Carol Wendel’s life has always been centered on food. Her family owned a restaurant, and food was used for comfort and in social settings, she explained.

Her mother died when she was 6 years old, and Wendel, who now lives in Kula, Maui, began helping her father at the restaurant on a daily basis.

"The restaurant was where we had our meals. There wasn’t a limit to the amount of food that was available to me," she said.

"We had ice cream, homemade doughnuts, milkshakes … anything we wanted. I formed bad eating habits early on."

She describes herself as an overweight kid who "always felt pressured to lose weight."

At one point as an adult, she was carrying 212 pounds on her 5-foot, 3-inch frame. "My joints were killing me; my ankles were swollen," said Wendel, 57.

At a health checkup in January 2010, she was told that her body mass index, calculated using a person’s weight and height, was 49. (A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is in the "normal" range, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

"I was basically half fat," Wendel said.

That wake-up call and the coaxing of a friend to join the TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) nonprofit support group on Maui set Wendel on the path toward a healthier lifestyle. By November 2010, she had lost more than 50 pounds, dropping from a size 18 dress size to a 6. And she has kept the weight off.

To get there, Wendel eliminated sugar from her diet, focused on eating nutritious foods, consumed measured portions and stopped using butter and mayonnaise. Her diet consisted primarily of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and homemade soup. She exercised every day, either walking or swimming. Weekly weigh-ins at TOPS meetings helped her stay on track.

TOPS, which has chapters across the United States and Canada, encourages healthful eating and regular physical activity while providing wellness information and support at weekly chapter meetings. The group also uses awards and recognition as weight-loss incentives.

Wendel earned the title of "queen" for meeting her weight-loss goal and having lost the most weight in the state. She’s now on KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) status and aims to stay within a 10-pound range of her goal weight.

"We’re similar to Weight Watchers and other programs but we don’t advocate any diet and don’t sell any products," said Martha Turner, TOPS area captain for Hawaii. "We give people lots of information on how to lose weight. It’s really a support group. We all get lots of encouragement.

"There are more women in the group, but men come, too. Most members don’t gain once they join. The weight slowly goes down. It’s all about hanging in there."

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“Be Well” features inspiring stories of people dealing with health challenges. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.