After Robin Strempek 39, of Crofton, MD had her daughter in her mid-20s, she struggled with weight gain, which made her worried. “There’s an extensive history of poor heart health on my father’s side, and I knew that carrying extra pounds would increase my risk even more,” she says. By June 2011, she weighed 245 pounds, her marriage was ending, and she turned to food to cope. All of her blood work numbers were also in unhealthy ranges, and her doctor told her that if she didn’t change, she’d die young.