Cece Hummel received the Healthy Hero Award from the Adams County Health and Wellness Coalition after she lost more than 200 pounds in less than 12 months.  Photo by Patricia Beech.
Cece Hummel received the Healthy Hero Award from the Adams County Health and Wellness Coalition after she lost more than 200 pounds in less than 12 months. Photo by Patricia Beech.

Cece Hummel credits her successful weight loss to a healthy diet, running, and a strong support system

By Patricia Beech –

Losing weight isn’t easy for anyone. It’s not just a matter of finding the right diet or mustering enough will power. It takes commitment and determination, and if you’re lucky enough to have it, a ‘can-do’ support system.

Cece Hummel is rich in all three, and she credits them with her success in losing over 200 pounds in less than a year.

“I saw quick results because there was a lot of me to lose,” she says, laughing. “It’s one of those things you start and when you see your progress it motivates you to do more.”

In February, she was given the first Healthy Hero Award from the Adams County Health and Wellness Coalition in recognition of her successful weight loss.

Three months later she had lost another 40 pounds and ran her first 5K race in the Church 180 Glow Run.

“Never in my life did I ever dream I’d have the stamina to run a 5K race,” she says. “There are so many things I can do now that I couldn’t do before, it’s so hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I’ve lost weight, and I’m not who I used to be.”

Hummel says she prepared for the 5K using an app called “Couch to 5K”. “I’d reached a plateau and wasn’t losing any more weight, then I gained a pound and became very discouraged,” she says. “A friend recommended the app, and I thought ‘I can’t let 16 ounces outweigh how much I’ve lost, so I went home and put on my tennis shoes and started walking.”

Hummel’s weight loss program is based on healthy choices and lots of exercise. She follows the Paleo Diet which is “based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food.” She also works with a nutritionist and follows the ten principals of healthy eating promoted by the book Intuitive Eating. She has had no surgery, nor did she use diet pills or patches.

Hummel is the Service and Support Administrator at Venture Productions in West Union. She says it is her co-workers and clients that keep her inspired and focused on her goals.

“Cece’s work family has supported her every step of the way,” said Liz Lafferty, Director of Venture Productions. “Many of her co-workers turned out to run and walk with her, and were at the 5K finish line waiting on her very emotional last 100 yards to the finish line.”

Hummel admits it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but says that at every turn her supporters have been there for her. Her co-workers and clients formed “Team Cece” to help keep her motivated and focused. “Every time I lose 25 pounds we have a dance for our clients, so they really stay on top of what’s happening with me because they look forward to those dances, and so do I – the fact that I’m the one who is held accountable makes me even more motivated and determined.”

Weight loss has inspired many significant changes in Hummel’s life. “There’s a lot things you don’t allow yourself to do when you’re bigger because you just don’t put yourself out there like that,” she says, “Now, I love being able to go to a store and buy an outfit. Before I ordered my clothes online, but it’s nice to be able to go inside a store, and see a dress, and try it on, and take it home.”

One thing that hasn’t yet changed is Hummel’s self-image. “It’s funny, I still see myself as I was 240 pounds ago. I’ve always been big, and it’s really hard to see yourself as thin when you’ve always been big.”

She uses before and after photos as a reality check, “It’s hard for me to see the thinner side of myself,” she admits. “But the pictures really put it into perspective – I look thinner because I am thinner.”

Hummel is determined that her new lifestyle is here to stay and says she plans to spend the rest of her life being healthy.

“I have such a sense of accomplishment. I’m running four miles every morning. I never imagined I could walk four miles, much less run it – it motivates me. Once I got started, and I kept it up, I started believing I could do it. I still have more work to do,” she says, but I’m determined to get it done.”