East Hampton woman slowly drops weight on Weight Watchers

Trina Sullivan says she was average size until the late 1980s when she started putting on unwanted weight. She would periodically lose a lot of it on Weight Watchers or, for a brief time, prescription weight loss medication, but couldn’t keep it off. “I lost the same 50 pounds four or five times,” Sullivan says.

To stay active after retiring in 2014 and because she liked the social aspect of Weight Watchers meetings, Sullivan rejoined the program. In fact, she goes to two meetings each week.

“I pay by the month and can go to an unlimited amount of meetings,” she said. The weight started coming off but very slowly. Sullivan says it took her three years to lose about 60 pounds, sometimes as little as 2/10 of a pound a week.

“For two summers I didn’t actively diet but went down two pants sizes anyway. It was from walking my own dogs and the rescue dogs at the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons. It’s also good for my heart and blood pressure,” says Sullivan.

Sullivan, confident she’ll keep the weight off this time, says, “That’s the advantage of losing slowly. It’s become habit. I’ve made it part of my life.”

An average breakfast for Sullivan is oatmeal with two ounces of plain Greek yogurt, fresh fruit and a tablespoon of almonds mixed in plus a cup of coffee. She snacks midmorning on either an orange or an apple. Lunch can be turkey or canned tuna with salsa, lettuce and pickles on high-protein, low-sugar multigrain bread. Her afternoon snack is either another piece of fruit or, if she’s really hungry, a Kashi protein bar. Dinner is either grilled chicken, salmon or pork chops with vegetables, brown rice and always a “gigantic salad.” She usually ends her day with yogurt and fruit and almonds stirred in.

Sullivan gets in 5,000 to 13,000 steps a day walking dogs, both her own and the rescue dogs. “Only snow or sickness stops me,” she says.

SEE PHOTOSHow did these 150 LIers drop up to 320 lbs. each?

“Be patient with yourself. Eat real food” — not processed food.