Mary’s Success Story

I started to comment back and forth with Mary on our respective posts.  Very quickly I realized that she has attained success at weighty loss and at maintaining.  I immediately knew I wanted to highlight her story!  She very graciously agreed to share her story and her success.

What sparked you to begin to lose weight??  

To be honest, I was always a good weight until the last few years before my retirement.  As work became more and more stressful, my co-workers and I turned to food.  I ate enormous fatty breakfasts, huge lunches, a huge dinner.  I rounded out my day with unhealthy snacks morning, noon, and night.  My husband kept telling me that I was getting heavy, but I didn't care.  I suffer from osteoarthritis, and walking was becoming more and more difficult.  I couldn't go a block without losing my breath or leaning on a pole because I was in so much pain.  However, I just couldn't believe, or didn't want to believe that my weight was causing this.  Then one morning I was getting ready for work and I sneezed.  I felt a pain like I had never felt before.  It takes a lot for me to go to an emergency room, but that morning I called in sick and headed to the nearest ER.  It turns out that I had pulled a muscle in my back, but when they took my blood pressure it hurt so bad that I begged them to stop.  That's when the doctor told me my blood pressure was very high--193/135--and that I had to start taking better care of myself, and the first step would be losing weight.

 What was your highest weight?   Current weight?  I was 223 pounds at my highest.  I am now 169 pounds.

 How much weight have your lost in pounds? 

 I have lost 54 pounds in all.. 

 What was your starting clothing size?  Your current size? 

My starting clothing size was 3X.  I now wear XL.  

  

What plan did you follow to lose your weight?  (ie weight watchers, slim fast, a plan of your own creation...) When I first started losing I used the Dash Diet to control my blood pressure.   I bought all kinds of spices to flavor my foods and used no salt.  Then, after I retired I started attending Weight Watchers and have been attending ever since. 

Have you reached your weight loss goal?  

  Yes, I have reached the goal that is on record.  I would like to lose a few more pounds, but that doesn't look likely.  

Do you consistently track your food intake (via online or paperform) 

No.  I'm good tracking my food for a week or so, then I stop.  I don't know why.  The Weight Watchers site has made it so easy, and I do very well when I track.

How often do you weigh yourself?  How did you come to that choice for how often?  

I am weighed every Thursday at my meeting.  Since I reached goal, I only have to weigh in once a month.  I am beginning to realize, though, that I need that I need that scale to keep me on track.

What online tools do you use? 

I use the Weight Watcher e-tools.  Although I don't track regularly, I use the site to check out the points on recipe I am making or to help me keep on track when we go out to eat.

 Do your exercise regularly?  If so, what do you do?  I do a lot of walking.  My union also offers its retirees free classes, so twice a week I attend Qigong and Line Dancing.  No formal exercise at a gym even though I have a Silver Sneakers pass and can attend for free.

What products do you use/can't live without/recommend?

  I don't use any weight loss products, but I do use a lot of spices.  I still keep my diet low on salt so I spice up everything I cook.  I especially love hot and spicy foods.  I understand, too, they are good for weight loss.

Do you have any words of advice for someone that is just starting out on this journey of weight loss and health?  

Don't give up.  It can be very frustrating at times.  I hit a plateau that lasted a little over a year.  I was only a few pounds to goal, and I just could not shed them.  Many times I felt like giving up and expressed this to my leader.  Her advices was, "The check is in the mail".  Indeed she was right.  One day I stepped on that scale and it moved.  It really moved!  

Is there anything else you would like to share?  

As I stated, when I first started I couldn't go a block without stopping.  Now I have gone 16 blocks and more without losing my breath or suffering pain.  I still take medication for my blood pressure, but unlike before when it remained high despite medication, it now stays down pretty much in normal range.

Thank you very much for sharing your weight loss success story!   You have shown  and reminded me that weighty loss is doable and takes perseverence!  You look fantastic!!!!!!

If you are interested in more success stories and more inspiration, you can check out Donna’s ongoing success story!

Donna’s Success Story

Donna’s Success Story is one of perseverance and willpower.   She had battled her weight and been highly successful.  She has also learned lessons the hard way, with a regain.  At the beginning of this year she took a good look at where she was and decided to make some changes in her diet and lifestyle and she is living proof that if you want to lose weight and are willing to put in the effort that weight loss success is possible.

