How I Lost Over 60 Pounds and Kept it Off

Baby Steps to Help You Achieve Better Health and Weight Loss

My mother was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago. When the doctor issued the diagnosis, she had little problem changing her habits in accordance with his instructions. When she got home from her appointment she called me over to her house. When I arrived she already had three plastic bags full of food sitting by the front door. She answered my puzzled look by telling me that I needed to put the bags in my car. She couldn't eat any of it per the doctor's orders. She didn't want to just throw it away so she was giving it to me and the kids. I watched her empty her pantry, refrigerator and freezer. What remained was virtually nothing. My poor mother had to give up most of the foods that she loved.

At the time, I carried an extra 60 pounds on my small, 5'3" frame. I have weighed as much as 218 lbs but, at the time, I was hovering between 180 and 190. As I watched her hand over all of her ice cream, potato chips and other junk food, I made a conscious decision to change some of my own bad habits before I had to do the same. I wanted to improve my health and set a better example for my family. Plus, I didn't want to ever have to give up chocolate. Sitting at my computer desk that night, reading about diabetes, I resolved to kick my Coke habit and jumpstart my sedentary lifestyle the very next day.

Coke Addiction

I expected that kicking the Coke addiction would be the most difficult step. I had spent most of my life indulging my desire for soft drinks without regard for its affect on my health. My mother started allowing me to drink Cokes for breakfast when I was no more than ten years old. The philosophy she learned from her own mother was, "Anything for breakfast is better than nothing for breakfast." I could have pretty much whatever I chose as long as I ate something before school in the morning. Chocolate cake, King Dons and Chips Ahoy cookies were all up for grabs.