Through thick and thin - Personal trainer finds her groove

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On her journey from a 227-pound woman to a svelte, muscular 120-pound trainer, Joanne Hale learned a lot about metabolism, nutrition and the psychology of obesity.

After two decades of yo-yo dieting, Hale developed from a "chubby" teen (about 130 lbs at five foot two) to a morbidly obese thirty-something married mother of one.

She'd done her share of hiking, yoga, even tried out a gym, but felt unwelcome as a fat person.

"And I went through all the diets. They all help you put on weight and mess up your metabolism."

Hale started to examine her food choices when she was at her heaviest at 227 lbs.

"Unfortunately, I ate too much and I didn't want to go on a diet. So I modified the way I ate - less fat, less sugar. And now, I am very very careful about what I eat.

"The payoff for being this size," says Hale, at a slim, toned 120 lbs, "is much greater than the payoff from any food I might eat. It's incomparable."

It was in September 2003, when she lost her administrative position at a local elementary school, that Hale gave in to a friend's coaxing and joined Glebe Fitness on Bank Street.

"And I thought, 'I'm comfortable here. I'm okay here.' So, that's what I did for a year and a half, went to the gym, worked out all morning, picked up my son from school at lunch, had lunch with him at home, took him back to school, went to work in the afternoon, and picked up my son after school. That was my life. I didn't do anything else."

After three months, Hale stepped on a scale and discovered she'd lost 15 lbs. This is when she became truly dedicated to her goal, and hired a personal trainer.

"Something clicked for me this time. Something was different. I worked hard six days a week. Nothing got in my way. I had to be at the gym. If I could breathe, I went.

"And I didn't want anyone to know until it was all over, so I wore a heavy winter coat."

Why so secretive?

"You learn a lot about the psychology of obesity," Hale confesses. "What you have to face is that you are not just fat because you ate too much. There is something in your life that you excuse with your weight."

Hale reached her goal last year, just before she turned 40. It was an arduous 18-month journey.

"There were times when the fear of what I was doing would grip me. The fear of being thin. The fear of actually overcoming it. The horror of having to maintain it for the rest of my life. Sometimes I would want to throw up."

But Hale's perseverance paid off and she was surprised at the results, not just how she looked, but how people reacted to her.

"People said silly things, asked me if I was ill. I'd tell them it's the best thing I ever did, because it's brought me so many positive changes, a greater understanding of myself and . . . a job I love!"

Once Hale reached her goal, and after six months of training and certification, she became a personal trainer and admits now she's staying fit for the long term.

"I have a vested interest in maintaining my shape, because it's my job, and I love working with other people."

Hale works as a personal trainer and leads classes in spinning and aerobics at Glebe Fitness Centre. She also works with clients in their homes and at other fitness centres in the city.

"I am respected for what I do and I never had that before. I am respected for my work ethic, my dedication and my knowledge. Losing weight has changed my life and my relationships. I feel a lot differently about myself and people treat me differently."

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Susan Hickman