At 264 lbs, my weight had become a health issue. I have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and I even had a scary heart episode. I knew I had to change. I started water aerobics, which was a major turning point for me. It is something that is gentle enough for my health issues, yet is really a very good overall exercise. Recently, I added Pilates to my routine. I lost 60 pounds on my own, but decided I needed to track my food on Sparkpeople when I hit a persistent plateau. I recently had surgery on ...

At 264 lbs, my weight had become a health issue. I have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and I even had a scary heart episode. I knew I had to change. I started water aerobics, which was a major turning point for me. It is something that is gentle enough for my health issues, yet is really a very good overall exercise. Recently, I added Pilates to my routine. I lost 60 pounds on my own, but decided I needed to track my food on Sparkpeople when I hit a persistent plateau. I recently had surgery on my arthritic foot that requires me to be 6 months off my feet, so exercise is minimal right now. Despite this, I have started losing weight again since I began tracking my food. I have been "obese" for about 20 years, and now I only need to lose 11 pounds to shed that label!! It sounds odd, but I am looking forward to being "overweight"! (At least for a little while.)

Read More About DEBHARRVEY (Updated June 22)