HER STORY Overweight her entire life, Kohler was a yo-yo dieter. She had tried liquid diets, fad diets, Weight Watchers. . . .

"Nothing seemed to work," Kohler remembers. "When I'd go for a physical and they'd ask me to get on the scale, I'd refuse."

She suffered from hypertension and had knee trouble, which kept her from taking walks, the one exercise she enjoyed.

It was during a yearly physical this year that her doctor recommended a seminar given by Take Shape for Life (tsfl.com), a weight-loss program that offers portion-controlled meal replacements and health coaches.

"When I was overweight, I ate everything, and lots of it," Kohler says. "I had actually given up on my weight, given up on life. I thought things would never be any different."

Kohler says that practicing portion control and eating small meals throughout the day were the keys to unlocking the door to permanent weight loss.

"My mindset was that I had to eat three big meals a day," remembers Kohler, who become a life coach for Take Shape for Life in May and even started her own website, eattogetfit .com. "I could eat a pound of pasta in one sitting and call it a meal."

She now understands that a meal can be small, even an energy bar or a serving of fruit.

"My whole mindset has changed about how I eat," says Kohler, who would like to lose 10 to 15 more pounds. "Now, I'm more comfortable in my own skin."

DIET Of the six small meals she eats daily, five are Medifast replacement meals provided through Take Shape for Life.

"I make at least one meal a day," says Kohler, who adds that she enjoys cooking.

EXERCISE After years of joining and quitting gyms, she now bikes almost 10 miles a day on a stationary bike in her home.

ADVICE "I feel great," says Kohler, whose blood pressure medicine has been reduced by half. "I feel like I can do anything. Being overweight had kept me from living the life I was supposed to live. I wouldn't even let people take photos of me. I was hiding from my own life. Don't let your weight keep you from taking part in your life."

Debbie Kohler

53, Medford

Occupation Office manager for Omega Moulding Co. in Bellport

Height 5-foot-7

270 Weight before January 2012

185 Weight after July 2012

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