She Did It! Julie Douglis

After a sports injury, Julie’s daughter quickly gained 15 pounds. Julie changed the family’s diet, and ended up losing weight herself, too!

by Fitsmi Staff

Two years ago, Julie Douglis’s 16-year-old daughter, Diandra, a serious tennis player, injured herself and couldn’t work out for three months. In that time, she gained 15 pounds.  “Up till then she could eat a horse a day,” says Douglis, 54, of North Houston, Texas.

Julie wanted to help.  It also happened to be her area of expertise — she’s a weight and wellness counselor, helping people reach their goals.  Still, it’s another thing when it’s your own child.

What did Julie do?

“I suggested that Diandra limit her grains to a once a day,” she says. “This meant if she had wheat toast for breakfast, no rice or pasta for lunch or dinner.”

Julie also encouraged Diandra to eat lean protein, like turkey bacon, and replace grains with plenty of veggies and fruit every day. The one exception to the one-grain rule was if the family ate out and had sushi, Diandra’s favorite.  “Then she could have carbs twice a day,” says Julie, because sushi includes rice.

Following this routine, Diandra lost the extra 15 pounds in about ten weeks. “This was not a super strict diet and it really worked for her,” says Julie.

Douglis knows about weight loss from personal experience. At 49, she was told she could no longer use birth control pills. She gained about 10 pounds in the following year: “My metabolism was slowing down, and I was downing too many Starbucks and biscotti every week,” she recalls. When she went up a dress size -- and soon THAT was getting tight -- she decided it was time to do something.  She started with an at-home exercise program. While watching her favorite TV shows, she would do leg lifts, crunches, sit ups, and so forth. She cut the Starbucks to a once-a-week treat (“I love caramel macchiato!”).  She tossed cookies from the house, and started eating breakfast so she wouldn’t snack all morning. She also changed her lunch routine.

“Now I try to eat broiled or baked fish or chicken with veggies,” she says. “No more fried or fast food.”

For the last two-and-a-half years, Julie's weight has hovered around 110-112 pounds, normal for a 5’3  “very small-boned girl.”

Julie's dedication to healthy eating then extended beyond her family to the community.  She’s now working with the head nurse of a school district in Conroe, TX to implement a pilot program in the grade school. “We want to get the parents to learn what a real healthy meal is for their kids…not rice, beans, tortillas, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and cokes.”

MORE OF JULIE’S TIPS:

What’s the top food-related change you made in your house?

No junk food. Remember, YOU are the Mom! This is about your child’s health. Be sympathetic, but if your child was allergic to peanut butter you wouldn’t give it to them. If your child is overweight, it’s going to cause health problems sooner or later.

What’s your favorite healthy recipe?

It’s not a recipe, it’s a whole meal: broiled tuna steaks marinated in soy sauce for 10 minutes with broccoli and baby carrots, steamed lightly with maybe a cup of Japanese soup (chicken stock with a few sliced mushrooms and green onions) and rice.

What else would you like to change in your own life or your family’s?

The amount of go-go stress in our family.

What was the most important way you helped your daughter with her weight issues?

Teaching her it could be handled in a positive, non-judgmental way. We can do this!

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Catch an interview with Julie's daughter Diandra on Fitsmi.com, a website for plus-sized teen girls who want to make healthy changes.

  Published July 6, 2010