Before: 204 lbs.
After: 150 lbs.
Program used: LA Weight Loss


With seven happy, healthy children under her roof to feed, clothe and care for, Lexine Saunders was the picture of the all-American mom. But over the years, in tending to her flock, Lexine, now 44, forgot the mother of all needs: taking care of her own health.

By 2005, Lexine, 5-foot-7, was tipping the scale at 204 lbs. Weight-related knee and back pain benched the Rexburg, Idaho, homemaker when the rest of the family (including hubby David, now 47, and kids Marica, 23; Nathan, 22; Curtis, 20; Darren, 18; Camille, 13; Jacob, 10; and Aaron, 6) took hikes and bike rides. “David said I was missing out on fun with the kids because of my weight,” recalls Lexine. “He wasn’t being malicious, but as a mother, this comment broke my heart.”

It also propelled Lexine to join LA Weight Loss right away. “I knew I had to get into shape — and get involved in my family’s lives.”

Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish

“With nine mouths to feed, we have to be frugal,” says Lexine. So in addition to sewing a lot of the kids’ clothes, Lexine also makes most of her family’s food from scratch — even bread.

Thanks to the LA Weight Loss counselors, Lexine discovered how her feeding habits caused her to struggle with weight gain while her husband and children stayed trim. “I used to save fruit I bought, like apples and oranges, for David’s and the kids’ lunches, then I would just eat whatever starchy leftovers we had from the night before,” she says. Sacrificing fresh produce for calorie-heavy carbs was a key reason Lexine packed on pounds!

Finding a Moment to Lose

Lexine started to buy fresh fruit for herself, too. “I realized it really wasn’t that expensive!” she recalls. She began to replace some of the meat in her homemade casseroles with veggies.

And then, to save costs, Lexine planted a small garden in the backyard. Gardening became a fun form of exercise for Lexine (it burns more than 350 calories an hour!). She also started squeezing in an early-morning walk each day with a friend. “Having an exercise buddy makes it easier for me to get up at 5 a.m., before the rest of my family is awake,” she says. “By the time I come home to get the kids ready for school, I’m energized and ready to tackle my day.”

So far, Lexine has dropped 54 lbs. and five dress sizes. “Weighing 150 lbs. used to seem like wishful thinking, but now I’m a size 8 — not an 18!” Most important, with her joint pain nearly gone, Lexine spends her time doing what she loves the most: “This past summer we built a family cabin, and I could work alongside my husband and hold my own physically,” she says. “But how far my health has come really hit home for me over the holidays, when my entire family went to the gym to play a game of basketball. Finally, I got to play, too — no more watching from the sidelines!”