Danielle Carter, 28, of Oceanport, N.J., vividly remembers the incident that inspired her to lose almost 250 pounds.
It was January 2006, and she was at her doctor's office for a routine physical. She weighed 375 pounds but had no weight-related health problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
After the examination, she jumped off the table and slipped on the floor. "My left leg went in front of me, and my right leg went in back of me," Carter says. "I cried out because it hurt. The doctor came back in the room with a male nurse and a female nurse to help me up. He said, 'If you needed help getting off the table, you should have asked.'
"I was mortified because he thought I couldn't get off the table. I cried because I was embarrassed."
That year she lost 248 pounds.
Carter's story was selected by a panel of experts to be featured in the fifth annual USA TODAY Weight-Loss Challenge in the newspaper and at dietchallenge.usatoday.com. This year's challenge, which is running every Monday until May 19, is focusing on weight-loss champions who have inspired others to lose.
After the incident at the doctor's office, Carter decided to try NutriSystem because she knew her biggest challenge was going to be portion control and the program offers pre-packaged meals. Still, she was afraid of failing. "I cried the first day I started it. I was so scared and so overwhelmed."
Carter lost 10 pounds in the first two weeks but was disappointed it wasn't more. "My husband's aunt (Carol Newman) told me to go to the store and pick up two 5-pound bags of potatoes and realize that's what I had lost and not be discouraged."
Newman wound up both inspiring and being inspired by Carter. Following her niece's lead, she has lost 30 pounds on NutriSystem.
Carter followed the program to the letter, rarely straying from her 1,200-calorie-a-day plan, which cost her $237 to $275 a month. She started walking and eventually began running.
After a year, Carter weaned herself off the diet plan's food and starting eating regular fare. She had a lot of excess skin, so she had four surgeries to have skin removed from her stomach, legs and arms. It cost her more than $75,000, which she paid herself.
Her smaller size has opened a new world of shopping. "Instead of anxiety that nothing will fit me, now there's a million things that fit me, and it's a matter of what I want."
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