200 pounds weight loss inspiration by 57 years old woman

At 452 pounds, Deborah Diederich could barely walk without breathing heavily. Sometimes, she'd call her children from across town to help her up if she fell.

The Burton resident developed diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

A yo-yo dieter, Diederich had tried Weight Watchers and Take Off Pounds Sensibly groups in the past. She even considered gastric bypass surgery.

"I've always been an emotional eater," said Diederich, 57. "I used food for medicating. I'd eat when I was happy, sad or bored. I could eat a big bag of chips in one sitting or go through a half-gallon of ice cream."

Now a much-thinner 250 pounds, Diederich is an inspiration to TOPS Chapter 1738, which she leads.

She will tell her success story at the chapter's open house 6-8 p.m. Thursday at West Court Street Church of God, 2920 W. Court St., Flint. Also speaking will be Irene Houghton, nurse manager of the heart unit at McLaren Regional Medical Center.

"Even when (Diederich) did have a little setback, she still kept going," said Kim Murdough of Swartz Creek, chapter secretary. "She didn't let it throw her off track. She really walked the walk of eating sensibly."

Diederich was the state and international division winner for her weight group in 2006. She was honored in Providence, R.I., last year.

TOPS - a nonprofit, weight-loss support organization based in Milwaukee, with chapters worldwide - celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. It has 200,000 members in 10,000 chapters in the U.S., Canada and other countries.

After years of losing and gaining weight, Diederich was fed up.

"I had to change my lifestyle or I was going to kill myself by overeating," she said.

Either that, or she figured she would be bedridden.

A friend who belonged to TOPS told Diederich about the group she attended in Flint.

"I'd always had good success with TOPS," Diederich said. "I know I have to go every week. If I don't want to eat at 10 p.m., I can give someone a call. It's affordable, too ($24 per year and $5 for monthly dues at the West Court Street Church location)."

Diederich tackled her weight loss one day at a time, sticking to a 1,200-calorie diet.

She used a smaller plate and didn't fill it up to overflowing. She chose an 8-ounce glass for milk. She wrote down everything she ate, and she didn't eat after 8 p.m.

"I try to eat healthy - whole grains, lean meats, lots of vegetables," she said.

For example, she'll drink vegetable juice and eat a small bowl of cereal with low-calorie bread and a teaspoon of peanut butter for breakfast.

Lunch includes a cup of soup, a sandwich with turkey and lettuce, a small salad with cucumbers and tomatoes and a glass of milk.

For dinner, she'll consume a 3-ounce piece of lean meat, a small sweet potato with spray butter, salad with low-fat dressing and fruit.

"Once in a while, I'll have a small candy bar," she said. "But I try to stay away from it. Sometimes I have to argue with myself and say 'you don't need that' (especially) at family gatherings where everything revolves around food."

Diederich, who is 5-foot-6, said the reason she succeeded this time is because she was "very determined. It has to all come from within. No diet's going to do it if you don't do it for yourself."

Diederich exercises regularly by lifting 10-pound weights, walking on a treadmill and using an exercise bike or "mini-stepper."

Someday, she might have surgery to remove the excess skin from the weight loss, she said.

As part of her makeover, she cut her hair and bought a few new clothes. But she wants to lose another 100 pounds before purchasing any more outfits.

"I'll wait until I get to my goal and buy a new wardrobe," she said, beaming.

www.mlive.com

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