234 pounds. She sized up her diet — heavy on fatty foods such as fried chicken and hamburgers — and her exercise routine — nonexistent — and set about changing her ways.
Walking, aerobics, and working out on a treadmill are now part of her daily schedule. And she prepares low-fat meals, mostly salads, what her husband used to teasingly call “rabbit food.” To date she dropped 47 pounds; she aims to shed another 30.
Thomas’s husband recently learned he has diabetes, strengthening his wife’s resolve to stop the disheartening cycle. She knows that to stand a decent chance of averting the disease, she’ll need to stick with her new habits for a lifetime. But she’s willing to try — and not just for her own sake. “I don’t want to push this on my kids,” she says. “Three generations is enough.”
