When All Seemed Lost, She Lost Weight

(CBS)  As part of our weeklong series, "Early Gets Down2Size," Sarah Schallern, a 33-year-old Virginia woman, shared her story of a lifetime of weight loss struggle.

Schallern told CBS News when she was in just the first grade when her mother put her on a diet.

"There was just this weird relationship with food in my house, it was sneaking food," she said.

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Food, to her, was comfort, and by the time she was in junior high, she was 200 pounds.

"I did the iceberg lettuce and water diet, which I invented myself," Schallern said, "And it just doesn't work."

Schallern said she reached a point in college where she thought there was no hope; she was just a big girl -- someone who would never be in shape.

She explained, "I was like, 'I'm just not going to be able to lose weight. I can't lose weight, I'm not going to exercise, I'm just going to eat what I want.'"

Food was her friend, Schallern said.

"When I was alone I was upset and I wanted comfort I went to food, when I was happy and I wanted to celebrate I went to food," she said. "Food never judged me, it was predictable. It always tasted the same."

But, when she reached 300 pounds at the age of 30, Schallern knew this was her breaking point.

"I really felt like I was trapped in a cage," she said. "Sometimes I would look in the mirror and (say), 'That's not someone I even recognize.' Like I was living in someone else's body."

Schallern planned to get gastric bypass surgery to lose the weight, but one of the requirements is that you prove you had tried to lose weight other ways, so she went to Weight Watchers to fulfill the requirement. However, she ended up doing the program, and losing almost 145 pounds.

She now weighs about 155 pounds.

Appearing on The Early Show Wednesday, she said she thinks she is still the same person. "I think I was just let free. I'm able to do so many things that I wanted to do before. Physically I don't have this guard up anymore. And it's the same person, just I can show the world who I am now."

Asked if the experience of the weight loss is what she had imagined, she told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, "Life had to get better before I lost the weight. I had to love myself and respect myself in order to take care of myself and my body."

"I think you have to get that relationship with yourself right before you get any relationship with food or exercise or diet or anything like that," Schallern said.

When she considered the gastric bypass, she really thought she couldn't lose the weight on her own. "And I knew in order to get a doctor to approve it I would have to go through some weight loss regimen and showing it wasn't happening."

Remembering her first weeks on Weight Watchers, Schallern said, "I could hardly eat all of the food at the beginning and it just worked and it's something I remember thinking like eight weeks into it, I can do this for the rest of my life."

She has been keeping up her healthy eating regimen since then. Schallern shared a typical daily menu with "The Early Show":

SARAH'S DAILY MENU:

Breakfast:
Egg white omelet with spinach
1 slice of white wheat toast
Or
Low fat yogurt with blueberries

Snacks:
94 percent fat-free popcorn
Peaches
Grapes
Apples
Strawberries
Almonds

Lunch:
Turkey sandwich on wheat or grilled chicken salad with vinegar

Dinner:
Rotisserie chicken, green beans with almonds (frozen) and baked potatoes

Dessert:
Low fat ice creams, No Pudge brownies

Special Thanks: Macy's By Appointment Free Personal Shopping Service, Macy's.com.

[kevkev227]

I found a site that helped me lose weight and get back in shape. You can check it out here:

http://loseweightwithacaiberrydiet.blogspot.com/

[paula20man]

Sarah looks great. Weight Watchers works if you follow the program. I am encouraged to keep going to meetings when I see someone like Sarah. Also, where can I find out where she got that purple top she is wearing. I have been looking for something like that for a while.

[smilinggreenmom]

This is fantastic for her! Congrats Sarah! I am so impressed with this as I just saw what my sister-in-law went through with gastric bypass. It has been such a long journey for her with her weight going up and down all the time. I think what weight watchers is doing is great and the way that I see things is that it is so important for all of us to think beyond the scale and to make healthy choices. I am trying to work out myself and find it is hard to stay motivated, but I know I want to do it. I also take vitamins and calcium everyday along with my Vidazorb chewable probiotic which has many benefits (I read probiotics can even help with weight managment). This story is so encouraging and I am very glad to hear she is doing well and staying HEALTHY!!! Yay!! :)

[711711711]

Let me just preface this by saying I have never e.mailed,called, or spoke-up yet about weight because I'm writing a book, but I saw the segment this morning about the women that lost 150lbs and is as happy as a clam, well I'm 60 years old women, and I lost 151lbs in 1985 to go to my high school class reunion and losing the weight is only the tip of the iceburg, she's still flying high right now but wait there will come a time in the not so far future that it will start eating @ here and so on, yea light and airy works for now but just wait. sincerely, (dieing too overcome food) janice [e-mail]

[helloall34]

There is a big difference. You say: "I lost 151lbs in 1985 to go to my high school class reunion "

You may not think the reason behind the loss is important, but it is. It is indeed the maintenance of the weight loss that is the hard part. It is a permanent lifestyle change and you have to want it for no one else but yourself. I also don't think there is a one-size-fits -all solution. Everyone has to listen to advice, learn and find what works for them. I am down about 70 pounds and have kept it off for 5 years now. I am about to run my 6th marathon (been running for about 4 years). I don't advocate running marathons for weight loss, but I enjoy the big events so it keeps me going. The reason I do it is that, if possible I want to be around to see my grand kids grow up (and none have even been born yet :)). My dad died when my youngest was 5 years old, and I want to do whatever I can to be there for mine.

It is still a struggle every day. I really think of it as an addiction. I am simply the kind of person that, given a pie or a box of candy, won't stop at just 1-2 servings. I eat it until it is gone or until I am stuffed. However, most days now I win the battle and days that I don't and I don't dwell on failure, I just get back inline the next day. It is doable.