May 23, 2008 8:59 pm US/Eastern
Geneva Grad Drops Weight, Grabs Mag Cover
NORTH VERSAILLES (KDKA) ―
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Jessica Kramer, of North Versailles, is having her inspirational story featured in the latest People Magazine.
KDKA
When she started college at 18-years old a local woman weighed 245 pounds, but now, as a Geneva College graduate, she's more than 100 pounds lighter.
Now, Jessica Kramer, of North Versailles, is having her inspirational story featured in the latest People Magazine.
"It was always a struggle for me to go outside and play sports and be active in general because I was shy about my weight," she said.
In elementary school, she said kids made fun of her.
"There were kids that would call her fat on the bus. I remember specifically, her fifth birthday I think it was, she got off the school bus and had a birthday crown on her head and they were teasing her, because they had to make it so big for her head," said her mom, Susan Kramer.
For years, Susan says she tried unsuccessfully to help her daughter lose weight, but when Kramer started college everything changed.
"That was the first time I think in a long time I realized how people perceive me, affects how they'll treat me," she said.
Kramer says she decided she not only wanted to get the weight off, but she wanted to be healthier than some of her family members.
"My dad struggles with his weight and also one of my grandparents," Kramer said. "I saw that in them and just kind of stepped on the scale and saw my future, and thought, if I don't do this now, I'm never going to be able to turn my health around."
Kramer says she started off drinking Slim Fast for breakfast and lunch and ate a normal dinner.
In addition, she says she counts calories and runs or walks five miles a day. But there is one guilty pleasure she still allows herself once a week.
"I love donuts. I wake up and I go to Dunkin Donuts," she said.
Kramer say the key to her weight loss success is to take it one day at a time.
The new People Magazine featuring Kramer's story hits the stands today.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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