Ruth Peterson, Conrad resident and owner of online farm supply store PeteCo Supply, was chosen to be featured in People magazine’s yearly series, “Beyond the Scale,” which spotlights men and women across the United States who experience dramatic weight loss.

For Peterson, her journey began four years ago after a visit to the doctor’s office during which she received troubling news about her future.

“I was told that I would not be walking by the time I’m 60,” Peterson said. “I have degenerative bone disease in my back, and I had severe mobility issues at that time. It looked bleak.”

She weighed 262 lbs. at the time, and with plans to retire by the time she was 59 ½, the prognosis did not sit well with the small business owner.

The feature article and photo found in this week’s People magazine where Peterson features the outlet’s yearly “Beyond the Scale” story series.

“There’s no way I wanted to spend my retirement incredibly uncomfortable in a wheelchair,” Peterson said. “I became very determined to prove her wrong.”

From there, she took the first steps to transforming herself and changing her lifestyle. She took up running and exercising daily.

“I went from being basically immobile to running 5K’s and working out every day,” she said.

“Prior to this, I couldn’t even sweep the floor without throwing out my back.”

She began to diligently track the food she ate, all while clearing each hurdle placed in her way — including the COVID-19 pandemic — which saw many struggle to maintain their weight.

“I had every excuse in the book to quit. I had every single excuse in the book to not move forward,” Peterson said. “Weight loss is mostly mental. You have to be able to change your mind frame, your mindset. You have to realize that you’re going to run into barriers, and you just have to keep plugging away.”

Yet, in addition to the physical benefits, Peterson says it’s the moments and memories she has been able to experience because of her more active and health conscious lifestyle that have changed her life the most.

“I’m able to walk on trails through the mountains and get to see the world and experience nature,” Peterson said. “I’m able to run 5Ks with my daughter, who’s in cross country. I would never ever have those experiences and those memories or even been able to connect with my daughter on that level had I not taken this initiative.”

Her family too, have not only been supporting her along the way but actively joining her in her weight loss journey.

“They’re so supportive,” Peterson said about her family. “My husband has been positively affected by this too. He’s lost 60 pounds, because it’s not just me, this is our entire family who have made improvements in the way that we eat and the way that we function.”

After being recognized by People, Peterson says the process to be featured in the magazine felt surreal and was an “absolutely out of body experience.”

“It was an all day event,” Peterson said, noting the photoshoot alone required two boxes full of clothing to be tried on and a swarm of attending makeup, photography, and directing professionals. “It was amazing. It took me a while to process it, a couple days really, to actually process what happened.”

Even with some distance from the media whirlwind brought on by her time in the national spotlight, Peterson indicated it’s still difficult to comprehend the attention at times.

“It’s really hard to wrap your mind around the fact that all of this is happening for me,” Peterson said. “I’m just a normal person from little Conrad, Iowa, and it was so much fun… It’s just something so unique. How can you not get a little sucked in?”

As for keeping the weight off in the future, Peterson says it was always part of her plan to have this be a permanent change in her lifestyle.

“I wanted this to be long term. I’m in year four already, and I’ll be approaching two years of maintaining my weight,” Peterson said. “It’s not like a diet – it is more. This is my everyday, this is what I do everyday. I made a complete lifestyle change.”

Peterson’s featured article can be seen on the People magazine website at: www.people.com/health/iowa-mom-drops-100-lbs-after-doctor-warns-she-wouldnt-walk-by-60-beyond-the-scale or in the latest issue of People magazine on newsstands now.

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Contact Nick Baur at 641-753-6611 or nbaur@timesrepublican.com