How I lost 143 pounds?

When Delanyard Robinson lost his wife to cancer, he decided it was time to reexamine his own life. So he started losing weight, adopting a diabetes diet, and taking control of his health.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MS, MPH

Delanyard Robinson recently accomplished a feat that may seem overwhelming to most dieters: He lost 143 pounds to gain control over his diabetes. But it took a family tragedy to open his eyes about his own health.

Robinson, a now 70-year-old Vietnam vet, learned he had type 2 diabetes about a decade ago. At the time, he admittedly took his prescription medication and did little else to manage his condition. But about a year and a half ago, he decided it was time for a change.

The trigger: the loss of his wife of 46 years after a long battle with multiple myeloma. To cope with his emotions, Robinson began journaling about the years he spent with his wife and the things in his life for which he was grateful. “I began to experience a positive turn with my emotions. And I felt like I could really do something about changing my lifestyle,” he says.

Robinson joined Weight Watchers, began going to a diabetes management program offered by the Lifestyle Center at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, and started making small changes in his approach to food and fitness.

When people with type 2 diabetes start looking for help, as Robinson did, they are usually ready to make a lifestyle change, says Miranda Shearin, RD, a registered dietitian and outpatient nutrition educator at the center. “I tell them: ‘You’re in control of your diabetes; diabetes is not in control of you,’” she says.

Shearin teaches her patients to count carbs or use the plate method, which provides a visual cue to fill half your plate with veggies and evenly divide the rest between protein and starches.

She also emphasizes the importance of reading and understanding nutritional food labels. “I ask every one of my patients to read the label on their grain products, compare them, and pick the one that has 3 grams of fiber or more per serving,” she says.

Making Changes Stick

After a year of gradually losing 100 pounds on his new diabetes diet, Robinson and his doctor set a goal weight of 230 pounds, which he achieved in the summer of 2014.

His A1c is now around 5.7 — the target number for healthy adults and well below the target of 7 for people with diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. His morning fasting blood glucose is around 100, and his doctor has reduced his medication.

“This is a journey, and it’s one that I will continue,” says Robinson, who now weighs the same as he did when he was a 20-year-old football player. Robinson credits his success to working out twice a day,making healthier food choices, and learning to control his diet. “I can drive by a doughnut shop, I can drive by a steakhouse, and I don’t feel a need for those things anymore,” he says.

Instead, Robinson focuses on eating small meals with plenty of vegetables throughout the day. A typical meal for him is skinless chicken breast with broccoli or a vegetarian vegetable soup. His go-to snack: almonds. He also occasionally will eat a side of brown rice or a slice of high-fiber bread, but he now relies on vegetables, such as carrots, and beans as sources of both nutrients and carbohydrates.

Robinson has also learned to control himself while eating out, saying no to food that doesn’t fit into his diabetes diet. “At big dinners I take a look at what is on the plate and eat a bit of what I like,” he says. “I used to love fried chicken and I still do, but I can do without it and I don’t feel deprived.”

He has also found ways other than eating to celebrate life, such as hobbies like gardening and journaling. “One of the greatest things that happened to me is I realized that I can change — it’s not too late. That’s a great feeling,” he says.

And Robinson's two adult sons have followed suit, eating more healthfully and losing weight. “I believe their mother is rejoicing over what is happening in the family,” he says.