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Karyn Slepian, 54, of Dix Hills, at left in September...

Karyn Slepian, 54, of Dix Hills, at left in September 2016 when she weighed 217 pounds, and after her 75-pound weight loss. Credit: Composite; Amanda Brown; Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.

Karyn Slepian

54, Dix Hills

Occupation Office manager at her husband’s medical practice

Height 5-foot-2

Before 217 pounds, August 2017

After 142 pounds, February 2018

Karyn Slepian says she gained weight after her first pregnancy 27 years ago. “Once you become a mother you don’t seem to focus on anything else but your kids,” says Slepian, adding that she gained even more weight after her second pregnancy.

At age 40 she joined LA Weight Loss, a storefront organization of meal plans, counseling and branded nutritional supplements and snacks, and lost 60 pounds. When her husband broke his leg twice in nine months between 2004 and 2005, Slepian says she didn’t handle the ordeal in a healthy way.

“It brought on a lot of stress. I started eating the stress and put all the weight, and then some, back on.”

She turned to Weight Watchers this time. “It’s real food. No supplements, shakes or snacks. And you can plan your day the way you want. I have a Yodel every night after dinner. I save points for it. I need that little sweetness at the end of the day.”

Slepian had a steady weight loss and says the program “is self-propelling. It keeps you conscientious and focused on what you’re eating. If I see I gained a half pound overnight, I drink extra water and eat a little better the next day.” In total, Slepian has lost 75 pounds.

Slepian has oatmeal with a banana and blueberries for breakfast. Lunch is usually leftovers from the previous night’s dinner or soup she makes in her instant pot. “The instant pot has been an absolute blessing. I can make really good soup like lentil or pea soup in a half-hour — all zero points. It’s a heavy, nutritious and protein-packed soup.” For dinner, she usually makes a Weight Watchers-recommended recipe. Her favorite is a Bolognese sauce with white fiber pasta. She snacks on fruit or some pretzel sticks.

Slepian says she was never an exerciser until she saw an advertisement in September for kickboxing. Always a professional boxing fan, she signed up and has been attending classes three times a week since. “It’s an intense one-hour workout and has been life changing for me.”

“It’s about self-care. You are just as important as everyone else. . . . You can find recipes that you and your family like. I have a bean chili recipe for when my daughter, who is a vegan, comes over. There’s also a turkey chili recipe that my family likes. You can make it work.”

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