Photo courtesy of Molly Lucas.
Molly Lucas
Molly Lucas, manager of LetsLose Weight Loss and Wellness in Vestavia Hills, brings more than 15 years of medical experience and a passion for helping clients build sustainable, healthy lifestyles.
Molly Lucas is the manager of the LetsLose Weight Loss and Wellness clinic at 614 Montgomery Highway in the Vestavia Hills City Center.
Q: Tell me a little about your background. Where are you from originally?
A: I’m from Calera. I went to Calera High School, and I graduated from Virginia College.
Q: What was your major at Virginia College?
A: Certified medical assistant.
Q: How long have you been in this business?
A: I’ve been in weight loss about five years and the medical industry for about 15. I also lived overseas in Cambodia for a few years teaching English, from little kids [ages] 3 and 4 up to adults — doctors and nurses.
Q: What was that experience like for you?
A: Amazing. I loved it over there. I was involved in a theater group. Totally different from Alabama, but the people are very similar — very hospitable — and I just felt very at home from the first week I got there. I went through the LanguageCorps, and I was originally just going to stay for like six months, and I ended up staying for four years.
Q: What got you into that in the first place?
A: I really just wanted to go somewhere. I grew up in Calera when Calera was still like 1,200 people and had never really been anywhere. I had a friend who was teaching that told me about the LanguageCorps, and I applied, and that’s just where I ended up and happened to really fall in love with it.
Q: I bet that was quite an experience.
A: Yes, I was already 27 when I left. A lot of people were younger than me. It was quite a learning experience.
Q: How long have you been with Let’s Lose Weight Loss and Wellness?
A: Just over a year.
Q: What made you decide to get into this line of work?
A: I think it’s very rewarding. You really can help people change their lives. It’s amazing how much of a difference a small amount of weight loss makes. We can see people come off of blood pressure medication in a month after they start losing weight, and a lot of people, especially in the South, really are not taught about nutrition at all growing up. We’re able to help people really learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, and they can kind of pass that down to their kids. It’s like you’re able to touch more than just the patient coming in and make a really big difference.
Q: Why do you think it’s so hard for people to lose weight?
A: Here in the South, we love people with food. We grieve with food. We celebrate with food, and it becomes a habit that is just so much a part of life. You don’t think twice about grabbing an extra serving of dessert. You don’t think twice about a second helping of anything. [There’s just a] lack of education on what actually works for sustainable weight loss.
Q: What are the best tips you might have for someone who wants to lose weight?
A: Be realistic. Don’t try to lose 20 pounds every month. Focus on small goals and celebrate them with something other than food. Take yourself out for a manicure or something like that. Small goals and finding new ways to reward yourself.
