The way Connie Maldonado (Stafford sport&health) gyrates in exercise class—combining what she calls her Puerto Rican rhythm with intense fitness moves—it's hard to believe she had trouble walking two years ago. But as a friend described it, Maldonado was so busy taking care of others, she "lost herself" in the process. She'd been an athlete in high school and then stayed lean in the Marine Corps. But by her mid-50s, the Stafford County resident had packed 282 pounds onto her 5-foot frame.