In November of 2005 I went to my doctor for my long-overdue annual. I was shocked to find out that I was 35 pounds overweight, and my blood pressure was high. In my family being overweight and having high blood pressure go hand-in-hand. I was also starting to feel quite arthritic in some of my joints and was wondering at the age of 53 what my future held. When the doctor suggested putting me on blood pressure medication, I knew it was time to take control myself. I felt ashamed for having “let myself go” to that point as I have always taken pride in my appearance. My weight had always been somewhat of an issue for me - I had yo-yoed up and down 20 pounds or more since I had my first child at the age of 22. I felt frustrated and told my doctor that what I needed to do was go away and lose some weight before considering medication. She told me that the best way to do that was to make a lifestyle change and to look into following the Zone way of eating. She herself lived by the Zone. I was intrigued and went home and read all about it on the Internet and bought the “Anti-Inflammation Zone” book to read. The very next day I was following it and have never looked back. I had to go back to the doctor’s three months later to have my blood pressure checked again, and it was absolutely normal. In very short order I lost the 35 pounds and have never regained it. I LOVE the Zone way of life, and every time I see my doctor I tell her. And the best part of all is that my 33-year-old daughter and I are often asked if we're sisters. YES!!