• January 08, 2007
• Vol. 67
• No. 1

Living Thin

By Ericka Sóuter

Congratulations! You've Lost Half Your Size! Next Step? Maintenance. For Mandy Muniz That Means Portion Control, Exercise and No Vending Machines

• 
• 
• 

From PEOPLE Magazine

At 293 lbs., San Antonio drama teacher and local theater actress Mandy Muniz was cast only as the chubby friend or the mom. "Never the ingenue," sighs Muniz, 31. So in April 2005, she joined LA Weight Loss, which provided her a customized plan. Paying about $10 a week for nutritional counseling, she began a portion-controlled diet and a food diary. Before then, "I ate when I could, usually out of a machine." By adding exercise, the 5'5" Muniz hit her goal of 130 lbs. in August 2006. Recently, she says, she lost another role, but this time, "because the director said I looked too great." Today Muniz, who is married to Rey, an Internet insurance adjuster, works hard to keep the weight off in the face of job stress and temptation. "There are times I've felt that I would never enjoy social events again," she admits. "But the benefits of staying healthy are way more important than cake."

NOW! 126 lbs.
SIZE 2

THEN 293 lbs.
SIZE 24

HER WEEKDAY ROUTINE

5:00 A.M. | ON THE MOVE
After she has a hard-boiled egg to "boost her metabolism," Muniz hits her home gym, first riding a stationary bike for an hour, then working out to Denise Austin's Fit & Lite show on Lifetime.

12:00 P.M. | LUNCH BREAK
The key to avoiding the lure of unhealthy snacks? "I have a different fruit at every meal," says Muniz (with students). "You've got to keep your body intrigued. You can't eat the same thing every day."

10:00 A.M. | CLASS ACTION
Stretching with students before a dress rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest, Muniz says, "There's no way I could have done that before." At nearly 300 lbs., "I used to just stand still and direct."

6:00 P.M. | GOOD MEASURE
Muniz whips up baked chicken with steamed squash and zucchini in just 30 minutes. The most important tool in her kitchen: a food scale. "I even take it to restaurants to weigh my meat entree," she says.

THE WEEKEND

9:00 A.M. | WEIGHING IN
Muniz meets each Saturday with Michelle Urdialez, a counselor at the LA Weight Loss Center where a pair of Muniz's old size-24 jeans hangs on the wall to inspire others. The check-ins, she says, keep her "on track."

10:30 A.M. | SPOUSAL SUPPORT
"We spend more time outdoors now," says Muniz (hiking in a state park with husband Rey, who has lost 40 lbs. since Mandy changed her own habits). "Before I didn't even have the energy to watch TV with him."

For more pictures, go to PEOPLE.COM/HALFTHEIRSIZE

• Contributors:
• Cary Cardwell/San Antonio.

More From This Article

"This is a part of the market I rarely looked at before," says Muniz, perusing the fresh produce at H-E-B grocery store near her San Antonio home. "The best rule: Shop around the outside wall of the market. You don't need to go into the center aisles. That's where they put processed foods."

Her Workout

• 5:00 A.M. Hops on the stationary bike while watching TV news. She increases the bike's resistance every six minutes.

• 5:12 A.M. While cycling, begins drinking a 64 oz. bottle of water.

• 6:00 A.M. Tunes TV to Denise Austin's Fit & Lite aerobics workout of kicks, punches and hamstring curls. Does sit-ups during commercials.

• 6:25 A.M. Yoga stretches for cool down.

• 6:30 A.M. Program switches to intense cardio kickboxing. Starts second bottle of water. Runs around the house during commercials to keep up her heart rate.

• 6:50 A.M. Showers.

AT THE MARKET

• Because she eats six servings a day, Muniz loads up on produce like spinach, broccoli, oranges and grapes.

• At the butcher: organic chicken, turkey and lower-fat cuts of beef, such as sirloin.

• Dairy: Fat-free milk, yogurt, eggs and string cheese. "Now I'm set for the week."

• Also: lite bread, water-packed tuna, fat-free dressings and Splenda.

A DAY'S MENU

• Breakfast: 8 oz. nonfat yogurt 12 strawberries 1 hard-boiled egg 1 slice 40-cal. bread with lite margarine

• A.M. Snack: L A Lite nutritional bar (170 calories; eight grams protein) 7 almonds

• Lunch: 6 oz. chicken 1 slice lite wheat toast (40 calories) with lite margarine 1 cup squash, baked 4 Brussels sprouts, baked plain 6 baby carrots 1 apple

• P.M. Snack: ½ cup no-sugar-added ice cream (100 calories)

• Dinner: 5 oz. baked turkey burger 1 cup lettuce 1 small tomato 8 oz. nonfat yogurt 1 plum

TOTAL DAILY CALORIES: 1,400