Jeanette Balmut wants to lose another 33 pounds.
The 47-year-old Year of You participant wrapped up her 365-day odyssey of modifying her eating habits and training under the direction of personal trainers at Cal Fit on North Main Street going from 262 pounds down to 189.4 pounds.
Toss out any number that you measure success in either a fitness, health, or weight loss effort and they’re all down: pant size (it’s a 12), heart rate, body mass index — you name it and the numbers are down significantly. She’s now doing 15K runs. A year ago she couldn’t even tie her own shoes and got winded getting up from watching TV
The opportunity afforded to Balmut by Club Cal Fit owner Steve Zakaria to demonstrate how effective use of a gym membership can improve one’s lifestyle is something that should inspire anyone — young, middle age or those nearing Social Security age — that they can change their lives around. All it takes is doing what Balmut did — putting herself first by making a commitment to follow through.  
Balmut, by the way, isn’t obsessed by weight even though she steps on the scales frequently. Her primarily obsession is now feeling goof, getting healthier, and taking on more challenges.
Taking the first step, though, can be tricky — and scary. Balmut had been to Cal Fit on a regular basis before she started what she calls her “journey” but it was only to pay for her membership.
She believed that putting herself “out there” so the entire community would be watching to see whether she could do it would help her reach her goals.
To that end, Balmut is going to continue periodically submitting blogs on her journey that will appear in the Bulletin even though the Year of You is over.
It will be part of a weekly package Tuesday in the Bulletin focusing on people working on heathier lifestyles and the options available to them in Manteca, Ripon, and Lathrop.
Part of the package is reporter Jason Campbell’s effort to improve his health. An adjoining column talks of how he currently tips the scales at 308 pounds. He sees this not just as a challenge to lose weight but to improve the overall quality of his life.
The first story on a local fitness option — Studio One Yoga — appears above.
Next week the focus will be on a boutique-style fitness center founded by East Union High grad Charles Paz and Givia Uchida that is known as FitElements in downtown Manteca.
Take the challenge.  Make yourself a healthier you.
As Balmut can tell you, the journey starts with a single step.