self-discipline" - the outcome is likely to be much better. And the side effects? The only one I know of is improved self-esteem.
Check out the inspiring Today Show segment by clicking here. Read an earlier story on Jeanpierre, published by ADVANCE in 2008 by clicking here.