Team Dancing

Tari Mathews says “Winning Weighs” has changed her life in ways she could only dream of when she was overweight.

The 52-year-old Bellingham resident had no idea the solution would be an innovative weight-loss program at Bellingham Athletic Club, involving a high-tech approach, along with discipline instilled by personal trainer Kaylee Gardner.

Mathews teaches special education at Nooksack Valley Middle School. Gardner, 24, a former Washington State University triple jumper and all-state soccer player at Bellingham High School, and Mathews talked about the program.

Question: Tari, you don’t look overweight.

Mathews: Since I became one of the original members of the new program in August, I’ve lost more than 12 pounds and I’m down to 184 pounds on my 5-foot-6 frame. My goal is to weigh 160 and to be the size 12 I’ve always dreamed of. I once weighed 233.

Q: Have you always had trouble with your weight?

Mathews: I’ve played golf and worked out now and then, but never with regular dedication. I have always loved food and I love to cook; I guess I just never really wanted to diet. What it has taken is three days a week of workouts and a strict nutritional program.

Q: What is that “Bodybugg” thing you’re wearing on your arm?

Mathews: It’s a high-tech device that measures my body temperature. It helps calculate calories burned and calories consumed, and provides analysis when it’s hooked up to a computer.

Gardner: It’s just a much more scientific approach. We give our people the option of buying their Bodybugg when their weight-loss sessions are finished.

Q: How did you learn about the program?

Mathews: I was already a member of the BAC and I was always complaining about my weight to my friend Janet Rhoades. So she told me I just had to look into this program. When I turned 50, I told myself I just have to get this weight off.

I just knew having a personal trainer would push me a lot harder than I could ever push myself. That also includes our nutritionist, Kellie Furlan, who has taught me so much about what triggers your desire to eat.

Q: Kaylee, are you convinced this works?

Gardner: If you’re working out regularly and getting the right nutrition, you’re definitely going to see a difference. Genetics plays a role for some people, but everyone can see a difference if they’re dedicated enough.

Q: Tari, was genetics part of your weight problem?

Mathews: Definitely. I come from a family of obese women. My mother had a stroke at 53, and diabetes runs in our family.

Q: Tari, how important is good nutrition?

Mathews: I guess I just needed to be told how vital nutrition is, how to exchange high-caloric intake for low-caloric strategies.

Q: Are your workouts interesting?

Mathews: They are customized and they’re absolutely never boring. I walk out soaking wet from my workouts and I reek! But I’ve never been an athlete, and working out has never felt so great.

Q: So you recommend this approach?

Mathews: You bet! I’ve posted fliers around my school.”

The article reveals how fat loss is not only possible but also easy and quick.