Karen Wright, 46, weighed 342 pounds and lost an astounding 164 pounds in 50 weeks. She got her start by joining a local TOPS program ('Taking off Pounds Sensibly') and wasn't very optimistic about succeeding. She didn't like the idea of writing down everything she ate. She gave herself one week to try out the program. In the first week she lost 17 pounds and was hooked.
After she lost a bit more weight she started walking. Initially she couldn't do even a quarter of a mile, but she gradually increased the distances.
She says the key to her continued weight loss was having the support of people around her who were struggling with the same problems. These days she walks three to five miles a day.
See her story and a more recent photo here.
