( CNN ) -- Theresa Borawski sat down heavily on a neighbor 's porch , somewhere in between her front door and her good friend 's driveway . The distance between the two was less than half a mile . It might as well have been 20 . She had already taken a break on a tree stump near the road . This was the last stop , she told herself as she stood up from the porch slowly . She was going to make it . Reaching her friend 's house was like reaching the finish line of a much longer race . `` I was just like I had run in a marathon , '' Borawski remembers . `` It was the biggest moment in my life . '' `` He had to bring me home because I could n't walk back , '' she laughs , `` but ... '' But the victory was sweet for a woman who just six months before had primarily relied on a wheelchair to get around , a woman who had lived in her house for two years without walking to the mailbox . At her heaviest in March 2011 , Borawski weighed 428 pounds . `` I could no longer participate in life 's activities and was forced to become a spectator while people around me lived their life , '' she wrote on iReport.com . `` Today , I am 276 pounds lighter , 14 jean sizes smaller , and no longer need a wheelchair , walker or cane to get around . I am a walking , talking miracle and have been given a second chance at life . '' Borawski 's father died when she was 8 . Friends and family showed their sympathy with food . The lunch lady at school put extra fries on her tray ; the neighbors gave her more candy at Halloween . Her grandparents were caterers , and their extended family got together often for exorbitant meals . `` I learned at a very young age that food makes the happy times better and the sad times more bearable , '' she says . She was heavy throughout high school and college but says her weight never really affected her life until 2003 , when a series of setbacks sent her into a downward spiral . Borawski lost her church job of 15 years and moved more than 200 miles to start anew . She lost her grandfather and best friend back-to-back a few months later . Then her new job was cut from the church 's budget . `` All of a sudden I 'm 42 years old , living alone , unemployed , no income whatsoever , '' she says . So she comforted herself with food and decided to go back to college . Professor Chuck Bowden was n't surprised by Borawski 's amazing transformation . She caught his attention right away as a student willing to work hard . `` I already knew she was dedicated , '' Bowden says . `` I think starting over as a college freshman had to be a challenge -- almost just as impressive . '' Over the next four years , Borawski gained weight steadily . Her doctor diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis , an extremely painful chronic disease that inflamed her joints . The extra pounds she was carrying only made the condition worse . She used a walker or cane to get around . When she graduated from Mid Michigan Community College , she could barely walk across the stage to get her diploma . By January 2011 , `` my life was in complete chaos , '' Borawski says . She was working at the college and traveled around campus in an electric wheelchair . `` I always heard her whirring down the hall , '' Bowden remembers . He and Borawski had become friends and chatted often about the future . `` With the ( arthritis ) and the extra weight , I got very concerned that she might ... not be able to take care of herself . '' His fears were n't far off . Borawski had difficulty standing long enough in the shower to wash and condition her hair . She could only shop at stores that had mobile carts ; it took her a week to carry in her groceries from the car because she could only carry one or two bags at a time . She was seriously considering moving into an assisted living facility . `` I could barely function , '' Borawski says . She got up , rode around in her wheelchair , popped painkillers , ate and went to bed every night at 7 p.m. `` Every bit of energy I had went to just living . '' Her wake-up call came on March 1 , 2011 . Her sister phoned to tell her she was getting bariatric surgery . Borawski pleaded with her not to -- she had heard horror stories about the procedure 's aftereffects . When the sister hung up , Borawski went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of peach soda . `` Something just clicked in my head , '' she says . A quick calculation made Borawski realize she had been drinking nearly 7,000 calories a week in soda -- the equivalent of 2 pounds . She opened up the bottle and dumped it down the drain . Then she did the same with the rest of her stash . At that moment , Borawski gave up sugar cold turkey . Ten days later , she went to the doctor and had lost 7 pounds . She bought a calorie-counting book on the way home and started reading food labels . Soon after , she restricted her calorie intake to 1,000 calories a day ( experts warn against eating less than 1,200 calories a day because it sends your body into starvation mode ) . She says she was n't hungry at that limit because of her lack of mobility . `` Because I was so heavy , I had a lot of success really quickly . I lost 45 pounds between March and Memorial Day . '' In October 2011 , Borawski walked to her mailbox without a cane for the first time . Her next trip was to the neighbor 's mailbox . The first time she walked down the steps at work , her student assistant cheered . Almost a year later , she showed up in Bowden 's office doorway . He never heard her coming . `` There 's a chance we may have done a little dance in the hall , '' he says with a laugh . `` To see somebody walk again ? I considered that miraculous . '' Every time she lost 20 pounds , Borawski went to the store and bought a pair of pants in the next size smaller . They sat in the corner of her room until she could pull them on . They were her motivation when she was tempted to cheat . To celebrate losing 200 pounds , she bought a black and white diamond ring . She wears it every day as a reminder never to go back . `` The first row of black diamonds is the first 100 pounds , the second row is the second 100 pounds , '' she says . `` The white diamonds in between are the new life I 've found . '' Last month , Borawski walked three miles for the first time . She does 200 to 300 squats a day to strengthen her legs after years of immobility . She eats around 1,400 calories to maintain her weight at a healthy 150 pounds . Her rheumatoid arthritis has improved significantly , and her doctors are `` amazed and impressed '' at her overall health . Borawski 's goals now are simple : to walk a 5K in September and to inspire others . She keeps her electric wheelchair in her office with a sign : `` Theresa does n't live here anymore . '' `` The key for me was finding a plan that I could live with for the rest of my life , '' she wrote on iReport . `` I am a brand new person , have so much energy and am now a participant in life , rather than just watching it pass me by . I am blessed beyond measure and ca n't wait to see what the future holds for me ! '' Have you lost weight ? Share your story on iReport .
Theresa Borawski loses her shoe , after two years in a wheelchair . Borawski stopped eating sugar and took out soda . Last month , she walked three miles for the first time without assistance .