Best friends makeover: Month 1

It's a typical weekday evening for Tracy Metcalfe, 45, and Tanya Leavitt, 36. Tracy is just home from a one-day business trip -- and long drive -- to Edmonton. She waves at her 17-year-old son, Spencer, who lies on the couch watching TV, and pokes her head down the stairs to say hello. Tanya is eating a quick meal in the renovated basement apartment with her 11-year-old son, Kesler, before they rush off to his guitar lesson on the other side of Calgary. Tanya and Tracy exchange a few "it-sure-was-a-long-day" comments, and Tanya lightens the chitchat with a wisecrack (as she usually does). They make plans to go shopping at one of their favourite secondhand stores on the weekend. "Oh, and my car needs to be looked at again," says Tracy. "Can I get a lift back from the service centre in the morning?"

Tracy and Tanya are best friends, and they share so much more than the rent; they buoy each other's spirits, look out for each other's kid and are each other's social life. They met a few years ago when they were independent living support workers at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Calgary. Both are single moms (they're raising their sons alone and get no financial support) who went back to post-secondary school as adults with a goal to provide a better future for their family. Now they work in the nonprofit sector, and while "the work is rewarding because we're helping people," says Tracy, "the pay is not." Despite sharing rent and living frugally, they're having trouble keeping up with the high cost of living and other financial challenges. There's little money, time or energy for personal pursuits, such as keeping fit, never mind getting out there to find better jobs and meet men, and the stress could be taking a big toll on their physical health.

When they responded to Canadian Living Magazine's call for candidates in our Best Friends Makeover challenge, they asked for "an opportunity to enhance ourselves so we can take the next steps in our journey looking and feeling the best we can."

"I want to change how I feel about myself, how I present myself to the world and my attitude toward work and life," says Tanya. "And I want to have a life. It's cliché, but I want to be a participant in my own life. Right now, I'm just sitting back and it's going by."

"I was so full of hope for the future when I moved here from Niagara Falls, Ont., in the summer of 2002," says Tracy. "But I'm constantly struggling instead of making the leaps and bounds I thought I would be making. I really want to reinvent myself."

Meet Tracy and Tanya
Tracy Metcalfe, age 45
Hometown: St. Catharines, Ont.
Children: Spencer, 17. "He's a natural athlete, but we had to pull him out of a promising competitive figure skating career last year because I couldn't afford the high costs of training and participating. He's still getting over that."
Family: Only child; her father passed away in 2001 after a two-year fight with esophageal cancer, and she's estranged from her mom.
Education: College diploma in recreation leadership, undergraduate degrees in recreation and geography, and a master's degree in geography (on hold).
Job: Program and education coordinator for the Calgary Seniors' Resource Society.
Needs: "A fulfilling, better-paying job."
On her wish list: "I'd like an active and fulfilling social life, and I'd love to take Spencer on a vacation."
Health Issues: "I don't exercise anymore, and I'm tired all the time."
Bad habits: "Caffeine, and I don't like to cook" meals much.

Tanya Leavitt, age 36
Hometown: Cardston, Alta.
Children: Kesler, 11. "He's happy, well adjusted and wishes I were happier and had more time for him. I know he wishes we could afford for him to get involved in more activities, too."
Family: One older brother; parents have a cattle ranch (which Kesler loves and visits at every opportunity) three hours away.
Education: Master of education in applied psychology with a specialization in counselling psychology.
Job: Mental health worker for the Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS).
Needs: A job that is both rewarding and meets her financial needs, and a social life.
On her wish list: "I would love to try stand-up comedy."
Health Issues: "I'm overweight and was diagnosed with high blood pressure last summer."
Bad habits: "I tend to be lazy. With the exception of work and Kesler, I do the minimum in terms of housework, physical activity, day-to-day chores and taking care of myself. "

Vital statistics
Tanya Leavitt, 36
Resting heart rate: 84
Blood pressure: 136/92
Weight: 258 lbs (117 kg)
Height: 5 ft 5 in
BMI: 42
Body fat (%): 42.6
Waist: 44 in (111.5 cm)
Hips: 54 in (138 cm)
Chest: 46 in (117.5 cm)

Tracy Metcalfe, 45
Resting heart rate: 68
Blood pressure: 110/68
Weight: 116 lbs (52.5 kg)
Height: 5 ft 2 in
BMI: 20.8
Body fat (%): 29.6
Waist: 23 in (59.5 cm)
Hips: 37 in (93 cm)
Chest: 33 in (83 cm)

Page 1 of 4

Photo by Roth and Ramberg