 Well I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1993 and I immediately had to make changes in my life. Everyone knows that living a healthy lifestyle is important. Well it's even more so important for people with health conditions like diabetes. Kaiser Permanente member Mike Terry's journey has taken him from an overweight 285 pounds down to his goal weight of 170. And get this, he's no longer dependent on his diabetes medication. I am off diabetes medication for the first time since I was diagnosed in 1993 and it feels absolutely amazing. What was it about this program with Kaiser that really helped you make that change? My doctor was telling me at the end of last year that my numbers, particularly the A1C number, were going back up again. He wanted to increase medication and I was beginning to feel a point of no return. And again having saw what diabetes did to my father and eventually taking his legs, leaving him bedridden. I did not want to see that kind of future. I have been with Kaiser as long as I can remember, even as a child. My family has always been a part of Kaiser and the experience has always been a positive one. We meet here at Kaiser Permanente's, the Water Ridge Facility. On Monday night we gather, anywhere between 10 to 20 of us, we talk about our weeks. Hell, it was here, good to see you. Our dietician at that time was Lori Chang and she has been very responsible about keeping us in an upbeat, positive mood about the journey that we're taking now about our health. In my experience with Mike, he was willing to do the work. He was willing to be curious about his behaviors and his habit and he was willing to take a step back and actually utilize a lot of the techniques that are taught in class. It's astonishing. I think I'm wider now than when I was in high school. The biggest difference was learning portion control, the amount of food that you put in your system. It isn't always just about diet, it's also about how do you deal with your stress? Do you sleep well? How do you communicate with people? Weight loss isn't always fun. Tell me about some of the moments that kept you going. After I got past the initial three to four weeks with the dietary change I was surprised at how easy it was to adapt the suggestions and ideals of the program, how to approach my life and there's been a feeling of no turning back. For more information on weight management and controlling diabetes, you can go to kp.org. For the West Side Beat, this is Kayleigh Chella reporting.