March 2007
First Take: Losses and Gains Print
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BEFORE
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AFTER
It was a bit misleading of People magazine to feature Ethelyn Abellanosa in its “Half Their Size” issue. At 155 pounds, she’s actually closer to two-fifths of her former weight. Abellanosa, a 1993 graduate of the UW and an administrator at the Henry Art Gallery, lost more than 200 pounds in less than two years. She did it, she says, not by dieting but by adopting a healthy lifestyle that features responsible eating and regular exercise. When she reached her target weight in February 2006, she entered Weight Watchers’ Most Inspiring Story of the Year contest and won the grand prize for the West. That led to two appearances on the Today show, one on the Tyra Banks Show and a profile in People. But the true prize has been “finally living a full and exciting life,” she says. “Tomorrow I’m going snowshoeing for the first time.”