A change of heart

I have battled with my weight my whole life but then a life-altering event occurred about five years ago: my father passed away from a heart attack! I then was on a mission, at the age of 18 weighing 320lbs, to change my life and get in shape. After a lot of hard work and dedication to working out and eating right, I have lost half of myself and weigh 160lbs!

How Jenni cut her weight in half

I tried some fad diets that just didn’t work for me. Then I tried Diet.com where I found amazing advice and tips from experts and fellow dieters as well as healthy recipe ideas. Also, the community support on the site is truly motivational. It’s better to diet together than alone! The combination of a healthy diet, exercising, and determination helped me accomplish my weight loss. I am a new person inside and out! I still battle daily with keeping it off, but I know that I don’t want to return to that person again!

No longer a wallflower

Being 5’5″ and 320lbs at 18 years old was very embarrassing and diminished my self-confidence. Now that I am 160lbs lighter, I can hold my head up and actually look in the mirror and like what I see. And I can actually date- before I was just “one of the guys.” Now I turn heads which is still hard to get used to. Plus, I take more risks and step out of the comfort zone. Before I would try to be a wallflower, but now I am a go-getter! Losing my weight has helped my self-confidence more than I could ever imagine! I know this is a life change and to keep the weight off is a life-long commitment. Now that I’m healthier, I have more life to live in my new skin! Thank you, Diet.com!

(Used with permission from Diet Health, Inc, Copyright 2004-2007. All rights reserved.)

Take Dr. Kushner’s Free Diet Personality Test Today!

I met Mike October 1997 on Matchmaker.com.

We were probably one of the first successful internet couples as internet dating was quite new back then.

Anyways, Mike was the first morbidly obese person that I had ever been close to. I was truly amazed at how energetic he was.

He’s an avid fisherman and would literally climb rocks to get to “The best fishing spots”. Mike was in his mid 30s at the time. He rarely got sick and felt really great.

Mike was real proud of this catch! It weighed in at 13.8 pounds! If you like bass fishing check out Mikes blog at BassnMan.com

I’m telling you his story – because even though your weight might not affect your health at this time – chances are it will create health problems for you in the future.

You often hear about obese peple dying of heart attacks – but you rarely hear of some of the other health risks associated with being overweight.

You deserve to live a happy healthy life. Decide to lose weight today.

August 2000

Mike had knee surgery. While recovering from his surgery he developed a blood clot. His leg would swell and became discolored – but the Dr. told us not to worry. For the most part Mike healed and we thought all was fine.

May 10, 2003

Mike and I were married. Though he weighed over 400 pounds at the time, he was fairly healthy. We honeymooned on Catalina Island, and Mike had no problem walking up and down the steep hills.

April 2005

Mikes leg swelled up to double it’s normal size. His leg was discolored and extremely painful. He could barely walk. It took him about half an hour just to get up from the couch. Off to the Doctor he went. We were told he had Cellulitis …

(Cellulitis is a potentially serious bacterial infection of your skin. It appears as a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot and tender, and may spread rapidly. Cellulitis may also affect the tissues underlying your skin and can spread to your lymph nodes and bloodstream. Left untreated the infection may turn into a life threatening condition.)

 Mike’s Health Takes One Hit After Another …

August 2005

Mike developed ugly sores on his leg called stasis ulcers. They are extremely painful and take years to heal. There is no cure for them. People have lost limbs due to them – if they get too deep and the infection gets into the bones.

 If you dare – do a Google image search on stasis ulcers – they are not a pretty sight! Mike’s ulcers took till December 2007 to heal – and that was only because of a skin graph.

November 2005

Mike began having vision problems. The ophthalmologist stated he had a pseudo tumor. This affects your vision – it is believed that the cause of it is obesity. It can cause blindness.

January 2006

Mike developed 2 more blood clots. He was admitted to Loma Linda University Hospital. The vascular surgeon told Mike that if he didn’t want to lose his leg and if he wanted to live that he needed to lose weight. Weight Loss surgery was strongly advised. The doc also told him to quit smoking and begin an exercise program.

