Feb. 27, 2008 | Leslie Williams can cross her legs.

Two years and 107 pounds ago, that was something she could not do. Concerned about her health, she signed up in January 2006 for the UAMS Program for Weight Loss and Metabolic Control.

The Pine Bluff pharmacist, wife and mother of two said she needed something that left her “no choices.” She didn’t want to worry about what to buy at the grocery store or counting calories.


Leslie Williams of Pine Bluff in January 2008

“I had tried diets over the years. I just wanted a program that helped me focus on getting back to what I know is right,” she said.

In the first 12 weeks of the program, she lost almost 60 pounds.

She continues to exercise regularly, completing a 20-minute run/walk one January morning before heading in for a clinic visit. She made the lifestyle changes she needed to make, she said. Plus, she kept going, even when there were weeks when she gained a few pounds back.

Leaving the interview, she was on her way to get running shoes. She said she wants to complete a five-kilometer race in the future.

“The hardest part was making the firm decision to do this,” Williams said. “Then it was just the determination and commitment to see it through.”