Dropping LBs: Mary Lou Farrell, Centereach

As her weight increased, Farrell began to change her life. "I haven't been on a plane in four years," Farrell says. "People can be very cruel. I went on a trip to Hawaii and a person in the visitor center came over to me and said, 'Why are you so big?'

SEE PHOTOSHow did these 150 LIers drop up to 320 lbs. each?

"I quit doing a lot of things because of my weight," says Farrell, who notes that many people in her family struggle with their weight. "I quit going to the beach and would only wear shorts on vacation where no one knew me."

After catching a glimpse of herself in a mirror, she became so upset that she immediately started calling to find a place to have bariatric surgery. Instead, she decided to go to Jenny Craig and signed on for the whole program.

"I love being able to get on the train and not worry about where I'll sit or if the person next to me doesn't want me sitting next to them," Farrell says.

She no longer takes medicine for her cholesterol and she now takes one pill for her blood pressure, instead of two different pills. "I was prediabetic when I was overweight and that scared the heck out of me," Farrell says.