Faith lifts weight, refocuses life

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
When Anthony Harper, 50, went to a doctor's appointment earlier this year, the physician was wowed by Harper's 77-pound weight loss and the improvements it brought in his cholesterol level and blood pressure.

"My doctor said, 'If this was the Olympics, I would give you a gold medal,' " says Harper of Hamden, Conn., who weighs 270 pounds, down from 347 in November 2005.

PHOTOS: Anthony Harper drops 77 pounds

He is one of more than a dozen readers featured in the fourth annual USA TODAY Weight-Loss Challenge. This year's challenge, which runs every Monday through May, focuses on people who have been successful at losing weight and keeping it off.

Harper, who played basketball in college, has always been committed to exercise, but for years he wasn't careful about his eating habits. "If I was in a rush, I'd stop by a fast-food restaurant, or I might get a cupcake or potato chips from a convenience store."
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At night, he'd eat a dozen chocolate-chip cookies or half of bag of potato chips, saying, "I was eating as a way of relaxation."

He let his weight climb for years until he began to fear serious medical consequences. His family has a history of weight-related health problems. "My father was a diabetic, had high blood pressure and was on a dialysis machine before he died of a heart attack at 53," he says.

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In late 2005, Harper retired from his job of 21½ years as a social work supervisor of juvenile parole services for the state of Connecticut. Now he works with a foster-care program in New Haven. At about the time of his retirement, he joined Weight Watchers and asked his wife, Vashtye, to go with him. "I said, 'I can't do this by myself. We have to do this together.' "

She has lost about 20 pounds and changed the way she shops and cooks, he says. She now prepares healthful meals with her own creative touches, including adding extra spices.

His eating habits are completely different than they used to be. He rarely consumes fast or junk food and he eats plenty of fruits and vegetables daily. "I'm never hungry. I don't use food to console me if I've had a bad day or reward me if I've had a good one."

But there have been trying times during the weight loss. "There are lonely moments. There are times when it's just you and your choices."

While he was losing weight, Harper made a deeper commitment to his Christian faith and is now training to be a deacon at his church. "I thank God for my life, health and strength."

Harper has gone from size 52 pants to a size 42, dropping several suit sizes. "I've had to give a lot of suits away.

"My quality of life is better. My sleeping is better. I don't snore. I don't breathe as hard. My wife says she feels like she got a new husband."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2007-05-13-wlc-harper_N.htm?csp=34