CHARLESTON, W.Va. – While Cara Slider was never really fat, she longed to be thin enough to feel good in the clothes she wanted to wear.
Following that dream recently landed her a spot on national television in a Weight Watchers commercial.
But let’s start at the beginning of her success story.
The Tyler County native graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University in 2009 and moved to a new city to begin a career in public relations.
“When I moved to Louisville, it was my first grown-up move to a city where I didn’t know anyone,” said Slider, 28. “It was a transition period and an opportunity to make life what I wanted, to make changes for the better.”
Slider was 25 when she moved to Kentucky. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall with a weight that fluctuated between 145 and 150 pounds.
“I was never technically overweight,” she said. “A doctor never told me to lose weight, but I didn’t have the body I wanted. I moved here in June of 2009 and joined Weight Watchers in August.”
She reached her current weight of 117 in April of 2010 and has maintained it since then.
She said her weight seesawed for the first few months because traveling made it difficult.
Slider is a public relations specialist for Atria Senior Living, a company that manages 127 independent and assisted living facilities in 27 states.
“I travel 35 percent of the time,” she said. “I would travel and fall off the wagon. I was tracking as best I could.”
She found the answer was joining Weight Watchers online. She could access the plan through her iPhone and develop a support system by talking to fellow members online.
She has become an expert at eating healthy at home as well as out of town to maintain her weight and energy level.
“I feel amazing,” she said. “I don’t want to lose that feeling. I’m more of a go-getter now. I know I can accomplish anything with goals and a strategy to get there.”
She got to her current weight by facing one hurdle at a time.
When Slider first began her healthy eating plan, she couldn’t afford a gym membership. Instead, she began running outdoors and collecting assorted exercise DVDs for working out in her living room. She still does all of that and has added yoga to her routine. She also loves biking and hiking.
She took control on work trips by planning ahead.
“If I’m traveling for work for more than two days, I call ahead and book a hotel with a gym,” she said. “I ask the hotel if there is a fridge in the room. If there isn’t, they will put one in the room. Some people need one for medication. I get a room with a microwave if I can. I Google to see where the markets are and I go grocery shopping.”
Slider has a “go-to” grocery list and stocks her hotel room with ingredients for healthy meals.
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