One eye-opening photo sheds 148 pounds

Every picture tells a story.

For Keshia Gilbert, family photos taken for her church congregation tell the story of a young woman who was teased about her weight her entire life. Kids made jokes, snickered behind her back, and whispered as she walked down school corridors.

Doctors told her she needed to lose weight, but she had a hard time putting that instruction into action. She continued to eat whatever she wanted -- Pop Tarts, fried foods, bread and butter -- and couldn’t keep away from her grandmother’s homestyle fried chicken, bread, and desserts.

By age 27, she weighed 293 pounds. Keshia knew she had to do something about her weight before she contracted the high blood pressure and diabetes that ran in her family.

Then she saw those church pictures again. They opened her eyes to the serious issue she had to deal with: obesity.

Keshia finally walked into the Hickery, N.C., L A Weight Loss center in February 2005, where she worked with counselor Debbie Kiser to learn portion control and how to incorporate healthy foods into her diet.

She started slowly, losing two pounds her first week. But by cooking grilled chicken, eating green salads, and resisting grandma’s home cooking, she was able to shed pounds. Today she is at her goal weight of 145 pounds!

Keshia is more outgoing and her confidence is higher than ever. She loves to shop for new clothes, and tries on things that she wouldn’t dare wear when she was heavier. She's comfortable going out to dinner, and on amusement park rides with friends.

Keshia just wants to enjoy life, and she's certainly earned it! Congrats Keshia!

Here is Keshia at her worst, nearly 300 pounds:



Wow! Look how she’s changed! Here's the 145-pound Keshia:



FAST FACTS

Name: Keshia Gilbert
Hometown: Vale, N.C.
Age: 28
Height: 5'6"

Starting weight: 293 pounds
Goal weight: 150 pounds
Current weight: 145 pounds
Program start date: Feb. 16, 2005

Favorite food: Chicken salad.

Biggest temptation: Sweets and bread.

Biggest motivator: Preventing high blood pressure and diabetes.

Biggest obstacle: Getting stuck at a weight loss plateau.

Old eating philosophy: Eating whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

New eating philosophy: Enjoying three healthy meals and two to three snacks a day.

Best thing about losing weight: Having more energy and confidence.

Best weight loss secret learned: You can actually eat a lot of (healthy and low calorie!) food and still lose weight.