WASHINGTON (AP) — Surrounded all day and most
nights by delicious cakes, cookies, pies and more, Susie Morrison gave in to
temptation too often during long hours at work in the White House pastry
kitchen.
But no more.
Never a runner, the assistant pastry chef has
finished her first 5K run. When the weather cooperates, she pedals her bicycle
26 miles roundtrip to work.
She's eating more vegetables, limiting coffee and
drinking up to a gallon of water every day — dietary changes that Morrison says
helped her drop 30 pounds from her 5-foot-5 frame in about 18 months.
One person gets most of the credit for Morrison's
lifestyle makeover: Michelle Obama.
While the first lady's campaign to lower childhood
obesity rates will need time to produce results, if ever, the White House is
one place where her message about eating balanced meals and getting more
exercise is not only resonating, but showing results, too.
"She is a great inspiration for me to focus
every day to try harder, and I have," Morrison said.
Some of Morrison's colleagues are also taking the
message to heart — and the proof is in their waistlines. Four members of the
White House residence staff — Morrison, two chef colleagues and an assistant
curator — have lost more than 110 pounds since July 2010. They have kept the
weight off so far.
Executive chef Cristeta Comerford, now 15 pounds
lighter, said Mrs. Obama's campaign helped the group recognize their poor
eating habits.
Instead of the cookie she reached for daily,
Morrison, 44, said she now snacks on an apple or a handful of grapes.
Comerford often lined up a cup of coffee, a can of
soda and a can of Red Bull and sipped from all three during the day.
Assistant chef Adam Collick cut out hundreds of
calories by eliminating a daily coffee fix — three 20-ounce cups topped with
whipped cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. He and Comerford have replaced
their caffeinated drinks mostly with calorie-free water. They still drink
coffee, but stop at two cups a day.
Collick also has cut down on mindless eating and is
limiting dessert to a few times a week, instead of with every meal. Those
changes and about an hour of exercise most days have helped the 46-year-old
lose 30 pounds. He said consistency is important for good results.
"Once you see the changes in your body and the
way you feel, it's going to make you want to keep doing it," said Collick,
who became a de facto coach to colleagues battling the bulge. The 25-year
veteran of the White House kitchen helped motivate them to stick with their
programs or get back on track after they'd overdone it a little.
Overdoing it is easy as a chef in a place where
there are few food-free functions — ranging from receptions and dinners for
hundreds of visitors to lunch for President Barack Obama and a guest in his
private dining room off the Oval Office. One occupational hazard for the chefs
is having to taste the food during all stages of preparation to check the
flavorings, a seemingly simple task that when performed again and again every
day can jeopardize anyone's well-intentioned efforts to eat right.
If not careful, Collick said, the chefs could
easily eat an entire meal just by tasting their way through the work day.
"We're preparing really good food so it's
really very easy to just snack all the time," added Comerford.
Comerford, 47, said she wanted more stamina to keep
up with her 10-year-old daughter, a competitive gymnast, and to set an example
with her smart food choices. The family sticks to a balanced diet of whole
grains, low-fat proteins and plenty of vegetables but will loosen up enough on
weekends to enjoy a hamburger or equally indulgent meal.
That's the basic advice Mrs. Obama dispenses — that
losing weight doesn't have to mean deprivation. The first lady has said french
fries are her favorite food and she also has been taken to task from time to
time after being spotted at burger joints around town.
Assistant curator Lydia Tederick said she lost more
than 35 pounds after signing up for Weight Watchers and joining a gym with her
husband. They work out at least three times a week, and Tederick said she
spends most Saturday mornings at the farmer's market stocking up on fresh fruit
and vegetables.
Her initial goal was just to lose weight so she
could fit into her clothing better.
"But now my goal is to maintain my weight, to
tone up, be more fit, and I would love to have arms that look as fabulous as
Mrs. Obama's," Tederick said.
Jim White, a spokesman for the American Dietetic
Association, applauded the employees. He said studies have shown that having a
partner in weight loss aids the process.
"Losing weight is not the easiest thing to do
or we wouldn't have overweight in this country," said White, a registered
dietitian and personal trainer in Virginia Beach, Va.
Morrison, who has worked in the pastry kitchen
since 1995, said she gained weight after giving up exercise because of injuries
and not paying attention to her diet. After deciding it was time to refocus on
her fitness, Morrison said she would envision herself working out and getting
healthier and stronger.
"I persevered and it's nice to come to this
point and have happy results," she said.
Perseverance will be important for Morrison in the
days ahead. White House chefs will soon begin preparing for a holiday season
that, despite Mrs. Obama's focus on eating healthier, still serves up
traditional, calorie-laden fare at dozens of parties and receptions that jam
the calendar between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
Photo
Caption: In this May 20, 2011 file photo, White House chefs, from left,
executive chef Chriseta Comerford, Adam Collick, and Susie Morrison, prepare
salads in the kitchen of the White House in Washington. While the first lady's
campaign to lower childhood obesity rates will need time to produce results, if
ever, the White House is one place where her message about eating balanced
meals and getting more exercise is not only resonating, but showing results,
too. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
