European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse To your health a amp photos by Ken George two years ago Stephanie Miller weighed 315 pounds. Her blood pressure and cholesterol Levels were sky High and she was becoming diabetic. A strict diet and rigorous exercise with High Impact aerobics and Nautilus workout has helped Miller a left and above Center lose 155. Pounds n thing tastes As Good As thin feels a Stephanie Miller is 155 pounds lighter and a whole lot happier Miller keeps Little reminders along with her before picture on her refrigerator door. By Anita Gosch staff writer a. Quot i have been fat All my life. But on january.9, 1989, i found out that i weighed 315. Pounds and i was absolutely devastated. I knew i was. Fat but i did t realize i had gotten �."7 y Quot v. A thus began a letter sent to the. Stars and stripes by Stephanie. Miller a 25-year-old transportation it assistant in Meckenheim Germany. Miller went on to Tell a heart. Rending her struggle to a struggle that began when her doctor told her she live another five years. Not Only was she 170 pounds. Above the recommended weight Lor her 5-foot-6 Frame her blood pressure and cholesterol Levels were sky High and she was on the verge of diabetes. Y. Miller s tale has a Happy ending in two years and two months she 155 blood pressure cholesterol level and sugar rate have. A. Dropped to recommended Levels and she has. Become a certified aerobics instructor with plans to Lead her own class in the next few also has an increased sense of self esteem. Once a shy self conscious woman who rarely left. Home she s now outgoing Quick to smile and eager to . Before she never walked in front of a mirrors now she s proud to look and see a a Beautiful Black . Y a a a a a she has a new attitude toward food a Quot my saying a is a As Good As thin seat Sand perhaps most important a Hewy positive attitude a. A a toward life. V. A a a a. A a Quot i m finally living life and i m going to enjoy it to the fullest. I done to have anything holding me Bucknot the weight and not anything there Are stars out there and i trying to grab All of them that i a can. Because i know now life is so much belter not. Having the weight by it a. A. V. A Miller s struggle in t Oyer she Snow facing Thea hardest part a losing those last 30 pounds. But she. Wanted to share her Story in Hopes of helping others. A a i really want people to know that you can do things to help yourself a whether it be to not be an alcoholic whatever the Case May be. That there a somebody out there who a going through the same thing you re going a Miller who s told her Story to prevention and essence magazines has found that the Best Way to is the old fashioned Way eat right and a. Exercise and have a positive attitude. Fad diets and such drastic measures As fasting just Don t work. Y. V y. A. A she also uses a trick that for years has kept dieters from cheating she keeps a Quot before picture Quot taped to the door of her refrigerator. ,. Quot when i see it i say to myself of god i Don t Ever want to. Look like that again so i la put whatever i have a in my hand Back into the fridge Quot a she keeps a before picture in her purse and one on her desk at work. Her husband spec. Michael. Miller of 3rd in 37.7th Armor regt at Sullivan Barracks in Mannheim keeps one Loo. Quot everywhere i go its there to remind me Quot . A for Miller being overweight was Normal. Her a grandparents were overweight,.her-parents, were a. Overweight and her nine Brothers and Sisters All Are y overweight. At Agel 1., 175 pounds. By when she married at 21 she was 275 Quot. A y a a a i just kept ballooning Quot Quot Quot i thought this. Was a natural thing this was How t should . At Home in Barstow calif., Miller s Mother cooked three meals a Day each with generous Servings of foods that Miller now knows Are bad for her. A a. Quot Black people tend to eat. With a lot of Salt. Also too we eat a lot of Fried foods a Fried Chicken Fried pork chops am Quot . Quot it was a culture that Wea y. -. Thought we had to a / amiller soon found that she had lost control of her. Eating would eat food simply Quot because it was there Quot and because other people were eating. A she . Habits. After dinner at Home shed sneak apiece of leftover Chicken into her room and hide in the closet to eat it. When she went to fast food restaurants she would buy French Fries and Quot Roll a the bag Down real Small and stuff them in my purse a. Quot a thought people would say Quot gosh she a already so big and she s eating French Fries Quot a Millers size kept her from dating in High school a and she did t take part in outside activities. Instead she would stay in with her family. Hole up in her room Reading or be Quot eating my Almond Joys in the . She also faced Wischm nation she once was fired from a co because of her size. A when she marncci1in986. Her social life did to change she Wor of ung the Day but rarely went out in the evening. ,. Quot i always Felt that my husband married a a Mother figure Quot . Quot i was a Homo a. Cooked a lot i baked a lot. And i was just been big All her life. It never y y occurred to her that she could . Besides a she could always find clothes to fit a size 28 dresses size 46 jeans. When she outgrew even the largest size she made her own clothes. A a. A a y Miller did try to through Tad diets but she discovered they did t work. -. Quot in be All a the Grapefruit diet the tuna. A fish diet the you name a in be been on them. A ,1 would always lose the weight but gain it right a a a. She tried weight loss pills and shots. She lost 50 pounds , but when she stopped she gained Back 85 pounds. A y. A. It was a simple rash on her hands that brought Miller to the doctor in january-1989. Because of her size the doctor gave her a thorough examination. Her. Blood pressure was 208/98, her cholesterol level was 324, and her sugar rate was about 289. Miller s parents both had diabetes As Well As High blood pressure her Mother later died As a result of the illnesses. Miller herself was already experiencing a headaches and Blurry vision caused by the High blood pressures she took the doctor seriously when. He told her to . A. A because of her blood pressure the doctor advised against such methods As stomach stapling. Instead he recommended a Low fat t ,200-Calone-a-Day diet skinless Chicken and fish broiled raw or cooked vegetables fruit cold Cereal with Low fat milk an occasional piece of Toast flt a a treat she. Continued on Page 16 Miller weighs her food before cooking it. A recent dinner included three ounces of skinless baked Chicken boiled Rice and Broccoli. 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