Total Makeover.(Brief article)

Total Makeover

Crossing the Finish Line

in an era of liposuction and lap bands, Barbara Drayer, Kathleen Maignan, and Chopin Rabin are proof that old-fashioned diet and exercise actually work. In a year, they've lost a combined 94 pounds and reshaped their bodies. "At the first shoot, the thought of putting on that bathing suit made me sick," Drayer says. "This time, I almost wished that they'd put me in a bikini." The women's ups and downs -- emotional, and on the scale -- have paid off not just with slimmer physiques, but with bolstered confidence, too. And that's something you can't get at the doctor's office. By Cara Litke

Barbara Drayer, 37, school fund-raiser

At the beginning: "I was pretty upset that I'd hit a size 14, so I was relieved to get my life on track. But let's be serious- -- I was also really scared. I had yo-yoed my whole life. I had no idea how I was going to make changes that would actually stick." The hardest part: "At one point, ...