I am 56 years old, and I’m living proof that you’re never too old to change. I have gained and lost hundreds of pounds throughout my life. I had low self-esteem most of my life, mainly because of my weight problem. It was a vicious cycle. Whenever I felt bad about myself, I would eat; the more I ate, the worse I felt about myself. It’s hard to put into words how depressed and empty I felt during my years as a fat person. I was always so tired, and all I wanted to do was just hide from the world (even though it was really hard to hide 330 pounds—my all-time high). I eventually lost down to my goal of 150 pounds and became TOPS’ 2005 Indiana State Queen.

I love the TOPS challenge for this year: cut and burn. I think that is the key to losing weight. You have to cut calories and also burn them. Eating less and exercising more is so much easier said than done, especially when you’re an emotional eater like me. And, keeping weight off is a little more challenging than losing it. It is a choice I make every single day.

Two things have helped me. First of all, I love sharing my joys and struggles with people who share the same joys and struggles that I have, so I am a member of TOPS, the best weight-loss support group in the world. I will be a member the rest of my life. No matter how much I weigh, I always feel at home in TOPS. I know that my TOPS family at TOPS IN 0151 Indianapolis will always understand and help me.

Secondly, I think one of the biggest keys to losing weight and being happy is finding an exercise you truly enjoy. I joined the Indianapolis Hiking Club in June 2007, and I absolutely love it. I have become friends with some incredible people from the club. It is amazing to me that sometimes I can walk 26 miles, but it seems like only two miles when I’m talking and laughing with friends who share my passion for hiking.