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AYER -- Heather Hasz had begun her weight-loss strategy.
"I immediately wanted to see change. Armand (Cherry, personal trainer) said we have to look at your diet," said Heather. "I didn't have half the equation -- the eating part. I wasn't making concessions."
*Heather turned to the online Weight Watchers program, which she said is "great for working moms" and provided great online tools. With once-weekly weigh-ins performed at home, Hasz said "the weight started to fall off."
Heather plunged into a daily cardio routine, plus twice weekly one-on-one weight training with free weights and strength-building machines. She ran out of work daily at lunch time, worked out for an hour, "Hit the gym, shower and be back at work. I'd eat lunch at my desk."
But meals were retooled. Hasz chose to follow the Weight Watchers core program, in which 10 sensible core food groups are listed. "It sounds restrictive, but it forced you to look at foods," said Heather. "Fruits, vegetables, low- to no-fat dairy, lean protein and whole grains."
Gone were white pastas and rice, replaced by 100 percent whole wheat and whole-grain options. No more processed foods. "Now, if I wanted to make chicken nuggets, I'd get the chicken and make it from scratch. "
To make the change, the house was brought on board. At his heaviest, 6 foot 2 inches tall, husband Earl tipped the scales at 230 pounds. Now Earl is at 200 pounds and cycles
"We saw a change in our relationship as well," said Heather. "We were sedentary." But it was a slow switch over.
The girls were on board, too. Heather said the goal was to "get them just as excited about eating sweet potatoes as any other food." But Heather said she remained "respectful" of the teenagers' food wants.
Boxed mac and cheese is still purchased on occasion. "But it's one box instead of the five-pack," said Heather. "If I go to Hannaford and the kids want dessert, I buy a little box of bakery cookies versus a box of Oreos. To get a grip on it, I had to detox our home of foods and then bring some back in gradually."
If they wanted chicken parmesan, it was made with panko and low fat cheese. The girls are largely onboard with the healthier eating regime. "My daughter only wants turkey burgers," said Heather.
Anne is sitting on the couch listening. She said Heather cooks a lot from recipes she sees on the Food Network. Anne said she loves Heather's chicken cordon bleu, made with shredded low-fat cheese and a piece of deli ham rolled up and baked with sprinkled panko. "It's just simple," said Anne, "but good."
"They ask for it now," said Heather.
Within a year, Heather lost 12 inches around her waistline and dropped to 184 pounds.
With the help of the online Couch-to-5K Running Program, Heather pushed herself to participate in both the Bresnahan 5K and the Ayer Fire Department Thanksgiving 5K in 2007. She started by running a bit, then walking, slowly increasing the run time. "Over the course of six to eight weeks, I developed the ability to basically run a 5K. I turned from a walker into a runner."
In the summer of 2010, Heather ran the 10K Falmouth Road Race in mid August. In May 2011, Heather traveled to Boulder, Colo., for a 10K which peaked at 5,200 feet above sea level. "That was a pretty challenging race."
Earl has also taken flight, riding in five Pan Massachusetts Challenges, also riding in a 150-mile Harpoon Ale ride, and is training for his second ride up Mount Washington on bike. "We tease each other. He's the cyclist and I'm the runner. Our joke is we're two-thirds of a triathlon team. We just need a swimmer."
As Heather's story started to spread, "I started to get messages from people on social media who want to talk about what I'm doing. I get messaged from people who ask about it and what I've done and how I've done it. I love to talk about it, because I feel like I may even inspire someone to make even the smallest change when they see that I'm just a normal person doing this."
"I never feel like I'm preaching to anybody but its straight up hard work. That's the key. Sometimes they're ready to hear that and sometimes they're not," said Heather. "I'm not perfect. I'm still not where I need to be weight-wise," said Hasz.
Last October, Heather completed the Smutty Nose Half Marathon at Hampton Beach. "I ran the whole thing and Earl was at the finish line. It was a huge moment. There were tears, a little bit of nausea -- it's overwhelming to realize that you've pushed yourself to that point."
"This is the reality. That reality is that I've been able to successfully do it with the support of my friends and family," said Heather.
Heather's next stop is to run the full marathon course at Hampton Beach. "Walk, run or crawl, I'm going to cross that finish line," smiled Heather. She turns 40 in December.
"I believe that I'm a better person when I run or the days I exercise," said Heather. Food is no longer a dear friend. "Running has become my outlet. When I'm out on the road, there's a lot I think out. Sometimes it's not pretty, sometimes there are still demons that tell me I can't finish."
"It didn't happen overnight. There were dark moments. There were times I gained weight," said Heather. "There were moments of victory. You just have to honestly buy into the fact that it's a complete lifestyle change. To think its immediate is to set yourself up for disappointment."
"That's the battle," said Heather. "The battle is against yourself."
