By Kay Quinn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 30, 2007

Could writing down what you eat and getting 10,000 steps a day be the key to a healthier weight?

Karen Frye of St. Louis believes that doing those things will help her to not only lose pounds, but also keep them off — this from a woman who''s tried every diet from cabbage soup to cutting all carbs. She calls herself the poster child for all of the illnesses that can come with obesity.

"I''ve developed hypertension, elevated cholesterol, esophageal reflux and then suddenly painful arthritic knees," says Frye, who is 49.

What she really wants to avoid is Type 2 diabetes — and another diet.

"I was successful with a number of the programs," Frye recalled. "But I was looking for something that could change my life."

In December, she decided to go back to basics. She stopped dieting, started taking the stairs and paying more attention to what and how much she eats. She began to lose weight.

In February, already committed to a healthier way of living, she began a program called Weigh to Life. The approach mirrors what Frye says she had already learned — specifically, that she could lose weight if she incorporated movement into the day and closely watched food intake.

"Dieting doesn''t work, so you really have to look for those small changes you can make each day," says Dotti Durbin, a dietitian with the Washington University Heart Care Institute, as well as a Weigh to Life facilitator.

So Frye wears a pedometer to count her steps during the day and keeps a daily food journal to help analyze eating habits and emotional triggers. She attends group meetings with dietitians and specialists in exercise and behavior.

Regular support sessions and classes on healthful cooking are offered after that.

Frye''s learning how to make healthful food choices at work, at home, at restaurants and on vacation. She says she''s committed to a new way of living.

"I want to be off the medicines that I''m taking," Frey says. "I don''t want to become a Type 2 diabetic."

Since December, she''s lost 31 pounds.

Weigh to Life costs $325, lasts 12 weeks and includes follow-up support. It''s based at the Heart Care Institute at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital.