It’s possible to become “who you want to be - instead of who you’ve always been.”

An inspiring story from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle on May, 26, 2010

Jen Moore of Rochester lost more than 100 lbs.

Hoop dance kept it fun and perseverance made it possible

It was hard for Jen Moore to lose her mother to lung cancer when Moore was just 21 and planning her wedding.

It was even harder to have her second child die in utero at the end of the pregnancy in 2007.

“If you can come through that, there’s really nothing you can’t accomplish,” says Moore, 30, of Rochester.

Major weight loss, for one. Becoming a hoop dance instructor (think big Hula-Hoops). Overcoming fears and health risks to have another child. Reaching out to others who suffer a pregnancy loss. Even enrolling in a Mrs. New York pageant.

Moore has taken on each of these along her journey to rebound from low points in her life. “Everything happens for a reason,” she says, drawing on her Christian faith. She tries to embrace every experience and channel it: “Find the good.”

Moore, who grew up as Jen Horan in Lima, Livingston County, was overweight most of her life.

In March 2009, the 5-foot-4 Moore weighed 285 pounds. She resolved to change her lifestyle for good. She set out to eat fewer calories and to exercise daily. Hoop dance classes have been part of her success. Keeping the 40- to 44-inch-diameter hoop spinning around her waist, chest or hand was challenging at first, but she improved with daily practice.

In the fall she bought a bodybugg calorie-tracking gadget, which turned her calorie-balancing into simple math. The armband with built-in sensors tracks how many calories she burns, and she plugs the device into a computer daily to log what she eats and drinks. She discovered that chicken wings had many more calories than she thought and that she was sometimes eating too little - which slows the metabolism and slows weight loss.

She aims to eat about 1,500 to 1,700 calories per day and to work off 2,500 to 2,700. In a typical day, she leads a one-hour hoop exercise class and does a one-hour gym workout. She burns the remainder by being active throughout the day - including chores and playing with her kids. She fits in the activity around her work as a full-time Monroe Community College student. Moore loses two pounds per week from her daily 1,000-calorie deficit.

She has lost more than 115 pounds in the past 14 months, now weighing less than 170. She still can’t quite believe that she wears size 8 or 10 clothing instead of size 24.

Bethany Warsaw, who’s known Moore since kindergarten, is a healthy size herself but said her friend’s example inspired her to use exercise machines at home and do push-ups and sit-ups to be more fit. Moore has told her that you can’t wait until you feel like exercising. “Exercise isn’t about feelings,” echoes Warsaw. “It’s about making a choice.”

At a recent hoop dance class at Bounce Aerobics at The Marketplace mall in Henrietta, Moore led participants through different steps, hand positions and turns - while hoop-spinning to music. She has talked to the class about her weight loss.

“She’s inspiring,” says Tanya Hampton, 40, of Rochester. Hamp-ton takes six to eight different fitness classes per week and has lost 45 pounds since last year.

Moore has come far since 2004, when she suffered a rare heart weakness called peripartum cardiomyopathy after giving birth to daughter Mairi. Moore’s legs were bloated, she had trouble breathing and she wound up in intensive care. She gradually recovered with medication and rest, then suffered a blood clot that took eight months to dissolve with treatment.

She will never fully know why the next pregnancy ended with a stillborn baby girl, whom she and husband Keith named Catriana. The loss was devastating, yet also led to close friendships with women she met through online loss forums. She found such support that she’s been working with the Perinatal Network of Monroe County to start a one-on-one outreach locally.

Despite cautions from doctors that pregnancy was risky for her own heart, Moore had a healthy son, Eli, in March 2009 and her heart was fine.

Jen and her husband - who’s lost about 80 excess pounds since November - ran their first 5K race in April. Looking for a new goal that would motivate her to continue the progress toward a healthy weight, she chose the Mrs. New York pageant.

The event in Schenectady in July will include evening gown and swimsuit competitions. She’d done pageants while in high school and while at Elim Bible Institute and found they boosted her confidence.

When her baby died, she thought the sadness would forever taint her life. But the loss helped make her the strong person she is today. “My life is just so good,” she says.

Warsaw, her friend, says Moore has demonstrated that it’s possible to become “who you want to be - instead of who you’ve always been.”

CSWINGLE@DemocratandChronicle.com

Thank you Chris Swingle for sharing Jen’s story with us!

WOW! One good choice after another, can make a BIG difference!

Now what is hoop dancing? Check back tomorrow and I will tell you everything I know.