I met Donna many years ago through my blog as we both worked to lose weight. We communicated for a while simply via the comments section but then eventually though email.  It was a good day when I finally got to meet this amazing woman that I call my friend.  We had a fabulous time riding our bikes together at an organized ride that first weekend , and we have managed to hook up a few times since then (definitely not often enough!). Donna has been at one time or another my confidant, my accountability partner, my bike buddy, my sounding board,  a shoulder to cry on and most recently my inspiration....but most importantly she is my friend. 

Here is a picture of Donna and I at that very first meeting.  (As a reference point, I believe we both weighed right around 210-215 pounds)

What sparked you to begin to lose weight?? 

      THIS time I started the year out having to pay almost $500 for one months supply for ONE of three injectibles I take for type 2 diabetes.  Since I have a fairly high deductible with my insurance, the medications I was taking for my type 2 diabetes as well as for high blood pressure and cholesterol were costing me a small fortune!  It took several months to meet my deductible and even now it costs about $200 a month, out of pocket, for my medications.  Since I plan to retire at the end of the year, I started to try and think of ways to reduce some of my bills.  One way was on the car insurance for my car since I no longer put many miles on my car. The next one was my medications.  The insurance is taken care of and as of my June Endocrinologist appointment I was able to get off of one of my insulins, thus far.

 What was your highest weight?  Current weight?  Highest weigh that I can remember was 305 pounds,  Current weight as of this morning is 188.8 pounds. 

  How much weight have your lost? 

Since January of this year I lost 38.4 pounds.  I have fluctuated for about  8 years at right around 250 pounds give or take 5 pounds.

      What was your starting clothing size?  Your current size?  

My starting size was 22/24 pants and 2-3XL tops.  Just bought medium shorts yesterday, a pair of capris in large and a large top.

What plan did you follow to lose your weight?  (ie weight watchers, slim fast, a plan of your own creation...)  I really don't follow any special plan.  I have known since my type 2 diabetes was diagnosed that carbohydrate  and sugar intake needed to be watched.  I started to log EVERY day in MyFitnessPal and watched to make sure I didn't go over my carbohydrate and sugar levels. I had been to diabetes classes twice, once with my husband and once when I was diagnosed so I knew what to eat and how to make sure you get the nutrients  from all food groups.   I am an Excel spreadsheet geek, so I tracked all of the nutrients that the free version of the app allows, as well as calories.  I could see how I did each day against my weekly weight loss.  So that was a LONG answer to your question, so really my own plan.

Have you reached your weight loss goal?  If so, how long have you been maintaining your weight?

  Not yet!  I spoke with both my Endocrinologist and Primary Care doctor and they both would like to strive to get my BMI at a "normal level".  Searching that data on the internet shows me I should be at 170 pound's.

Do you consistently track your food intake (via online or paperform) 

  I track in myfitnesspal EVERY SINGLE DAY!

How often do you weigh yourself?  How did you come to that choice for how often? 

 I weigh myself once a week,  first thing in the morning.  On very rare occasions I will weigh mid-week, but my Sunday number is what I log in MyFItnessPal and on my spreadsheet.  I chose this because I know there are a lot of fluctuations each and every day and only wanted to have my sights on ONE weigh in a week.  I am the type of person that gets disappointed if I weigh in the morning after I go over my calories and see a gain.

What online tools do you use?  Just MyFItnessPal.com 

Do you exercise regularly?  If so, what do you do? 

Not really!  This is my weakness right now.  I am not sure if it is because I am lazy or what.  I just can't seem to get motivated for any period of time to keep at it.  I now work from home full time, so I can't say I "don't have time". since my 1-1/4 hour commute is gone!  I have a good bicycle and a great place  to walk. I also have clubhouse in the 55+ community where we live.  The clubhouse has a recumbent bike, several treadmills, weights, etc which is open 24-7 with our pass key .  Maybe admitting it to you for your blog will give me the incentive I need to get with it!  I know that I need to exercise not to lose weigh as much but to get rid of my stomach and to try to tone up my legs and arms.

What products do you use/can't live without/recommend? 

