Her Father's Passing Inspired This Woman to Lose 150 Pounds

A few weeks before Pamela Kimbro's father passed away from pancreatic cancer, he turned to his family from his hospital bed and said "Look at us, none of us are healthy. We will all die young!"

Pam had battled with her weight since childhood — her grandma even called her "Miss Piggy" — but at that moment, weighing 285 pounds, she decided it was time to take control of her life.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever been through," Kimbro, 35, said. "I miss my dad tremendously and I think that he may still be here today had he taken better care of himself," she told Everyday Health.

Kimbro, who is a self-proclaimed emotional eater, says she's tried countless diets but none of them stuck, until her father gave her the will she needed.

"I was determined to show my dad up in heaven that I can be healthy. I will live a longer, healthier life!"

"I started looking into whole food nutrition to make sure I was putting the right things into my body. I began to appreciate food and enjoy eating right and feeling good. As soon as I started changing what I was eating, the weight started flying off. I made a complete lifestyle change, not just a change for a few months."

However, she still faced some hurdles. She says cutting out her soda addiction (she was drinking 12 cans a day) was one of the trickiest parts. "I would cry for days because of the pain from soda withdrawals, but I knew I had to do it."

Every time she wanted to grab a soda or considered stopping for a quick grease fix at a fast food place, she would think about her dad, and it gave her the strength to make good choices. She also found that posting her pictures on Facebook helped her to stay motivated as her friends encouraged her.

Now, instead of Coke, for breakfast she drinks a green shake with fresh fruit. For lunch she has a large chef salad with fat-free dressing that she dips her fork into rather than pouring onto the lettuce, and grilled chicken breast for dinner with veggies, a small slice of whole grain bread, and lots of water.

For a healthy treat, she goes old-school with celery or an apple and peanut butter, or a handful of grapes.