Mechanicville woman wins weight loss battle twice

Shannon Newhouse of Mechanicville lost 188 pounds 10 years ago. It was a remarkable story that made national news in People Magazine and on national news shows.

Unfortunately, Newhouse gained that weight back. At one point, she says she was 325 pounds.

Since her weight loss had served as a sort of rallying cry for others who were looking to get healthy, putting the weight back on was devastating. She couldn’t even bring herself to attend family get-togethers.

Newhouse knows now she had gotten carried away by her success a decade ago. There was no way she could sustain the extremely limited diet she was allowing herself. When those first few pounds reappeared, she essentially gave up.

By the time the pandemic hit, she was back to an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. Suddenly working from home she thought about her daughter and family, and how she felt her weight was impacting all of them. Her journey began again.

She didn’t have time or money for a gym, so she started walking – then running. First a mile, and eventually four. She went back to counting calories, just not to an extreme this time.

Now she says she’s found a better balance and a more sustainable weight where she feels like herself.

Learn more about how she was able to lose all the weight a second time without eliminating things like Happy Meals and wine, and if she’s worried about the weight coming back again by watching the video of Jerry Gretzinger’s story.