My FitBit   I finally purchased one at the end of May and don't know how I lived without it!  It helps me to get up and move since I work as a Project Manager and sit at least 8 hours a day.  I also like that I can log my water consumption, that it monitors my sleep and I can see it all at one place.  I also like that it pulls in all my data from MyFItnessPal.

Do you have any words of advice for someone that is just starting out on this journey of weight loss and health?  

Take it ONE day at a time.  Do what is best for you and don't compare yourself to anyone else.  YOU have to be ready to lose weight, make the changes and even find ways to get exercise in.  What works for someone else might not work for you!  It is a work in progress and something you will need to commit to for the rest of your life.  If you have NO medical issues now, try and fix this BEFORE you might possible need meds for conditions related to weigh loss such as type 2 diabetes, thyroid, blood pressure, cholesterol. etc.

Thank you Donna for sharing your inspiring weight loss progress and success with us!  I know you have been a true inspiration to me and I’m sure your story will inspire others.  You are proof positive that a healthy lifestyle CAN reverse the need for medications!  Keep up the good work and I’m sure that you will reach your weight goals and that more medications will be eliminated/reduced!   

If you want to read more success stories you can read about David and his flight to health!

David’s Success Story

David and I connected quite a few years ago through this blog and we had some deep email discussions about weight loss and what it meant for each of us.  We have emailed sporadically through the years and just the other week when we were communicating, I was more than excited to hear that he had reached his goal!! David’s story is not about his weight or the numbers on the scale as you will see in his responses. His story is driven by health concerns and the restrictions of those health concerns.

Due to professional reasons, he is choosing to not share his picture, but his story is amazingly inspiring!

What sparked you to begin to lose weight??

I always wanted to be a pilot when I was young. But it wasn’t until my parents offered to pay for my flight training one summer while I was in college that I was able to act upon that dream. I jumped at their offer and went through the training and acquired my pilots license.  However, flying is a bit expensive and with finishing college, then finding a job, paying  for a place to live, a car, and all of life’s expenses; flying took a back seat.  I always thought that I would get back to it sooner or later, but time kept slipping by me.  As I got older and more settled in life I started to occasionally think about flying again.  However by that time I had a medical complication, high blood pressure.  I figured that would prevent me from easily regaining my pilots license. I was placed on medication,which managed the issue but I figured it would prevent me from clearing the medical requirements to regain my pilots license so I never pursued it. Eventually I became prediabetic and started taking more medications to control that.  Of course shortly thereafter the itch to fly really took hold of me. I really missed flying and now that I was a little older and could afford it, I was ready to get back into the cockpit.  So I did some research.  I found that all of my medications were on the FAA approved list.  The only complication was the diabetes.  My blood sugar was being controlled with medication (granted it was a little high, but it was steady). I could get the medical clearance without changing anything, but it would be more difficult and would require special certification.  In order to walk into the examination and walk out with a valid medical clearance (with no special clearance needed) my blood sugar needed to be lower.   That was my goal and my motivation, to get under that magic number so that could happen!

 What was your highest weight?   Current weight?

At my highest point I think I was at 268lb.  Now I am probably around 240.  I go to the Doctor every six months and as long as I weigh the same or less, I know  I am on the right path.  

Furthermore, I have reached the magic numbers to easily obtain my medical clearance. I am currently working on finishing up my training to obtain a valid and current pilots license.

What plan did you follow to lose your weight?

I sort of did my own thing.  I eliminated all sugar, or anything that was naturally sweet (including fruit).  I stopped eating things like rice, potatoes, pasta, and drastically limited my bread intake.  I wasn’t super strict about it.  I would occasionally have those things, and even dessert every now and then.  However, kept them to a minimum.  And I also started  trying to have a NSNG (no sugar, no grain) diet, albeit slightly modified.  I would recommend anyone listen to Vinnie Tortorich (vinnietortorich.com).   I think he has some podcasts of his own, but I would listen to him when he came on Adam Carolla's podcast.

Have you reached your weight loss goal?  If so, how long have you been maintaining your weight?

No, I would say I have some more weight to lose, but I dont have a magic number in mind.  If I stay where I am, so be it.  There is more to health that meeting one particular weight goal.

Do you consistently track your food intake 

No, but I do tend to kind of mentally track it during the day.  So if I splurge a tiny bit at lunch I will eat a better dinner, etc.

Do your exercise regularly?  If so, what do you do?

