International Queen Carol Guinther


Carol Guinther Before

    2001 International Queen
    Carol Guinther
    Current Chapter: TOPS #MI 1571, Mio
    Before: 360
    After: 170
    Pounds lost: 190
    Height: 5 feet 2 inches

Carol Guinther After

    Carol Guinther recalls that being unable to take her teen daughter
    to a pop concert was "the last straw" that led her to rejoin TOPS. The second time
    was a charm. She lost 190 pounds to goal and is TOPS' 2001 international queen.

    Carol was thin as a child, but by the time she graduated from high school she
    weighed 250 pounds--"not a surprise," she says, "since my entire family is obese.

    "I went through life with everybody telling me what a pretty smile I had," she says,
    adding that people were probably thinking: "Too bad it's on that body."

    After her marriage to Warren, Carol gave birth to a son, Warren II, and a daughter,
    Charlotte. The excess weight was like "carrying around 200-pound bags of potatoes,"
    Carol says. "Life was a struggle."

    A few years ago, Carol joined TOPS weighing 360 pounds, but she gave up and
    dropped out of her chapter. Within the next 2 years, her weight rose to more than
    400 pounds, making her a virtual prisoner in her home.

    "Then came my low point," Carol says. Daughter Charlotte asked Carol to take her to
    an *NSYNC concert. "Both of us were devastated when I had to tell her I couldn't
    handle the trip," Carol says. "Well, that was the last straw! I had ready to make a
    last-ditch effort to live."

    A friend suggested joining TOPS again, and this time Carol was ready. "It was


    embarrassing and scary to walk into the TOPS meeting with a walker," she says, "but
    I was welcomed with open arms" to TOPS #MI 1571, Mio.

    "After some prodding, I went with my chapter to SRD in a wheelchair," Carol says.
    "How I wished I could walk across that stage a new thin person."

    Upon her return home, Carol began a regimen that led to sensible weight loss. She
    had help from chapter members, her family, and many friends "whose support has
    earned them a place in my heart," she says.

    "One year later, in 2001, it was me going across that stage, and the IRD stage, as a
    division winner," Carol says. "I have now reached my goal, and the word "thrilled" just
    doesn't cover how I feel. My husband treats me as a prize he won, and my children
    are no longer ashamed of me.

    "By the way, remember that rejected trip to the concert? I went, with the help of a
    walker, after losing the first 80 pounds.

    "Is this a dream? Yes, it is. My dream! And it came true. I am a KOPS. I did it: I beat
    the odds and a slow death.

    "I have found great support from everyone at TOPS and in my daily life, especially
    my husband and children, for giving me the strength to carry on in those dark days. I
    love you!"


    Back to Thumbnails