Hi, I’m Debbie Cousins. I’m 68 years old. Until I was 22 years old, I could eat as much as I wanted of ANYTHING I wanted to eat, and still maintained a slim and attractive figure. Even when I was thin, though, I always thought I was too fat, and compared myself to everyone around me. I guess if you tell yourself something long enough, it becomes true.

My all-time high weight was 302 pounds (at which time, in 2004, I had gastric bypass surgery). I lost over 100 pounds and was 185 for a MINUTE, before settling into a comfortable range between 195-205 for about 8 years. Then, I began to steadily go back up again – to a post-surgery high of 248. A couple years ago, I lost about 35 pounds using a paleo/keto blend. By the end of the Thanksgiving/Christmas gluttony, I started 2018 at 220, and had a good year of maintenance and weight stabilization. Started 2019 at 194, and met my first goal of 175 on April 4th, 2019! After that, I went totally hog-wild and pig-crazy, and shot back up to 257.5 before starting to turn things around December 27, 2020.

During the 6-month period from December 2020 through June 2021, I lost 60 pounds (most of it by fasting for a crazy 58 days!) This put me just under 200 pounds, and I stayed there for a MINUTE before going right back to my old ways, and gaining almost all of the weight back.

4/21/23 UPDATE: Began a new WOE on 6/23/22 at 258.6 pounds. After 10 months, I have made it below 200 pounds. "Diet" plan consists of counting calories, recording everything I eat, not depriving myself of the things I love.