Revelation at 50 Years Old

My Story
I was a “chubby” kid--or at least according to the cruel label on my clothes. Looking back on photos of myself as a child, I really wasn’t overweight, but in the 1950’s, there were two types of clothing sizes, “regular” and “chubby,” and I was shopping in the later section.

By my senior year of high school, I was probably about 20 pounds overweight (at 5’2’’). I tried crash diets and diet pills in my 20s. Then I got married and moved from Long Island, New York where all my family and friends live, to Wisconsin, where I knew no one. I was very lonely and some days were so cold, you couldn’t even go outside. I took solace in cooking my new husband elaborate gourmet meals which caused both of our weights to balloon. By the time I had my son, my weight was over 200 pounds. Two years later, when I was 27, I read about the Atkins Diet in a magazine. I tried it and lost 90 pounds and went down to a size 8 or 10, but I had terrible cravings. My husband and I called them “fat attacks.” You break your favorite piece of china and suddenly you’re downing a gallon of ice cream. Once you start eating carbs, you can’t stop.

When I was 31, a doctor diagnosed me with hyperglycemia, the disease of the month, and told me I had to start eating carbs again. I started gaining back all the weight and eventually got up to 260 pounds. Even though I nagged my son about eating his vegetables, I didn't eat many because they hurt my stomach. (I had undiagnosed stomach ulcers.) I just ate what was lying around so it wouldn’t go to waste. I thought being a good mom meant only taking care of my son and husband and putting myself last. I didn’t even go to the doctor for a good 17 or 18 years because I didn’t believe in doctors for myself.

Then at age 50, I ended up in the emergency room with internal bleeding from stomach ulcers that had gone undiagnosed for 20 years. The doctors also discovered I had diabetes which was terrifying for me. I had diabetic relatives who were blind and had amputated legs.

I realized I better start taking my health seriously or I may not be around to take care of my son and husband, so I met with the hospital nutritionist. She told me I had to cut down on sugar, but I didn’t have to cut it out of my diet. I decided to quit sugar cold turkey, because I couldn’t just have one piece of candy and stop. She gave me a 1,450 calorie a day meal plan. I never expected it to help me lose weight. When I had been crash dieting, I restricted my calories to 800 a day. 1,450 seemed like a lot.

But I was wrong. I had lost about 20 pounds as result of my ulcers, but after a year of following her plan, I lost 30 more pounds for a total of 50 pounds. I kept steadily dropping weight. Soon after that, my husband and son started to follow my lead and eat healthier as well. Nine months after my son started eating better and exercising, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Ironically, he was in the best shape of his life the day he checked into the hospital. Because I was eating healthy and working out every day, I was strong enough to be able to care for my son during his two-year battle with leukemia and because he had changed his lifestyle, he was strong enough to beat it. A year later, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. I was so thankful I had become healthier because I was able to take care of both of them and they’re both 10 and 8 years in remission.

I had always hated gym class and came up with every excuse in the book to get out of it. But while I don’t enjoy competitive sports, I discovered that I love working out. Monday through Friday, I get up at 1 or 1:30 a.m. so I can eat breakfast and get to the gym by 4 a.m. I lift weights, do the elliptical and ab work for an hour and a half. I love the atmosphere and I feed off of everyone's energy there. On the weekends, I work out at my home gym.  I follow the same plan my nutritionist gave me 14 years ago which is closest to the original Weight Watchers plan.

I don’t eat out very often. I don’t eat in between meals. 80 percent of each meal is made up of vegetables. I have two ounces of lean protein at lunch and three ounces at dinner. I eat two pieces of fruit a day and follow the diabetic guidelines for starch. I don’t eat anything deep fried and I don’t eat sugar at all. I stick to non-caloric drinks except for skim milk in my coffee.

I’m now 64-years-old, 123 pounds, and I feel great. When I look in the mirror, I’m happy with my body. I see a normal-sized, healthy woman. When I was crash dieting, I never thought I was skinny enough, but now I see that my body is exactly as it should be and I’ll never be overweight again. My brain is where my body is.

Susan is a member of the National Weight Control Registry. If you've lost at least 30 pounds and have kept it off for at least a year, you are eligible to join. Visit www.nwcr.ws for more information.

Editor's note: Do you have a weight-loss success story of your own? If you've lost weight or are in the process of losing weight, email editor.neversaydiet@nbcuni.com with "Weight-Loss Success Story" in the subject line and tell us your story. You may be featured on NeverSayDiet.com!