March 2006

Mike had to see a heart specialist. This physician told Mike that he was slowly strangling his heart. The Doctor stated that Mike’s heart was beginning to show caution signs of future problems. If Mike wanted to avoid future heart problems, he must lose weight. This Doctor also recommended surgery.

Note that due to these physical problems Mike was on disability from October 2005 thru April 2006. Mike was in extreme pain. He could not walk at all. Very tough time for an outdoors man.

Weight loss surgery is truly a scary thought. My hats off to all whom have gone through this ordeal. A strict diet needs to be followed after surgery. Often times different foods can make you ill. You may not be able to eat enough to get the daily vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Mike figured that he’d rather lose weight on his own terms, and still be able to enjoy food. I began talking to men and women whom had successfully lost weight. It was at this time I began reviewing weight loss programs to find one that would work for Mike.

April 1, 2006

 Mike and I both quit smoking. Mike began following the eDiets Basic Weight Loss Plan. By September 2006 he was down 40 pounds to 390. He felt good and thought he was well on his way …

But the Holidays came. Mike thought he could cheat here and there. He stopped writing in his food journal and stopped measuring his portions.

January 2007

Mike was very disappointed in himself. He now weighed 435 pounds again … He changed his mindset and became determined to lose weight once and for all. He was tired of the health issues he was having. He decided to Choose Life! He began following the eDiets Plan again.

September 2007

I’m happy to report that Mike is down to 350 pounds! This is the least that he’s weighed since I’ve known him.

He’s off his blood pressure medication and is no longer having vision problems …

His doctor says he looks like a “whole new person”.

It’s been a rough couple of years – but Mike is feeling better than he has in a long long time. He’s anxious to get down to 250 and knows that it’s only a matter of time.

Above, Mike at 350 pounds
Right, Mike at 435 pounds

January 2008

Mike weighed in at 332 Pounds for a total weight loss of 102 pounds in 2007! 

February 2008 thru August 2008

Mike maintained his weight.  with a fluctuation of five to seven pounds.  I was/am so VERY PROUD of him – As is his Doctor. 

August 2008

Mike tightened up his belt and began focusing on losing nore weight.  This year he found out he needs to have a total knee replacement.  He wants to weigh 250 before going in for surgery. 

October 1, 2008

Mike weighs in at 310 pounds!  Will be taking a new picture soon.

We’ll keep you posted

Begin Your Weight Loss Journey Today!

From Frumpy To Fab: Amy Lost 52 lbs

An aspiring eDiets.com success story! Read how Amy lost 52 pounds and how eDiets can help you too!!!

Amy N. believes it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but she didn’t let that philosophy stop her from renovating the outside too by linking up with eDiets.com and dropping a whopping 52 pounds!

Even when she hit her highest weight of 247 pounds during pregnancy, the 28-year-old managed to make the best of things.

Although she sometimes ran out of energy, she wasn’t completely miserable. She had two beautiful children and a loving husband who promised to love her through thick and thin. She could have stayed overweight and been happy, but she didn’t want to run the risk of developing obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and more.

“I had been skinny most of my life before having children,” Amy tells eDiets. “I did remember feeling better physically. I wanted to be healthy and didn’t want to spend the rest of my life worrying about health problems that come from being overweight. I wanted to be able to wear something that made me feel pretty so that I wasn’t turning around and around in front of the mirror to make sure I looked okay.

 ”I’m not really a fan of the idea that fat makes you unhappy. I certainly had less energy and wasn’t always very confident about how I looked. But I personally feel it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I was hoping to make those match.”

And that’s just what the Colorado audiologist did with the help of eDiets. The online weight loss program provided her with the keys to the weight loss kingdom: a personalized meal plan that provided customized shopping lists, recipes and menus, along with 24/7 peer and professional support. Since last November, Amy’s made the transition from 207 to 155 pounds.

By unloading 52 pounds from her 5’10″ figure and dropping from a size 18/20 to a size 10, our super slimmer feels better than ever.

Amy says she’s happier and healthier overall since parting ways with the excess baggage. In addition to feeling better, her confidence level has skyrocketed. Looking back, Amy says she probably wouldn’t have been as successful without the tools provided by eDiets.

