Great Loss, Great Gains

A physician’s message of “you can do it” inspires a young momto take a natural approach to regaining better health.

For Hamilton resident ChelsieMarie Logsdon, 27, a routine medicalcheck-up in 2014 changed her life. “Ididn’t know if my weight gain was causingmy depression, or the depression wascausing my weight gain,” she recalls. “Iwas miserable. When my doctor askedme about it all, I just broke down andcried.”

A mother to a toddler and a newborn,Logsdon had gained an alarming94 pounds since the birth of her child.This put her among an unfortunate majorityof adults who are overweight or obeseor who have other health conditions theystruggle to manage. Like Logsdon, theyunderstand the need to change. butchange can be hard.

“Physicians every day encourage theirpatients to find ways to improve theirhealth,” says John Harlan, M.D., an obstetrician/gynecologist on the medicalstaff of Mccullough-Hyde Memorial Hospitalin Oxford, and Logsdon’s physician.“We know it’s not easy. But when we canfocus on the important things in life, likeour kids or careers or plans for the future,it can be easier to take the steps to beginthat change.”

For Logsdon, her children and otherloved ones became her motivation. “I’mso thankful that my doctor gave me apep talk about the things that I can’t dofor them if I’m not as healthy as I can be,”she says. Her physician also gave her theconfidence that she didn’t need a strictdiet, expensive products or diet pills. His“natural” prescription: get active, stickto a certain number of calories each dayand stop drinking pop.

She started immediately by stockingup on healthy foods. She began walkingand doing free aerobic videos she foundon YouTube. She became a regular at thegym. “Before, going up stairs was dreadful,”Logsdon says. “Now I fly up thosestairs and I can run over a mile.” Today,she’s down to 140 pounds, from her highof 234. But her biggest win, she says,isn’t a number.

“I’m a much better mother now, andmy relationships are better,” she says.“I didn’t realize how much I would gainjust by being healthier. I’m happier thanever.” And with her as inspiration, severalfriends and family members have alsomade signifcant strides toward betterhealth.

“People don’t fall into unhealthy habitson purpose,” Dr. Harlan says. “You reallyhave to work hard to avoid those traps.”But for you and those around you, the rewardsare great if you just get started.