At my heaviest I weighed 370 pounds. I had a very poor relationship with food: I used it to 1 bad feelings, to make myself feel better, and to celebrate. Worried about my health, I tried many different kinds of 2 but nothing worked. I came to believe that I could do nothing about my weight.
When I was 50, my weight problem began to affect me 3 . I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with this extra weight any more.
That year, I attended a seminar where we were asked to create a project that would touch the world. A seminar leader shared her success story — she had not only lost 125 pounds, but also raised $25,000 for homeless children.
4 by her story, I created the As We Heal, the World Heals project. My goal was to lose 150 pounds in one year and raise $50,000 5 a movement founded 30 years ago to end hunger. This combination of healing myself and healing the world hit me as the perfect solution.
As I began my own personal weight program, I was filled with the fear that I would 6 the same difficulties that beat me before. 7 the fear hung over my head, there were also signs that I was heading down the right path. I sent letters to everyone I knew, telling them about my project. It worked perfectly. Donations began 8 in from hundreds of people.
Of course, I also took some practical steps to lose weight. I consulted with a physician; I hired a fitness coach, and I began to eat small and healthy meals. My fund-raising focus also gave me new motivation to exercise 9 .
A year later, I reached my goal: I lost 150 pounds and raised $50,000! I feel that I’ve been given a second life to devote to something that is 10 and enormous.
1. A. add B. mix C. share D. kill
2. A. diets B. drinks C. fruits D. dishes
3. A. temporarily B. recently C. seriously D. secretly
4. A. Surprised B. Influenced C. Amused D. Disturbed
5. A. in search of B. in need of C. in support of D. in place of
6. A. get over B. run into C. look for D. put aside
7. A. While B. Once C. If D. Unless
8. A. breaking B. flooding C. jumping D. stepping
9. A. regularly B. limitlessly C. suddenly D. randomly
10. A. stressful B. painful C. peaceful D. meaningful