“I don’t think I would have been able to stick to it as well,” she says. “It helped to have the structure that the eDiets program provided. I probably could’ve come up with something of my own, but I don’t think it would have been as effective. It would have been easier for me to cheat on myself for one thing. It’s also nice to be able to go online and plug my weight in every week and see the graphs and steps going down, seeing my success that way.”

Amy stumbled upon eDiets last year while searching online for a weight loss solution. One look at the personalized menus and she knew it was the program for her. There was no need for her to eliminate whole groups of food. She wanted to be able to eat a variety of foods… and that’s exactly what she got.

The food filled her up and she discovered plenty of recipes that clicked with her… and her family. Amy would multiply the ingredients by the number of people she was serving. Eating the same good food as her family helped her stay on plan.

“Being able to refer to something that was on paper really helped me take responsibility for what I was doing,” she notes. “It also helps to create a standard to go by later on. I’m now able to create my own meals and determine what the calorie count is for a given amount of food. I know what a serving size looks like, whereas I didn’t really know that before.”

Amy also had to get a grasp on her penchant for emotional eating. She snacked more than she cares to admit. She would graze throughout the day, not realizing how much food she was taking in. Over time, she got a handle on the unhealthy habit.

“That was really sort of victory by identification,” she says. “If I was able to recognize that I had cravings and at the same time recognize that I wasn’t feeling good emotionally, I could finally look at that and say, ‘I have this goal and my goal is more important.’ I’d redirect myself to more important activities and distract myself from what I thought was hunger but was really a way to bury my sorrows for the moment.”

One healthy distraction was her newfound love of water aerobics. Twice a week, she’d attend an hour-long class. Because most of the people were overweight, Amy didn’t feel self-conscious in a bathing suit or out of place around her fellow classmates. Today, she continues to participate in water aerobics. She also enjoys hiking and walking around a lake that’s close to her house, not to mention the exercise she gets chasing around her two small children.

When Amy first started eDiets, she turned to the support boards to distract her from mindless eating. She relied on the communication with her fellow dieters to pass the time, especially when she found herself thinking about food. The strategy proved successful. In addition to the support she received from other members, she also had husband David on her side.

Amy says David was a big piece of her success. Throughout her weight loss journey, he was supportive, congratulating her on even the smallest losses. It was the praise and the progress that kept her on board for the long haul.

“It’s been a good challenge overall,” Amy says. “Even though it was difficult in the beginning, I’d stick to the diet program. They were small victories I built on. I began to feel good early on. It was self-motivating as soon as I began to see pounds coming off.

“I would tell people to make sure they give 100 percent when they decide to lose some weight. You can’t go into it half-heartedly and expect to succeed. You have to be absolutely determined to stick with what you’ve decided to do.”

eDiets knows that taking the first step to manage and control your diet is life-changing … They are there to help you every step of the way. Dieting does not have to be a hard or unfavorable undertaking. With 21 plans to choose from, you customize your choice of diet to your liking. Take Your FREE Profile Today

(Used with permission from eDiets.com Inc, Copyright 1996-2007. All rights reserved.)

Young Again: Grandma Loses 80 Pounds

It’s never too late to start over. At 76-years-young, Lenora S. knows this truism all too well. She’s a grandmother who had let fast food, cakes, pies and inactivity get the best of her, but she knew she had to make a change.

All the extra weight became too much for her body, forcing her to undergo five joint-replacement surgeries. Lenora’s weight had climbed to more than 250 pounds, and her doctor ordered her to lose weight.

Looking for a diet that’ll let you eat filling, tasty foods while you lose weight? eDiets has 23 different plans to choose from, including the red-hot GI Diet.

So that’s what she did.

“I tried several different things, like Weight Watchers, and I would lose weight but I would always gain it right back,” Lenora said.

She grew frustrated and tired. Then a friend recommended eDiets.

“I didn’t get enough support from the other programs, eDiets gave me support every day,” Lenora says.

Once-a-week meetings were not enough for Lenora, who was living alone. She needed support in the evenings. eDiets gave her that. She could hop on the Internet, join a support board or online meeting and get the support she needed — immediately.

Almost two years later, Lenora has lost more than 80 pounds.

“I’m more active and much healthier. Before joining (eDiets), I felt like I was always going to the doctor, but I haven’t been to the doctor for being sick in over a year. I’m really much healthier.”

