Just as everybody is unique, people approach weight loss differently. Some people focus on their diet. Others exercise. Still others need to feel a competitive edge.

Here are some ways people got inspired to reach their ideal weight.

TOM MACDONALD, Bath
LOST: 34 pounds
TIME PERIOD: 10.5 weeks
REGIMEN: Exercise every day for 1.5 hours, alternating among swimming, racketball and bicycling

Tom MacDonald belonged to Universe Gym in Bath, but only nominally.

"Maybe twice a week, I'd throw a Ring Ding in my mouth and work out at the gym until the Ring Ding was gone," MacDonald said.

Still, when the gymnasium's owner asked members to join a weight-loss contest, MacDonald's interest was piqued. Each contestant would put in $100; the "biggest loser" would walk off with $1,200.

MacDonald exercised every day from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Swimming, racquetball and bicycling all became part of the routine. He also watched what he ate.

MacDonald shed 34 pounds off his 5-foot-11-inch frame and is down to 204 pounds. It was helpful to see the other men in the gymnasium and "ask them what they're doing or make fun of them eating something they shouldn't be," he said.

"The money was the prize, but the motivation was really the competition," he said.

GARY CYR, Van Buren
LOST: Almost 100 pounds
TIME PERIOD: Two years
REGIMEN: Figured out which of his favorite foods were healthy and made them flavorful

When Gary Cyr was 34, he tipped the scales at 281 pounds ‚ too much for his 6-foot-2-inch frame. So Cyr decided he needed to take action by sitting down at his kitchen table and drawing up a list of the foods he liked best.

He crossed out starchy items such as bread, spaghetti ‚ which he ate at least four times a week ‚ and potatoes loaded with sour cream.

That left him with vegetables such as string beans and carrots ‚ foods that people try to spice up with pats of butter and salt. Cyr thought better of it.

He started putting spaghetti sauce on string beans, mustard on bean sprouts, a little ketchup on popcorn. The combinations were not found in any any diet books and raised eyebrows among his co-workers, but they worked for him.

"I just got to the point where I had to be inventive about making them flavorful and still not fattening," Cyr said.

Now 55 and a customs and border protection officer, he has managed to keep off the weight by adding walking to his weight-management regimen. Cyr usually walks for about an hour every other day or so. He said he no longer feels like a slug and is always motivated to live healthfully.

"After a while I got excited about how much weight I was losing," Cyr said.

AUDREY MARTIN, Portland
LOST: 20 pounds
TIME PERIOD: Six months
REGIMEN: Using every free moment to exercise about an hour a day

Audrey Martin has spent most of her life trying to control her weight. She participated in Weight Watchers on and off over the years, but it wasn't until several years ago that the accountant from Portland realized that the solution for her was exercise.

Tired of feeling as though her weight was on a roller coaster, she decided to make physical activity an integral part of her daily life.

"It's like a routine," said Martin, 50. "You get up, brush your teeth, go to the gym."

She hits the gymnasium a couple of times a week, lifting weights and working out on the treadmill and the elliptical machine; but her favorite time to exercise is during her lunch break.

She likes to power-walk around Portland and has found a computer program called GPS Pedometer that maps out her paths and how many calories she will burn if she completes the path. Lunch is put off until after the workout.

In the winter, Martin still tries to exercise outside because she finds it more stimulating than a gymnasium environment. She checks weather reports to see what the wind chill factor is.

"I'll go outside if it's 30 to 35 degrees and it's not too windy," Martin said.

The 5-foot-5-inch Martin was able to drop 20 pounds. For the last four years, she has maintained her weight around 170 pounds. She might tackle another challenge next.

"I still love my sweets and white breads. I bet I could lose another 10 pounds if I gave those up," Martin said.

Staff Writer Josie Huang can be contacted at 791-6364 or at: jhuang@pressherald.com

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