Before: 190
After: 140
Program used: Weight Watchers

A wardrobe crisis over the holidays eight years ago was what made Jill Mandia, now 37, realize that she’d hit rock bottom. She was searching her closet to find something special to wear — but she couldn’t fit into any of her size 18 clothing. At 190 lbs., Jill knew her weight had already put her health in danger — in fact, several doctors had warned her about sky-high blood pressure and implored her to slim down — but it was the thought of shopping for yet another larger dress size that spurred the Beverly, Mass., native to action.

With five days to go before Christmas, Jill joined Weight Watchers with a co-worker and launched her diet. “A lot of people asked why I didn’t wait until Jan. 1,” Jill says. “But I knew that if I was strong enough to resist temptation during the holidays, I could do it any time of year.”

Her Biggest Challenge

Indeed, the family’s festivities over those next few days really put Jill, a sweet-tooth junkie, to the test. “It seemed like M&M’s and little peanut butter cups were everywhere I turned,” she says. But once Jill looked up the Weight Watchers Points values, she was “shocked” by how many calories the tiny treats contained: “These beautiful little cookies, decorated with green and red sprinkles, have a horrifying amount of fat!”

So whenever she was about to put a jolly-looking, but calorie-laden, treat into her mouth, Jill asked herself out loud, “Is this really worth it?” Her answer was usually “No.” Jill also kept reminding herself of the real reason she was socializing: “I’d keep saying to myself, ‘I didn’t come to the party for the food, I came to catch up with old friends.’ ” Not only did Jill, a single mother of Paige, now 5, manage not to gainweight that memorable Christmas, but the 5-foot-10 former special-education teacher actually lost 3 lbs. during her first week of dieting!

Dropping 7 Dress Sizes!

Bolstered by her ability to curb her cravings over the holidays, Jill continued to lose a steady 2 to 3 lbs. per week over the next six months. By June 1999, she reached her target goal weight of 140 lbs. Today, Jill’s still as dedicated to lifelong dieting success as she was that first December.

With her blood pressure under control and a closet full of clothes that fit just right, Jill’s life is just as sweet without all the chocolate and cookies she used to devour. “I have to manage my eating for the rest of my life to stay healthy,” Jill contends. “But it’s well worth it.” Even during Christmas-party season: “The only holiday outfits I used to fit into were shapeless dresses or elastic-band skirts with baggy sweaters. Now I’m a size 4, and I wear pants that show off the waist I never knew I had!”