Wilson drops 137, still losing

Wilson, before and after losing 100 pounds. He's since lost 30 more.

In just nine months, Blake Wilson has dropped 130 pounds — and he's not done yet.

It wasn't surgery or a crash diet; Wilson attributes his success to eating right and exercise.

“At that point, I was a huge person,” he said, in an earlier interview. “I started tracking everything I ate, down to ounces and grams, and by calories, carbs, fats, saturated fats, proteins, sugars and fiber. Every day I log exactly what I eat.”

To view video of Wilson, visit http://clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=VIDEONETWORK.

Blake Wilson went in for a regular physical in December, and learned that his blood sugar was going up.

“My father, who was not a large man, suffered for the last 15 years of his life from various complications of diabetes,” he said. “He passed away at 70 of kidney failure as a result. He was diagnosed at my age, 54.

“It was a wakeup call.”

He started “cutting back” in January, and made an appointment to see an endocrinologist. The doctor recommended that he take prescription medicine, as part of a diabetes regimen.

But Wilson didn’t want to do that, choosing instead to make the lifestyle changes necessary to take control of his health. He got a second opinion from another endocrinologist, and a nutritionist fine-tuned and supported his plan of diet and exercise, "because I was not yet over the edge."

Before his weight loss, he “never really felt bad,” he said, “but I feel better about myself. I don’t have the physical challenges. I know that’s the best thing and I will continue to feel better.”

To tell us your success story, e-mail sandi.beason@jackson.gannett.com