This is a true weight loss success story of a young man and a 53 year old grandmother that we will call “Grandma”, for obvious reasons.

Statistically, Grandma was what you would call obese, although she didn’t look it. But obese or not, she was overweight.

Grandma had tried every fad diet program and pill on the market to lose the fat. She would lose some initially, but invariably, it always returned. Her personal favorite seemed to be the starvation diet. There were times when she would go for weeks eating almost nothing but eggs. It may have trimmed some fat from her waistline, but was murder on her cholesterol levels.

She also got so little nutrition that she was often sick. Obviously, this wasn’t the healthiest lifestyle.

One day, her daughter and son-in-law paid a visit. They needed to borrow something, of course. That was about the only time they came around, so she didn’t see them much. But that’s another story.

One of the first things that Grandma noticed was how much weight her son-in-law, who we’ll call Sonny, has lost. He had really trimmed down, gained a lot of strength, and looked really fit.

Later that day, she mentioned to Grandpa how good Sonny looked and that she would like to know how he did it.

It turns out that Sonny had done something really radical. It was a natural program that he referred to it as “eating well and getting more exercise”.

Imagine that. This was something that Grandma had never considered. She was strictly a meat, potatoes, and pizza gal, except when she was on one of her egg diets.

The only way she would eat vegetables was to mix them in with her mashed potatoes and gravy. That kind of defeated the purpose.

So exactly how did Sonny do it?

First of all, he convinced himself that who he saw in the mirror was not who he really was or had to be. His overweight condition was a temporary fluke and all he had to was get back to his natural self. (This is explained in greater detail in The Un-Diet)

He ate a lot of chicken and fish, but never fried, battered, or breaded. He would also remove the skin from the chicken.

He rarely ate red meat, but when he did, he would broil or grill it to drain off the fat. He snacked on fruits and vegetables.

He joined a gym to tone up and gain strength, but it was mostly for motivational purposes. Working out is so much easier when you have others around you for support.

I don’t remember who said it, but someone once said that success is 10% motivation and 90% perspiration. Being healthy and fit is no different. Understanding your condition and knowing what to do is just the beginning. The most important part is just doing it.

There are many great books that help you understand your weight and can provide you with nearly all the information you need, but they can’t twist your arm and make you do it. That part is entirely up to you.

So what ever happened to Grandma? Did Sonny’s weight loss success story help her achieve her own goals? I don’t know. That last time I saw her she was poaching some eggs.