Lenora found a new way to eat and exercise, and a new way to live. She gave up the cakes and pies she loved, kicking fast food to the curb. She also made simple changes like switching from white bread to whole wheat.

“My favorite part of the program is the recipes, which can be made in a one-serving portion, making just enough. If I make too much, I eat too much.”

Finding the right plan
Lenora enrolled in the GI Diet  and it seemed to make a different from the get-go. The meals were satisfying and never left her feeling hungry she explains.

“At first it was kind of difficult to get everything changed around, remove junk food from the house and find grocery stores that carried healthier food. But it got easier over time.”

Lenora stopped craving the junk, and when she did, she could go to the support groups to talk to people going through the same things for advice and guidance. She also gained confidence and motivation with the help of friends and family.

“People noticed my weight loss right away, and it made me feel great,” she says.

Now her goal is to keep the weight off, because people are “always offering me food — temptation is everywhere.”

One of the keys to her success was getting active. She’s a part-time water-aerobics instructor at her local YMCA, teaching classes twice a week. She uses weight machines three times per week and walks every day.

Now, she has increased energy, and her friends can hardly keep up with her.

It’s been a dramatic transformation for Lenora, and she hopes it inspires others to get healthy.

Challenges along the way
Of course, no success story is complete without obstacles. She’s had setbacks, like when she spent some time in the hospital. But the setback was only temporary. According to Lenora, just following the eating plan, plus the support she received, helped her to get back up whenever life knocked her down.

Lenora has a new lease on life, and she has some advice for those trying to adopt healthier lifestyles.

“Get on eDiets and just stick with the program. Everyone is different, and different plans suit different people. Find something that works for you and stick with it.”

And don’t worry if you have an incurable craving for a piece of pie.

“If you must have something you know you shouldn’t eat, take two bites — the first bite tastes exactly the same as the 20th.”

You’re only as old as you feel, and right now, Lenora feels younger than she’s felt in decades. “I just feel great, and so much healthier.”

Stop cravings with GI Diet at eDiets.com

(Used with permission from eDiets.com Inc, Copyright 1996-2007. All rights reserved.)

Jeff C. was always a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

When consumed in moderation those foods aren’t detrimental to your diet. But when you’re getting much of your meat and potatoes in the form of fast food double cheeseburgers and fries, you’ll soon find yourself overweight.

The 51-year-old canine behavioral expert from New Jersey says his daily trips to the drive-thru took their toll. Jeff’s weight super-sized to an unhealthy 253 pounds. His blood pressure also ran high… his energy level low.

According to his concerned doctor, Jeff’s lifestyle had put him at risk of a heart attack.

“I had a general feeling of malaise,” he admits in this eDiets exclusive. “I wasn’t myself — it was a struggle.”

“I could feel the blood pounding in my neck. I knew something was wrong and that I had to take control of it or I would lose everything.”

The man who made his living training dogs to live right knew the time to discipline himself. Determined to rise to the occasion and diet right, Jeff turned to eDiets.

Six months later, he’s down an impressive 60 pounds. He weighs a fit and fabulous 193, his waistline has shrunk from 44 to 36 inches, and his blood pressure has plummeted from a scary 165/105 to a healthy 125/74.

Jeff says getting started was the most difficult part. The spark: the sudden death of a client who was the same age and body build.

“It turned out to be easy to diet because I planned it,” Jeff says. “I was focused — I knew what I needed to do. Being a behaviorist, once I get in the mindset to do something, it’s done.”

“Making the initial choice to do it was the hardest part. I had to have some good reasons to do it because I love food so much.”

Jeff still loves food. What’s changed is his eating habits.

At his recent anniversary dinner (a celebration that in the past would have left Jeff gobbling loads of fat and calories) he marked the occasion with a lobster tail, a butterless baked potato with a dollop of sour cream on the side, and a salad with dressing on the side.

Jeff now has his eDiets meal plan down to a science. And that’s a factor he attributes to his continued success. He logs every detail — from weight to portion size — into his personal digital assistant.

“I take copies of the recipes and plug them into MasterCook software. This allows me to change the portions and gives me nutritional information as well,” he says.