No I do not.  It is something I hope to fix one day. I will do some things that get me moving around, but not exercise per se.  I have  always hated exercise for the sake of exercise.  Much more willing to go for a hike or bike ride, etc, because I want to do that, not just to work out.

Do you have any words of advice for someone that is just starting out on this journey of weight loss and health?  

You have to commit to it mentally.  I tried multiple times with multiple different diets, and they all worked to some degree, but were far too restrictive to stay with long term and eventually the weight comes right back.   I would recommend just picking something, just one thing, that you like but know is bad for you.  Just cut it out.  Keep everything else the same, and go without that one thing. It could be that can of Coke, or that ice cream, whatever it is.  I am not saying it won’t be difficult.  All habits are hard to break.  But that is what it is, a habit, not a need.  And if you just cut out one thing, the impact is minimal, and after a while you wont even want it any more. After you have broken that habit, it’s time to cut out the next thing.  Do this  until you find what works for you.  Don't go on a diet, change your lifestyle.  Make permanent changes.  In my case, since I have cut out sugar; whenever I do have a sip of something like orange juice or a coke it is way to sweet for me.  I don't want it anymore.  There are still things (like chocolate) that I crave occasionally, and I do let myself have a piece every now and then (or a few m&ms, etc), but just enough to enjoy the taste, and thats it.  And if you do have a bad day, where you just eat like crap, don't worry about it, just reset the next day.  If most of your days are healthy, the occasional bad one will  hardly have an impact. 

 As far as your weight...I would say don't check it every day.  Maybe check it once a week at a consistent time (like just when you wake up but haven't showered).  And don't worry if it was higher than the last reading....you are just looking for a trend over a long period of time.  If you like, plot them on a graph and you can easily see the downward trend.  Its hard to see when you are obsessed with the numbers day to day.  

Is there anything else you would like to share?

As far as weight loss goes I believe that weight loss is 90% diet, and 10% exercise.  Focus on the diet!

Thank you David for sharing your story with us!  Your healthy changes have helped you reach your goals and accomplish your dreams.  Keep up the healthy lifestyle you have set up for yourself and you will definitely have continued succcess.  I’m sure flying is so much sweeter because of the effort you had to exert to get there!   Enjoy your airtime and fly safe my friend!

If you want to read more success stories, check out Lori’s story about how she has been losing weight through Weight Watchers or Crystal who has adopted a slow and steady approach to changing her lifestyle and weight.

Crystal- success story

“I struggled with my weight for most of my life,”  Crystal told me in an email.    She would lose some and then gain some, but it wasn’t until she went through a really bad time in her life that sent her into a deep depression that she really lost control of her weight.  It was during that time that she hit her highest weight.  It wasn’t until she ended up in the hospital that her eyes were opened.  During the 5 days in the hospital she lost 20 pounds and that five pounds made the difference.  She noticed an increase in energy and a difference in how she felt.    It was  the wake-up call she needed.  She wanted to feel better and she knew that losing more weight would give it to her.  Her journey had started.

 

I have known Crystal since we were young.  We were in the same school/class in second grade.      We lost touch for many years but recently connected through Facebook.   A few weeks ago when I saw her post something about her weight loss success/progress, I knew that I wanted to feature her as a success story.  She graciously accepted my offer to answer some questions and her weight loss success story is one that shows true perseverance!

 

 

What sparked you to begin to lose weight??  My weight loss journey began when I ended up in the hospital for a bowel obstruction in 2005   I was in the hospital for 5 days.  When I left the hospital I was down 20 pounds.  I immediately  noticed that I had more energy and felt better with that twenty pounds gone.  That difference was enough to make me want to continue to lose weight.

 How much weight have you lost in pounds? As of yesterday, 151 lbs

What was your starting clothing size?  28 Your current size? It varies on style of clothing but average 16. 

  

What plan did you follow to lose your weight?  (ie weight watchers, slim fast, a plan of your own creation...) The first thing I did was to  cut out soda. I immediately lost an additional 40 lbs. In case you missed it, that is 40 pounds in  just a few weeks!  I rarely drink soda anymore.  The other thing I have done is to simply watch what I eat.  I don’t deny myself anything, including goodies.  I found if I tried to cut something out completely that  I would go over board when I indulged. Now, if I want a candy bar, ice cream or snack cake; I will  go ahead and have one.  I've learned everything is allowed in moderation. It's become my mantra. 

