Article details efforts by family to lose weight and keep it off

Seeing her newly trim figure in a national magazine is one of the best rewards Melanie Lankheit received after a two-year battle to lose more than 150 pounds.

Lankheit, her husband Cliff and son Kevin, are featured in the Dec. 13 issue of Woman's World. The family lost a combined 400 pounds by changing their diets, eating smaller portions and adding exercise to their daily activities.

On Friday night, Lankheit and her husband were standing in the check-out line at Wal-Mart, when she noticed the current issue of Woman's World.

"I've been looking for it every time I go to the store because I knew it was supposed to be out soon and then on Friday night, I saw it," she said. "It was so exciting!"

After buying most of the copies off the stand, Lankheit immediately informed her son and daughter, Lauri, about the issue.

"My daughter went out and bought several copies," she said. "And Kevin, who is getting his master's degree at Murray, was supposed to go out and buy some copies, too."

Before and after

The two-page feature spread in Women's World chronicles their weight loss success and has several pictures of the family, before and after the weight came off.

Carolyn Campbell, a freelance writer and author of the article, had been in contact with the Lankheits since March.

Lankheit said Campbell does freelance work for People, Woman's Day and Woman's World magazines. The family originally thought the article was going to be published in People.

Freelance photographer, Louie DeCourley, photographed the family in October at their Jackson home and at the City Park.

"It was a thrill to work with these people and go through the interview process," said Lankheit, who works at the Southeast Missourian. "The article was so well-written."

The family joined Weight Watchers more than two years ago. Both Lankheit and her son have reached their weight loss goal; she said her husband is still trying to meet his goal.

In the beginning, Lankheit said the biggest challenge of losing weight was trying to control her cravings.

"Now it's harder to try and keep the weight off," she said.

Daily trips to a local gym, even during her lunch breaks, and being conscious of what she's eating, are part of Lankheit's new lifestyle.

"You do eventually stop craving the sweets and fried foods," Lankheit said. "Now I crave good things, like my steamed vegetables and grilled salmon."

Lankheit's friends have told her the family's story is very inspiring, which is what she hopes the Woman's World feature article will do for others.

Woman's World is a weekly magazine, published in New Jersey.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 131