I was interviewed for an in-depth article in The Atlantic Ezine and hard copy magazine. The Atlantic has over 1 million subscribers, but because I was in the magazine, I was given a link to share with folks that is good until May 22, 2024.
“Obesity or Bust” was written by Daniel Engber and turned out to be a really great article. He’s an amazing writer. Dan and I talked for hours and he visited me down here in Orlando for a couple of days. We watched my old videotapes (bring a VCR with him on the plane!) when I was on CBS This Morning, Montel, and 48 Hours after my Fen-Phen experience in 1987. We had breakfast at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, a beautiful Disney World Resort I’ve stayed in several times. We walked around a bit. I even walked up and down stairs without gasping for breath for the first time in decades! Much of it was surreal since I had not been at anything Disney for ages because of my health and weight.
Dan and I also went to Publix Supermarket so I could weigh on their scale for the first time ever. I am 63 years old and have gone to Publix since I was a girl, yet never stood on that thing. Mainly because the Publix scale is in the walkway where people go in and go out of the store. Not only would I not step on it because I had a life of being fat, then fatter, then super-fat, but then it became a moot point because the scale doesn’t even go over 300 lbs.
On October 14, 2023, I stepped on that forbidden scale for the first time ever in front of Dan who took a picture of me as I saw what it said. I’m sure I squealed quite loudly when the scale said a paltry 252.5 lbs., down 152.5 lbs. from 405 lbs. in April 2022. Isn’t that stunning? You can certainly see it on my face!
Today as I write this post, my diabetes in in remission (from 9.0 to 5.1), Blood Pressure, totally normal. Chronic Kidney Disease is improving (eGFR from 40 to 50), Fatty Liver Disease all but gone, walking 3+ miles a day from not being able to walk unaided to the bathroom. I am off 7 medications and incredibly happy. The secondary part is I weigh 186 lbs. That’s down 219 lbs. total It’s baffling.
I hope you’ll read the article “Obesity or Bust” and tell me your thoughts.
Keep going, everyone! It’s worth it!