 Have you reached your weight loss goal?  If so, how long have you been maintaining your weight? No, I want to lose about 30 more. I've had some ups and downs. I was fluctuating back and forth about 30 lbs for a while but for the last year I've only been fluctuating about 10lbs. 

 Do you consistently track your food intake (via online or paper form) I found doing so stressed me out to much and I would relapse.

 

How often do you weigh yourself?  At least once a week... sometimes more.

How did you come to that choice for how often? Never really thought about it. 

 

Do your exercise regularly?  If so, what do you do?.  Other than running around like a mad woman at work, I do not exercise. 

 

  Do you have any words of advice for someone that is just starting out on this journey of weight loss and health?  You have to make a decision for yourself... no one else really matters. It sounds a little self-centered, but it is along the same lines as you have to love yourself before you can truly love someone else. You will have ups and downs just like everything else in life. It's not an easy road, but it's worth every bump to see yourself transform. Be patient, you may not see the transformation for a while, but it will happen.  Also, make sure you talk to your doctor if you are thinking of trying a diet plan. 

Crystal is a true success story!  Thank you Crystal for sharing your story with us.  You are an inspiration to everyone.  You are doing an amazing job

Success Story - Lori

Lori chose the stealth mode when she started her weight loss journey.   She made the decision and quietly started to work on her weight.  It was quite a while before she actually announced to the general public (aka Facebook) that she had not only been working on her weight, but had been having some nice success.   As scary as it is to come forward and admit to the world that she was on this journey to health, Lori has showed us that you can have a busy life and have great success!

I had the pleasure of meeting Lori in college.  During my senior year, she and I lived in the same dorm and in fact our rooms were pretty much right across the hall.  Lori was the most vivacious and fun person to be around.  Her creativity and wit were a spark that made dorm life even more fun. (Seriously, who else do you know that would create a non-working fireplace in her dorm room at Christmas to celebrate the holiday!)  As I’ve seen her Facebook posts over the years I can see that the creativity and wit are still a driving part of her personality.   I was working on an idea for a success story page in my head when I saw her most recent post about her success and when I asked her, she very willingly accepted the offer to answer some questions.  Thank you Lori!

What sparked you to begin to lose weight?? I had a picture taken of me with my dad at Thanksgiving in 2016.  Thanksgiving has been tough for me, since my mom passed away and that Thanksgiving was especially hard, because it was the first since my dad had remarried.  I remember looking at that picture and seeing how sad I looked.  I mean, once you get beyond the fact that I was in desperate need of a dye job, I was overweight, sad, uncomfortable in my own skin.  I just didn’t like what I saw.   I also realized at 41, I was only a few years away from the age my mom was when she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and High Blood Pressure, that in some ways lead to her having the first of a series of debilitating strokes at the age of 50.  I knew I needed to make some changes in my life. It wasn’t something that happened all at once, but that picture kind of solidified a lot of my thoughts up to that point and haunted me in a way that helped me make the decision to quietly sign up for Weight Watchers about 6 weeks later in January of 2017.

What was your highest weight?   Current weight? My highest weight was 185.  That might not seem like a lot to some, but I’m only 4’10”.  My current weight is fluctuating around 136-140.How much weight have your lost in pounds? 45-49 – again with the fluctuationsWhat was your starting clothing size?  Your current size?  I was busting out of my 16s and fit into a pair of 18s, and now I’m around an 8/10.  I say 8, because I currently own TWO size 8 shorts!  Whoop! 

  What plan did you follow to lose your weight?  (ie weight watchers, slim fast, a plan of your own creation...)  I chose Weight Watchers and it’s been amazing for me.  I totally look at food differently now.  My son is a Type 1 Diabetic and has been since he was 7.  So, I’ve been helping him count carbs for years.  Counting points was an easy process for me to get used to.  It also allows me to have things I like.  In the past, I would give up all the things I liked the most – sugary things, CARBS!  With Weight Watchers I could still have those things, but only enough to satisfy that need and not exceed my points goal for the day.  I like the freedom of choice I have with Weight Watchers.

