Weighing In on Success

In the continuing the series, "Early Gets Down2Size," "The Early Show" featured the story of Zulma Rosario, a 39-year-old mother of three. After the birth of her third child, Zulma - just five feet tall - weighed 135 pounds. Soon after, her husband became sick, and the stress of his illness caused her to gain quite a bit of weight.

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Rosario said after her husband passed away was when she realized she was overweight.

"I had more time to focus on myself," she said, "and it was horrible."

Slowly, but surely, Rosario said her weight ballooned to 230 pounds.

"I'd get up two hours early to put together an outfit to come to work... I put something on, I took it off. I put something else on, I took it off. I put something back on," she said. "It was just a nightmare and eventually I'd start crying."

Rosario said she often wore black as a way to hide her weight. She also hid herself from others.

"I didn't socialize, I didn't want to go out," she said. "I just felt like I was the fat girl in the crowd, and no one would want to dance with the fat girl or talk to the fat girl."

Rosario said she knew she needed to lose weight and she tried several programs, but they didn't work for her.

"I dieted all day, and then I didn't diet at night when people weren't around," she said.

Rosario said she always ate alone.

"That was a big thing. I always ate alone and I hate eating alone. I had no choice because everyone would make me feel bad," she said. "No matter what I was eating or how much I was eating, it was always wrong."

Rosario said when she realized that her sons had lost their father, and were at risk of losing their mother to obesity, she said she had to do something.

Rosario had a lap band procedure performed in October of 2007. Since then, she has lost more than 100 pounds, and kept the weight off for over two years. Dr. Christine Ren, co-director of the New York University Program for Surgical Weight Loss joined Rosario on "The Early Show" to discuss Rosario's procedure and her weight loss success.

Rosario, who was thrilled to show off her weight loss on "The Early Show," has come a long way.

"Health wise I don't have to take any pills anymore and I am completely happy," she said.

She admitted that it was really tough to lose weight in the beginning.

"I tried everything. I tried Weight Watchers. I tried Nutrisystem. I tried dieting. I tried bicycling and I just couldn't breathe," she explained.

At first, Rosario thought about doing a gastric bypass, but she decided the lap band procedure was the best scenario for her.

"Rosario was at such a weight that was dangerous to her health and it also impinged on her quality of life. She could barely walk a few blocks without being winded," said Dr. Ren. "I think quality of life is very important especially with kids. She tried everything. She had nutritional insight. She knew what was bad for her and what was good for her, but it was the portions. As we get heavier, our bodies want more food."

According to Ren, a lap band procedure is the placement of a silicone device inside of your body. It wraps on top of the stomach and gently squeezes around the stomach and signals to the brain that you are full.

"So you can still eat healthy, but the portions that you are eating are much smaller," Ren added.

Dedication and focusing on her kids was the mindset Rosario needed to pull through and get rid of her feelings of isolation.

Zulma Rosario's Typical Day of Meals:

Breakfast: Yogurt and a small portion or tiny portion of oats
Lunch: Tuna fish with small salad also small portions
Snack: Cheese Nips or some dry crackers
Dinner: Small salad, small portion of dark meat chicken, and some olives or a small portion of mashed potatoes and very small amount of meatloaf

Everything is portioned.