Winthrop student shares positive weight-loss journey on ‘Today’ show

One Winthrop University student’s positive weight-loss journey in high school led her to pursue health care management studies in college and, more recently, parlayed into a trip to the Big Apple for a special appearance on NBC’s “Today” show.

Chandler Cunningham, a Winthrop sophomore, dropped more than 160 pounds over two years as a teenager, largely thanks to the Greenville Health System’s “New Impact” program, she says. Cunningham shared her story with a national audience this week on the “Today” show’s “Joy Fit Club” segment.

Cunningham said during her TV appearance that she gained weight drastically as a child due to hypothyroidism slowing down her metabolism. Later, as a teen, she learned how to manage her weight with the help of Dr. Cara Reeves and a nutritionist and pediatrician with the Greenville hospital system.

A strict diet and exercise nearly every day helped Cunningham shed the pounds, she said.

At Winthrop, she continues her commitment to healthy living and says she hopes her degree in health care management will help land her a job helping children with fitness and weight issues.

“I want to tell others they can do anything with hard work and determination,” she said in a news release from Winthrop this week.

Cunningham took her mom with her on the trip to New York City for the show’s filming.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Winthrop student shares positive weight-loss journey on ‘Today’ show."