Shari-Lynn Pringle weighed around 250lbs. She had high blood pressure, type two diabetes and was on several medications including insulin.

The warning bells didn’t go off for the 51-year-old until she caught a surprise glimpse of a picture of herself.

She started walking, reduced her food portion size and joined a spinning class.

Two years later, she is 88lbs lighter. Against her doctor’s advice, she weaned herself off insulin and feels healthier than ever before.

Her hope is that her change will inspire others to improve their health before it’s too late.

Q: Was there some emotional reason you were overweight? Were you eating to fill a void?

A: No, I just loved food. I got cravings and would go full hog. I have since learned that I don’t need nearly as much food as I was putting on my plate.

Q: What does your eating life look like now?

A: I am a very boring eater so it is easier for me than someone who likes a lot of variety. I can pick four or five things and eat them all week. I am very lazy, so I don’t like putting shakes and ingredients together or chopping a lot of fruit. I cannot follow any type of structure. The best thing that has worked for me is to just live. When I go to a restaurant I automatically halve my portion and take the extra home. If I eat a little too much, then I exercise more the next day.

Q: You had diabetes?

A: I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter, Sydney, at 27, so I knew there was a higher risk of developing type two diabetes later in life. There was also a family history of it with my grandmother having “a touch of sugar”. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2004. I would manage it for a little while, but then fall off the wagon. I would deal with certain parts of it but not the whole thing. I was on insulin for three or four years before I got serious about losing weight, and then it took another six months after starting to work out. I weaned myself off, against my doctor’s orders, because it is much harder to lose weight when you are on it. A friend recommended I read, ‘Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It’. It confirmed some of my suspicions about insulin among other things. I am not recommending other people do this without their own research, but it was what was right for me.

Q: What were your suspicions about insulin?

A: There is no scientific evidence, but I believe that if you pump drugs into your system long enough, your body starts to rely on them, and becomes immune to them. You have an episode and you need them and expect them to work and they just don’t anymore.

Q: What was your weight loss goal?

A: My goal was a size ten, or 100lbs — whichever came first. Now it looks like the size ten might come first. I still have 12lbs left.

Q: How has it been to drop through so many clothing sizes?

A: I go to The Barn and the Red Cross Closet. They have been amazing. When you are going through something like this, the instinct is to go out and buy a lot of new clothes, but you can’t buy new stuff all the time.

Q: How has it made your daily life better?

A: Two years ago, if I had to be somewhere across town, I would park the car as close to my destination as possible. In the summer I would stay in my office on Victoria Street, because walking made me sweat so much. Today, if I have to go somewhere across town, I just walk and count the walk as a bonus.

Q: What does your exercise regime look like?

A: During the week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 5.45am I walk no more than five miles. That takes about an hour-and-a-half. I have people who join me who are also trying to get fit. On the weekends I try to walk eight to ten miles. Then I spin three days a week at 6am. That is an hour class. Once a month I do a 90-minute class.

Q: Where do you do your spinning classes?

A: I do it with Cal Grimes at ZoneWorx Gym which operates out of United Dance Productions on Court Street. He is a master coach and he does an excellent job. He opened his gym maybe a month before I started spinning. I had lost 30lbs before I met him and the rest I lost through spinning.

Q: Do you ever not want to do it anymore?

A: It is all mental. I have posted a lot of my journey on social networking sites. I have a large Facebook following. I have posted some videos of my longer walks on YouTube.com that I call Girl Gone Walking. That makes me feel accountable. Sometimes I don’t feel like getting up, but then I think, I really don’t want the 3lbs I just lost to come back; I just bought new underwear. Through the entire process I have not had the distraction of a partner, so my schedule is my own.

Q: Do you have any tips for eating and living better?

A: Eat smaller portions. Chew slowly and think about what you are doing. After 15 minutes, your brain says you are done. Also, cut out the sugary drinks. My one weakness is orange juice, which has a lot of sugar. I live for a glass of it in the morning, but I don’t drink it all day.

Watch a Girl Gone Walking video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTvN4YL0jpc.