NOW!
125 LBS.
HEIGHT 5'6" SIZE 4

BEFORE
253 LBS.
SIZE 18

ALY AVILES was inspired by OLGA ARIAS

"I grew up just like she did," says Aviles of Olga Arias, whose 130-lb. weight loss was featured in Half Their Size 2002. "I was a few years older, and coming from Hispanic families, we always had to clean our plates," says Aviles, 52, a retired nurse from Tahlequah, Okla. After a few false dieting starts, she eventually decided "I want to be one of these people" in the magazine. She cut out junk food and joined Curves, a gym for women. In two years she dropped 128 lbs. and reached an important milestone: "I can climb the jungle gym with my granddaughters" Aly, 3, and Maggie, 6. Also new: dancing weekly with her fiancé, a dance instructor. And, she says, "I don't feel invisible anymore."

NOW!
150 LBS.
HEIGHT 5'6" SIZE 6

BEFORE
330 LBS.
SIZE 32

STEPHANIE BENNETT was inspired by CRISTY MCADAMS

At 330 lbs., "being a bridesmaid was the worst," says Bennett, 28, a Salem, Ore., medical assistant, who was in three wedding parties in 2001. For one, "I had to order huge panels of material for my dresses to fit." You would think she never wanted to look at another bride. But a photo in HTS 2004 of formerly 297-lb. Cristy McAdams smiling and thin on her wedding day touched her. "She was confident in her dress; I wanted that feeling," says Bennett, who began daily cardio workouts and, like McAdams, who lost 162 lbs., joined Weight Watchers. By June '07 Bennett hit her goal. "I never dreamed I'd be a size 6," she says. "Now I just need another friend to get married so I can show it off."

NOW!
162 LBS.
HEIGHT 5'10" SIZE 10

BEFORE
285 LBS.
SIZE 24

SUSAN CALDWELL was inspired by ANGELA HEFEL

A photo of Angela Hefel in the 2006 HTS issue stopped Susan Caldwell cold in a Raleigh, N.C., grocery store. "Her 'before' picture looked like me," says Caldwell, who, like Hefel, is a mom of small children. "Angela said that at age 31 [and 297 lbs.] she realized those were supposed to be the best years of her life, but she was in the worst shape of her life." Staring at Hefel's 135-lb. "after" photo, Caldwell, then 31, thought, "I should be able to do this too." She started walking 45 minutes, five days a week, and stopped eating her kids' chicken fingers. By adding weight lifting, she lost 123 lbs. by November '07. The change "has even improved my marriage," says Caldwell, now 33. "When you feel good about yourself, it affects everyone around you."