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" Stats: MaryKay Berry, 36 Heaviest Weight: 329 Current Weight: 179 Time It Took: 18 months My Story: I was an obese teenager: At 14, I clocked in at 200 pounds. My senior year in high school, I went on a crash diet and lost half of that. I remember eating bouillon, celery, and a diet shake at my prom \u2014 how depressing! In college, I gained it all back. I got married but then had a miscarriage, at which point I started eating all the time to numb the pain. During my next pregnancy, I ate Dairy Queen Blizzards a couple of times a day, and the pounds piled on fast (big surprise). When my son was just 9 months old, I got pregnant again. I had to go on bed rest, and my weight really skyrocketed. Worst Moment: I went on a field trip with my biology class in college and, as part of a science experiment, we all had to walk into this river. Later, I learned that the professor had made a wisecrack to another student \u2014 saying that I was so large, the river&amp;#039;s water level went up when I stepped in. When that got back to me, I just cried buckets.     Turning Point: My weight was putting a strain on my marriage. Although my husband was never mean, I think he was surprised that he&amp;#039;d married a woman who looked one way, and then two years later, she was twice that size. I was so miserable that I went to my doctor and said, &amp;quot;Give me pills or schedule surgery.&amp;quot; She replied, &amp;quot;Do something for me first. Try Weight Watchers.&amp;quot; How I Lost It: The very next day, I had a huge slice of cake for breakfast, then signed up for a Weight Watchers class. Their plan is so simple, it&amp;#039;s easy to integrate into your lifestyle: You keep track of what you eat with a point system (for example, a bagel is 6 points, an egg white and tomato omelet is 1 point). I started losing right away. Now, when I&amp;#039;m out to dinner with my friends at home in Clarkesville, GA, and I get real quiet, someone will say, &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re counting points, aren&amp;#039;t you?&amp;quot; And I am! When I cook at home, I measure everything to get the right portion \u2014 eyeballing it doesn&amp;#039;t work for me.  Favorite Trick: I never deprive myself; I just make great substitutions. For example, I don&amp;#039;t go to Dairy Queen (their Blizzards range from 12 to 22 points), but I will get a reduced-fat vanilla ice cream cone at McDonald&amp;#039;s (only 3 points). What Keeps Me Going: I posted this quote on the fridge to stop me from eating when I&amp;#039;m not hungry: &amp;quot;Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.&amp;quot; Email us your success story! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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