Eating Healthy Saved Her Life

Vitals Jennifer Powell, 36, Lebanon, OHOccupation Stay-at-home momHeight 5'8"Time It Took to Reach Her Goal 3 years, 1 monthWeight Before 312Weight After 165Lesson Learned "There are no excuses. Once I changed my attitude, having a bad knee or being too busy were no longer reasons not to be healthy."Secret Weapon "My gym pal, Tammy. Meeting her at the Y every day at 5 a.m. got me out of bed."

The GainA chubby kid in a thin family, Jennifer outweighed her older sister even in grade school. When her carb-heavy diet pushed her past 300 pounds, at age 30, she hit rock bottom. "I was ashamed of how I'd let myself go."

The ChangeIn July 2005, Jennifer was once again the heaviest member at a family gathering. In the breakfast buffet line, it dawned on her that no one else had piled their plate with one of everything. "I wasn't even that hungry," she says. "That's when I saw how out of control I'd gotten."

The LifestyleJennifer joined the weight-loss support group Take Off Pounds Sensibly, or TOPS, and discovered her competitive streak. "It became like a contest: What can I change this week? Can I walk an extra mile today?" The former carb addict became a farmers' market regular and nixed red meat. She took daily walks, and in the winter joined the YMCA for the calorie-burning power of the cardio machines.

One year later and 80 pounds lighter, Jennifer suffered a major setback: cardiac arrest. Then she had a second heart attack in the hospital. "The doctors said if I hadn't lost those 80 pounds, my heart probably couldn't have taken the stress." Jennifer battled through 12 weeks of rehab and kept striving toward her goal weight. "At first I worked out at a snail's pace," she says. "But I knew I had to stick with it." She did—and in August 2008 she weighed in at a healthy 165.

The RewardJennifer's husband marked the occasion with a diamond "journey ring." "The stones start out large and get smaller, like me!" she says. But the best payoff is her new positive outlook. "I don't doubt myself anymore," she says. "I can look in the mirror and say that I'm worth it."

Every little bit counts. "My philosophy is, if you're moving, you're losing." Have a fan club. "Find a support system to remind you that you're not in it alone." Be selfish. "Gym time is me time. That's my reason to go.