"I was very scared because all the men in my family have diabetes — my grandfather had amputations," said Whitley Yates, an Indiana woman who began losing feeling in her legs when she reached 300 pounds. Thus he managed to take charge of his health.
Three years later, Yates weighs about 120 pounds, less than half of her heaviest. She is no longer diabetic and does not need a sleep machine to sleep, but it doesn't bring her happiness or help her fight her anxiety.