Have you reached your weight loss goal?  If so, how long have you been maintaining your weight?  I set out to get down to 120, but haven’t achieved that goal yet.  So, this is a work still in process.  I will say that I’ve started to get comfortable with the fact that maybe getting into the 130s is where my realistic, I’m-in-my-40s-now, health goal should be.  Still working that out with myself.

 Do you consistently track your food intake (via online or paperform) I consistently tracked my food daily on weightwatchers.com and their phone app for a solid year.  This year I’ve been hit and miss with my tracking.  Some days I’m great at it, some days….not so much.

 How often do you weigh yourself?  How did you come to that choice for how often?  I weigh myself almost daily.  I went a whole week once without weighing myself and I found I was super stressed by the not knowing and worried that I was gaining. So, I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning as a start to my day.

 What online tools do you use?  Beyond the Weight Watchers website, I use Pinterest for recipes.

Do your exercise regularly?  If so, what do you do?  I work with preschoolers, so in the beginning I just noted my daily steps.  But, I didn’t exercise intentionally until a good 4-5 months into my diet, because I really wanted to focus my energy into changing my eating habits.  Late April of ’17 I started walking with my family.  I now do power walks almost daily and sometimes incorporate jogging with that.  I love my walks!

 Do you have any words of advice for someone that is just starting out on this journey of weight loss and health?  I’ve had a lot of people ask me this question.  I’ve been struggling with my weight since Jr. High.  I’ve done tons of diets and failed at nearly all of them.  I think you really need to WANT it.  To realize that the bite of food you’re missing isn’t worth the struggle and sadness that often accompanies eating it.  I think they need to know that the mental part of a lifestyle/weight loss journey is MUCH tougher than the physical part.  I wasn’t prepared for the mental back and forth.  But, overall, I’d say that taking control of your life and your weight is one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done.  I know that this is not over for me.   My weight and, in turn, food will always be an issue for me.  This is a lifestyle change.  I won’t allow myself to eat like I used to.  I feel too good now to want to go back to that.    

 Is there anything else you would like to share?   I guess it just comes back to finding a way to be ok with this being a long-term goal and not a short term one.  Losing weight has always been about immediate goal-reaching for me.  If I wanted to lose 20 lbs and did, well, then I was done and would go back to eating my favorites all the time (Doritos anyone?), which led to gaining everything back.  This time the difference has been about doing it the right way.  Making life changes to my diet.  So, I’m a year and a half in and haven’t met my goal.  BUT, I’m still working.  I keep working.  I keep being aware of what I eat and when I exercise and look for ways to change things up to make more progress.  And, while the challenge of the mental part of it can be tiresome and overwhelming at times, the food part hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be.  I still worry about failing.  I think anyone that has struggled with weight in their lifetime knows that Failure is that scary guy in the corner, but I feel equipped now in ways I haven’t ever before.  I’m no one special.  Just a gal who’s been right where everyone else has. The fact that I’ve lost weight in a way that others find successful is still a surprise to me.  

 Thank you Lori for taking the time to share your thoughts and weight loss success story with us.  You truly are an inspiration!  Keep up the great work!

GREAT INSIPIRATION

I found this story on the internet while reading Blogs...couldn't help but post it on mine to reread whenever I need that little umf to help me stay movitaved and keep my willpower strong!

FOund on http://journals.aol.com/mmclem1112/marks ...just reading his blog is an inspiration in itself.....so far 172 pounds gone!

Posted by Kat on March 1st, 2005
Charles Laurence
The Sunday Telegraph

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Big Pete” Loiselle is a shadow of his former self. At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, he sits at his kitchen table and describes what it is like to be one of the most obese people in the United States.

The 40-year-old schoolteacher from Ellsworth, Me., told of being mocked at shopping centres, being unable to use public washrooms, suffering from severe body odour because of the sweat trapped in the folds of his skin and being scarcely able to lift himself from his living room chair to go to work. In the end, with his weight peaking at 763 pounds and a waist measuring 84 inches, his spine was being crushed by the pressure of his stomach whenever he stood up. It had come down to a decision between diet and death

“You get bigger a little bit at a time,” Mr. Loiselle says. “The bigger you get, the less activity you do. Even going to the bathroom is a problem.”

