Inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s book Making a Connection, Sarah Scott from Granger Township took action to change her life -- the result lead her to become a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

By Courtney Jordan

Are you happy with your life? Almost everyone has something in their life that they would like to improve upon, like getting a better job or having better relationships with friends and family members. Sarah Scott from Granger Township always wanted to loose weight and be a healthier, more active person. Her story proves that you can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it.

Sarah, a graduate of Highland High School, could have very well been satisfied with her life the way it was. She was an editor at a law publishing company, happily married, and the mother of a young son. However, she felt that because of her size she wasn’t ever going to do the things she really wanted.

An adventurous spirit, Sarah loved to travel. She was too big, though, to fit comfortably in an airplane seat. That fact hit home in the early nineties when she and her husband made four trips to Peru. The trips were part of the process involved in adopting their son. As time went on, her son inspired Sarah to loose weight. She says, “I didn’t want Tyler to be teased because of his fat mom.”

Sarah Scott also considered Oprah Winfrey to be a source of inspiration. Winfrey has had a very public battle with her weight over the years. Sarah was a fan of Winfrey’s book Making The Connection, in which she tells readers how she learned to manage her weight through an exercise program and dietary changes.

One day, Sarah decided to make some changes too. She thought to herself, “OK, if I do decide to loose some weight, how could my life be different?”

Scott started by eating low-fat foods and walking outside for only 10 minutes a day. She says that her face would be all red and sweaty by the time she finished. Gradually though, by sticking to her diet and continued exercise, Sarah began to see results. In fact, she has lost 200 pounds in four and a half years!

The secret to Sarah’s astounding weight loss is simple, she never gave up. There were plenty of times that she got fed up with working out, but then she’d realize how much better she felt, both physically and emotionally. People who hadn’t seen her for a while sometimes stopped her in stores to comment on how good she looked.
“Another thing that’s helped me is to set goals,” she said. “You have to realize that you can’t do everything at once.

Her story gets even better. In November of 1998, she wrote a letter to Oprah Winfrey to tell her about loosing the weight. Oprah receives between 8,000 to 10,000 pieces of mail a week from fans, but staff members of the show liked her letter so much that they gave her a call!

In February of this year, a camera crew from the Oprah show visited Sarah’s home and filmed her for five hours. The footage was part of a daily segment on the show called Remembering Your Spirit, which is designed to help people discover their true selves.

This March, the show’s producers called again to say that they wanted her to appear live on a show when Oprah reviewed mail she’s received. What a thrill! During the show, she surprised Oprah by waiting backstage and then walking out. “I was extremely nervous, but everyone said they couldn’t even tell,” Sarah said.

Even though she has lost 200 pounds and has been on national television, Sarah still would like to loose more weight. “It’s always going to be a struggle for me because this is an ongoing process,” she said. Sarah continues to exercise and eat healthy foods. Weights are in her basement and she uses them at least twice a week as well. In addition, Sarah wakes up each morning at 4:00 A.M. to start her workout regimen, which includes climbing the stairs in her house until she’s done 80 flights.

Sarah has rediscovered her adventurous spirit these last few years. In fact, some of her friends say that she is a hard person to get a hold of, because she’s always off trying something new. For example, Sarah has gone snowmobiling in Yellowstone Park, and traveled frequently to Africa. In Africa, she visits with a friend who is a wildlife artist. If you want proof of her trips, visit the photo department in Medina’s River Styx Buehlers. The department has one of her photos from Africa on display.

Not too long ago, Sarah Scott was an unhappy and unhealthy individual. She felt that she “had no where to go but up.”

Now there’s no limit to where she can go.