Taking 'Lead Well by Living Well' to Heart

Deanna Zotalis before and after her 90-pound weight loss inspired by Live Well San Diego.

After a lifelong struggle with weight, Deanna Zotalis has lost 90 pounds and kept it off for the past five months, crediting both a diet plan and some inspiring words from the CAO.

Zotalis, the operations chief for HHSA in North County, had tried diet after diet for more than 30 years searching for the answer to her quest for a healthy weight. But she finally found the right motivation in a message from Helen Robbins-Meyer to “Lead Well by Living Well.”

“I love that expression. County employees are in a leadership role in our communities,” she said. “So I decided to take steps to improve my own health.”

Zotalis said she had been on every diet you can name since she was 10 years old. When she finally got to the Medi-fast plan, she found a diet that worked for her. Beginning in April, she’s going to be featured on the diet system’s website as a success story. In her five-minute video she touts the County’s Live Well San Diego initiative.

“I was successful in losing weight with all of the diets I tried, but eventually always gained it all back,” she said. “Live Well helped change that.”

With her current diet plan, she has weekly weight-loss counseling sessions and monthly body scans that pinpoint the changes in the body’s composition.

“They helped me identify a goal of 80 pounds to lose,” Zotalis said.

She began the program in January 2013. She met her goal in November, and has lost an additional 10 pounds since then.

“If I can keep the weight off for a year I’ll be successful, and it’s been five months now.”

The weight loss has meant improved health all around for Zotalis.

“I had heel spurs and had to wear special flat shoes with expensive inserts,” she said. “And now I can wear heels again!”

She also developed sleep apnea as a result of the excess weight she was carrying. That has disappeared, as has slightly elevated blood pressure.

She now exercises three times a week with her daughter: 45 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of strength exercises and swimming.

“It used to be very difficult to exercise because my back hurt,” Zotalis said. “Even doing housework my back hurt.”

In Zotalis’ office, Live Well has meant people bring in healthier options for pot luck and share healthy recipes. Her office has a salad club where they take turns bringing in a large salad to share.

If she has her way, the changes won’t stop there.

“I’ve been exploring forming a support group at work for people who struggle psychologically with weight loss,” she said. “I want to share with others who struggle.

“If you stick to your diet for a few days, you can do it. I feel much better now.”