For 20 years, he could not go to a movie because he could no longer fit into the seats. He missed his sister’s wedding in Chicago because he could not afford to buy the two seats the airline was demanding before letting him on board. The mere act of staggering from his pick-up truck to his front door or into his classroom would leave him gasping for breath.

As he soared past the 700-pound mark in his early thirties, Mr. Loiselle worked out that he could get himself dressed more easily if he put his shoes on before hauling on his enormous, custom-made jeans. When he could no longer tie his shoelaces, he bought shoes with Velcro fasteners. “I could not go to my favourite restaurants because I could not fit into the chairs,” he says. “So I bought my own chair, tossed it into the back of the truck and hauled it into the restaurant.”

Mr. Loiselle did not, by his reckoning, “gorge constantly.” He did not eat breakfast and insists he was “never the kind of guy who ate all 12 eggs in the box” at one sitting. Rather, he regularly ate cheese crackers and peanut butter biscuits—“a packet or two at a time.”

There was plenty of food to be had, he discovered, if he volunteered for lunch duty at the Surry Elementary School, close to his home on the spectacular Bar Harbor coast of Maine. “The cooks always make too much for the kids, so I would eat all I liked from the leftovers. When I got home, I’d sit down and eat all that carbohydrate-sodium-sugar stuff that makes you feel good. Then I’d have an ordinary dinner—burgers, or something like that—only I’d have two or three portions. I ate all that I wanted and never counted the calories.”

If he had counted, according to the doctors who eventually helped save his life, the mathematics teacher would have arrived at a figure close to 10,000 for his daily calorie intake.

“I stopped going to the mall because of people pointing, staring and giggling,” he says.

Mr. Loiselle insists, however, that he was perfectly happy as one of the fattest men in the United States. At the age of 25, when he weighed about 650 lbs, he married Christine, now 45. “My love life? Well, I’ll say this: I’m still happy, and I’m still married. It’s another thing you learn to work your way around,” he says.

Christine laughs, and says: “There’s a lot less to love now, but a lot more loving. Pete was pretty big when I got to know him, and his weight was never an issue. He’s a really nice guy, and he has a wicked sense of humour. I always saw beyond what everyone else saw.”

At school, his pupils had never mocked him, even as he grew too big to get up from his chair below the blackboard. Mr. Loiselle had wanted to be a teacher since he was 13, and he has a knack for the job. He is known as a strict disciplinarian, but one whom the children love and respond to. When, in the end, he found himself in hospital, they made videotapes pleading for him to recover.

“The kids were my biggest defenders.”

By the time he was 36, however, Mr. Loiselle knew that his health was failing. He was developing cellulitis in his legs, an agonizing condition that causes inflammation of body tissue, which can lead to gangrene and amputation. While he was in hospital, he was told he would lose his legs within a year—and his life within three or four. It was considered remarkable that he had reached his mid-thirties at all.

Doctors called in surgeons and dietitians. They offered Mr. Loiselle a last chance plan: if he lost 100 lbs, they would offer gastric bypass surgery. After gastric bypass, however, a patient must stay on a strict diet for life.

Mr. Loiselle’s face still creases with horror at the thought. He decided he would forgo the gastric bypass and simply diet. “There was no big moment,” he says. “But I wanted to be with Christine, and I wanted to be big brother to my four siblings, all younger, and I wanted to see the 22 nephews and nieces they have grow up.”

With the dietitian, he worked out a daily regimen of 2,200 calories which enabled him to eat his favourite foods. He still enjoys peanut butter and burgers, drinks the odd beer and takeout from KFC. He just eats less.

For two-and-a-half years, he lost an average of 17 lbs a month—the total weight loss of almost 504 lbs is understood to be the largest achieved without surgery. After a year, he was able to exercise, and he now walks four miles a day and lifts weights daily. He has a body mass index of 30 and a body-fat ratio of 15.3%. “According to my doctor, I now officially have the body of an athlete,” he says, smiling.

Mr. Loiselle has, however, had one operation: his diet left him with folds of floppy skin. Surgeons removed eight pounds of skin from around his waist. “Yes, I’m happier like this,” he concedes. “I realized that my family had been keeping a little distance from me, because they were scared I was going to die.”

And not long ago, Mr. Loiselle was striding through Ellsworth when he encountered some pupils from his 700-pound days. “They were in shock,” he says. “And they were even in tears to see me like this because they were so pleased.”