“I make a bunch of foods, which I freeze and seal into single-serving portions. It’s all about having choices. When I only have a couple of minutes to eat, I don’t have to think about making something.”

More people gain weight by saying, “I don’t have the time.” They then grab something that tastes good.

Jeff speaks from experience. Between business meetings, it wasn’t uncommon for him to grab a double quarter-pounder hamburger.

But since joining eDiets, he hasn’t fed into that kind of fast food frenzy… not even once. To ward off cravings, he keeps a box of granola bars stashed in his trunk.

Although our slimming superstar had always enjoyed an active lifestyle, there was a depressing period when his extra weight slowed him down. Skiing, bicycling and playing golf sucked up more energy than Jeff had to give.

Thanks to eDiets he’s now back into the swing of things — especially at golf.

“Now when I’m forced to ride in the cart, I tell my playing partner to go ahead so I can walk the course for exercise,” he says.

Jeff has also overcome a past prejudice of diets. He had seen too many friends fail at fads like the low-carb diet.

“I didn’t try too many diets,” he says. “I always said I wasn’t ready to lose weight yet, but when I do watch out.”

Jeff confesses one of his earlier efforts involved the popular weight loss program that utilizes a points system. It didn’t add up to lasting success.

He’s happy and comfortable being an eDiets weight watcher… for life!

Jeff has made great strides but he’s not done yet. Before all is said and done, he plans to drop yet another 13 pounds. His success already shocks his family, friends and business associates.

“They ask, ‘who are you?’ There are clients who haven’t seen me and when I walk in for an appointment, they look at me like I’m a stranger,” Jeff says.

“It’s the same thing when I go to the golf course and I’m waiting for someone to come out who I haven’t seen in awhile. Everyone calls me skinny, which is cool. I carry around a laminated set of the BEFORE and AFTER pictures so people can see the difference.”

There ya have it: Jeff is living proof that it is very possible to teach an old dog expert new tricks!

eDiets knows that taking the first step to manage and control your diet is life-changing … They are there to help you every step of the way. Dieting does not have to be a hard or unfavorable undertaking. With 21 plans to choose from, you customize your choice of diet to your liking. Take Your FREE Profile Now.

(Used with permission from eDiets.com Inc, Copyright 1996-2007. All rights reserved.)

She Lost 33 Pounds With the Help of DietWatch!

I can’t tell you enough how much DietWatch has meant to my weight loss and fitness success.

I know I couldn’t have gotten where I am without it.

My name is Cherie (a.k.a., hansolo11) and I’m 44 years old. I have been married to a wonderful man for 25 years and we have six daughters.

As a stay-at-home mom, I found it very easy to slip into a lazy routine and not worry too much about my appearance. I also had daylong access to food.

As 40 approached, I realized that I didn’t have to live that way. I wanted to take control and become fit and active.

I joined DietWatch right before my 40th birthday. I had already lost about 10 pounds on my own, but I knew I needed help and support. When I found DietWatch and saw all that the site had to offer, I knew it would be a perfect fit for me. I loved having access to the menu planner and the progress graphs.

I lost another 22 pounds by my birthday! That year I felt healthier and stronger than ever. However, the weight began to creep back, and I stopped using DietWatch altogether.

I didn’t like what I had become. I had regained so much weight that I was at my heaviest non-pregnant weight ever.

I rejoined DietWatch and plugged all my food into the meal planner. That started keeping me honest again! I also found a home on the Over 30 community discussion board.

I loved the daily accountability of the board, and the warm support I received. I also realized that there’s a lot more to losing weight than counting calories, and decided to get serious about exercise.

Several of the “regulars” on the board were runners, which inspired me. So I started slowly; incredibly, I found I could run without pain! One year later, I ran my first 5K in the Race for the Cure in honor of my mother and sister who are both breast cancer survivors. And I loved it!

Since then, I have taken up step aerobics, spinning, and weight training. I have lost 33 pounds, but more importantly, I feel fit and active again. I have also gained a whole community of friends on the Over 30 board.

Thanks, guys! You’re the best!

(Used with permission from DietWatch.com Inc, Copyright 1997-2007. All rights reserved.)

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