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Member Finds Support and Inspiration in Unexpected Place

My name is Melissa McCarthy, and I want to share my weight-loss journey.

It may not seem like a boss could be your biggest support system, but with my boss, it’s different. Her name is Susan Sipich, and she has given me a new life. I can honestly say I’m happy — and I owe a lot of my success to Susan. She has become my mentor, my coach and my best friend.

It all started in January 2010. I was working at a fast food hamburger restaurant. I hated everything about my life, and I didn’t know how to change it. Then one day, my sister decided to leave the company she had been working for. She asked me if I was interested in her job, and I said yes.

That would be the best decision in my life. I started work on Jan. 21. I enjoyed the job, but still wasn’t happy. I didn’t know what the problem was. I started talking to Susan more and more, and I really enjoyed our talks.

Then in October 2010, she approached me and asked if I wanted help with my weight. I said yes, since weight has been something I have struggled with my whole life. She showed me a website, sparkpeople.com, to track my progress. She showed me how to restrict my calorie intake and increase my exercise.

We set up goals, and she said that for every 20 pounds I lost, she would buy me a present to help me keep going. I tried it and it began to work. She even made a meal plan for me and started walking with me on my lunch break.

I had my first melt down in December. Things seemed really hard, but Susan didn’t give up on me. We kept going.

As time went by, we have become really close. She has saved my life, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for giving me Susan. Without her I don’t know where I would be today. With her help and support I have lost a total of 135 pounds.

Susan has really gone out of her way to help me in every way possible; she is a great support system. We continue to eat right and exercise together. I couldn’t have asked for a better boss or friend. I also recently began to run. I ran in the Chicago Triathlon and the Chicago Marathon!