"Looking back, I never thought I was that big -- I just remember being unhappy," says Wendy. "I still want to lose 10 more pounds, but I'm proud I got this far. And even though I might have my cheat days -- like the holidays, or when I'm watching football -- I'm motivated to keep it up because I never want to go back to how I was."
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The before picture ...
"I haven't really changed my look in a while," Wendy says. "I did get bangs about a year ago -- but it wasn't very flattering. I've been growing out my hair since college and I have been a longhaired brunette ever since. I haven't had short hair since I was overweight. I've always feared that cutting my hair will make me look fat again. I've also always wanted to be a redhead, but I've never had the money to really change my hair color the right way. I want to try new things and just have fun this year!" With this open attitude, our hairstylist went to work. See Wendy's hair color change next.
Whether you're sliding into your skinny jeans with ease these days or they're relegated to the far reaches of your closet, you can probably agree: There are times when your weight and body image can feel like a serious struggle. Wendy Zehder is no stranger to that struggle.
"I have dealt with weight issues my whole life -- I still do to this day," she says. The 30-year-old production coordinator has a thyroid condition that slows her metabolism, making it difficult for her body to burn calories. What's more, Wendy has also struggled with depression and anxiety, which caused her to "stress-eat," she says. "I would cry after compulsively eating and ask myself, 'why did I do that?' Losing weight has definitely been a mental and physical obstacle for me.
"I've always been someone who's scared of change. I think that's why it took me so long to lose weight. I always just thought 'I'm going to be fat forever,' and it kept me from changing."
It wasn't until her junior year in college, when Wendy got on a scale and saw 160 pounds, that she realized she couldn't go on this way. "I could not believe it," she says. That's when she cut out junk food and started rollerblading to classes. And the weight began to come off.
"I lost 20 pounds and was feeling so much better about myself. Guys were noticing. Did I mention I never had a real boyfriend until my senior year in college?"
On her 30th birthday, Wendy weighed herself again, and this time the scale read 128. "I haven't been in the 120s since I was in junior high," she says. And even though Wendy is proud of her weight loss, she confesses, "I still have the fat girl syndrome. My friends always say to me, 'Are you ever going to see yourself as how you are?'"
When the editors at Total Beauty heard that, we introduced Wendy to our makeover dream team at the Warren-Tricomi Salon in West Hollywood, Calif.: hairstylist Nancilee Santos, colorist Chris Petroff, and makeup artist Liz Sender. Their mission: To play up Wendy's natural beauty and help her see herself as the gorgeous girl everyone else sees. Keep reading to see Wendy's weight loss makeover unfold �
