Mom of 3 Loses 200 Pounds and Gains Strength to Care for Special Needs Daughter

Tiffany Howard of Heath, Texas, says she has lost 200 pounds and gained muscle, which she reports has given her the energy and strength to better care for her eldest daughter with severe disabilities.

Tiffany Howard, 40, of Heath, Texas, says she has lost 200 pounds and gained muscle, and that those changes have given her energy and stamina to care for her eldest daughter with severe disabilities. Her life included repeated cycles of weight loss and regain, a gastric bypass surgery, and long periods of restrictive dieting. In late 2015 she began the Optavia program and worked with a coach, which she says helped her form sustainable habits. The changes unfolded alongside family traumas and long medical challenges for her daughter. Key details: - Howard says she has lost a total of 200 pounds and gained muscle since changing her lifestyle. - She is 40 years old and lives in Heath, Texas. - Her eldest daughter, Payton, is reported as 17, unable to speak, with about 10% brain function, and requiring constant care; she was initially given a year to live. - Howard reports multiple past weight-loss episodes, including losing 100 pounds four different times, reaching a heaviest weight of about 317 pounds, and having gastric bypass surgery. - She began the Optavia program on New Year's Eve 2015, says she lost 80 pounds in six months with a coach, and remained on the program during a six-month ICU stay for her daughter. - Howard and her husband now both serve as Optavia coaches; he has reported losing 150 pounds, and Howard says she now runs races, can lift Payton (about 85 pounds), and manages frequent medical tasks and treatments. Summary: Howard reports that losing weight and building muscle gave her increased energy, clearer focus, and the physical ability to carry out caregiving tasks without the exhaustion and brain fog she experienced earlier. She also describes greater participation in family activities, including running with one of her daughters and completing a half-marathon. Undetermined at this time.