I weigh 70 pounds less than I did a year ago. 

I lost the weight because I wanted to breathe better, even before I had COVID-19 and ended up in the ICU. I also have COPD and sleep apnea. Before, I couldn’t clean the house. I’d be out of breath and need to sit down. 

Dr. Diwakar1 told me, “I know you can do this.” With everything else I was going through, even aside from the weight issue, she would call me and ask how I was doing.2 She was very empathetic. 

You have to stop eating certain things. Stay away from fried foods. Stay away from sweets. Limit the bread. Eat more fruits and vegetables. If you eat a piece of pie on a holiday, just get back on that horse the next day and do the right thing. 

Exercise is hard, but I’m trying. I walk more these days. And I can clean the house without getting so tired. It’s no fun, but it needs to get done. 

You have to have willpower. And I do. I have faith in God. I don’t know about everybody else, but that’s where I get my strength. When I need to do something, if I have faith, I know I can do it. 

 

Elizabeth Horton sings in her church choir

Photo of Elizabeth Horton

Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Horton

Notes

  1. Shweta Diwakar, MD, is a medical weight loss physician at Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
  2. Horton lost two sons this year. Jermyn Brock died of a heart attack in March; Clarence Horton died of cancer in September.