Lisa Dove is sharing her weight loss transformation story to inspire others after the Vernon Hills mother of three lost 160 pounds through diet and exercise.
"I couldn’t tie my shoe. I couldn’t paint my toenails," said Dove. "I could barely walk. I was waddling behind my kids. I’d be winded and have to take a break."
In June of 2021, Dove was 297 pounds.
"I had three kids, that stopped everything. I had my demanding career, three children, there’s no time for mommy anymore," she said.
"I was a size 26. I was 3 to 4X."
Dove was also struggling with Type 2 Diabetes.
"I was on four different medicines to try to control my A1C. It just kept going up."
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When the pandemic hit, Dove knew she wanted to make a change. She had more flexibility with her work schedule and started daily walks to get out of the house.
She also started Weight Watchers and was diligent about her diet.
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"It was a sustainable program for me because nothing was off-limits. It was more portion control. You can have apple pie, but you can’t have the entire apple pie," said Dove.
When gyms reopened in June, Dove decided to take the leap and get back into fitness.
She started working with a personal trainer, who pushed her out of her comfort zone.
"I’ve been a trainer for almost ten years now. She’s been one of my favorite journeys to be a part of," said Stephanie Kandzierski, a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness in Vernon Hills.
Kandzierski says she wasn't surprised by Dove's perseverance.
"What’s your why? What’s the fuel to keep you going on the days you don’t want to show up? Her why was so strong. Her dedication, determination, self-discipline, she had all those tools. It’s a matter of pulling them out of your toolbox," she said.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. More than 37 million Americans have Diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One in five people don't know they have it.
Dr. Romy Block, division chief of endocrinology, at Northshore University Health System says Type 2 is the most common.
"Your pancreas, which makes the hormone insulin just doesn’t work as strongly or 100%. As time goes on, it makes less and less insulin your body can use," said Dr. Block. "It’s a growing epidemic in this country and can cause a lot of other medical conditions by affecting your heart.
"70% of the issue with Diabetes is out of your control. 30% is within your control, and the great news is small changes can make really big differences in the control of your sugar and your over all healthy lifestyle," Block added.
Dove is now in remission and at her goal weight, around 140 pounds. Her fitness journey continues, and her new goal is toning.
"It almost brings tears to my eyes because I was a miserable woman. I was a horrible person. If let like I was a horrible mom," said Dove.
"It’s about discipline. How easy is it to talk yourself out of 'eh, not today.' That’s how I was. 'No, I can, I do and I will,'" said Dove. "In the beginning it was really difficult, but the more I developed my routines, the more I was willing to change the way I did things."
