Lose 25 lbs in 10 days

"I'm afraid we're at the point where you need insulin injections to control your diabetes," Drema Hill's doctor told the West Virginia grandmother, who instantly flashed back to her diabetic parents. Their test kits and needles had always terrified her. "There has to be another way," she said, shaking her head. "Let me try again. I'll get my eating under control." She held the doctor's gaze until he nodded. "You have three months," he said. That's when the panic set in

- Allison Nemetz

Raised in a family of big people, Drema had always been heavy. Sure, she dieted as an adult. Yet as a busy healthcare executive, she gravitated toward plans with ready-to-eat meals that saved time but didn't change lasting habits. After a doctor warned that yo-yoing was bad for her heart, she'd given up and hit 342 pounds.

Now, Drema ached constantly and needed 13 meds to manage a list of ailments: diabetes, hypertension, slow thyroid and more. Plus insulin! she remembered, her anxiety spiking. For a while, she was too stressed to eat much. She even shed a few pounds. But she couldn't starve herself forever. So when she noticed a co-worker looking slimmer and glowing, Drema asked, "How'd you do it?" Just like that, she was gifted a book by Cleveland Clinic functional medicine expert Mark Hyman, M.D.,

A spark of hope

Drema found herself deeply engrossed as she read. Dr. Hyman seemed to be saying that processed junk in both fast food and packaged 'diet' meals had reprogrammed her body to store lots of fat, especially around her midsection. And belly fat was trouble. "Belly fat cells are not regular fat cells," according to the author of Blood Sugar Solution: 10-Day Detox Diet and Young Forever. "They're angry cells spewing compounds that give us huge appetites, lower our energy to couch-potato levels, prevent fat from burning and generally trigger hormonal and metabolic destruction. The result is weight gain and chronic, system-wide inflammation linked to virtually every age-related health problem."

As it soaked in, Drema felt shaken... until Dr. Hyman explained how switching to simple, natural foods was all it took to reverse the damage. Veggies, protein, olive oil. I like those things. But can I stick with it? she wondered.