After 18 years of marriage and weight struggles, it wasn’t until returning from a vacation last year that the Motons took their health seriously. “We looked at our pictures and we did not like what we saw,” said Jackie Trapps-Moton, 46.

Joe Moton, at his heaviest weighed 420 pounds. and Jackie weighed in at 276 pounds.  Here's their story.

Q: What was the most difficult change you made when deciding to lose weight?
Jackie: The biggest thing we learned was how to cook things differently.  Traditionally, everything we ate was fried.  But now we bake, grill, broil - we don’t fry anything. 

Q: Joe, as a man were you hesitant about dieting?
A: I’m the most non-dieting person you’d ever meet.  I saw it as something women do. But, I had to get real about food.  There was a problem.

Q: What are some cultural issues African Americans deal with when losing weight?
Joe: We think it’s too expensive to eat healthy, when that’s far from true. 
Jackie:  We tend to think the food is not going to taste good.  But I was surprised that everything I made from alli (the diet plan) tasted great and it looked healthy.

During our hour long conversation, the Motons touched on everything from having to pull one another back from the fridge to learning how to be content from eating rather than over eating.  Both have committed to an exercise regimen and it shows.  Jackie lost 54 pounds and Joe has gone from a 52 inch to a 42 inch waist.  And, the couple says they’re not going back. 

“What it really came down to is we wanted to change the outcome of our lives, we want to live for our grandchildren,” Joe said.

In the interest of full disclosure (you knew we'd say this)... The Moton's weight loss results and experiences may not be typical of all users.

I had a great time at the alli booth at Team Prevention Walk it! Philadelphia with Pat Baird, RD, one of the myalli.com experts. Pat was representing alli as a sponsor of the event. She was providing healthy eating and weight loss tips, as well as education about alli, to those who stopped by. I wanted to share a story from the event:

An alli user approached Pat at the alli booth. She said she had lost 38 pounds thus far which gave her the confidence to complete her first race, an 8K, that weekend. She told Pat she was excited about approaching Thanksgiving and the holidays with a new outlook, as she now knows she can cook and eat healthy, watch portions and not cheat.

As she put it: "Let's face it, the first two mouthfuls are the best anyway, and who needs more after that?"

Holidays, food and eating are a part of all of our lives as the year ends. I can point you to holiday tips on the alli Web site where it guides you to eat until you're satisfied, not full. But I also wanted to share this weight loss journey story and the "two bites" tip with you. Whether it's chocolate chip cookies or stuffing, I think it's one that really resonates.

And again, in the interest of full disclosure, this user's weight loss results and experiences may not be typical of all alli users.

Katrina and I thought it would be a good time to clarify this as some readers are leaving comments on the blog that are more appropriate for the alli message board. Namely, very specific questions about the use of alli: product availability, directions for use, drug interactions, etc. These comments won't be posted on alliConnect. (See our Comments policy.)

Here's why: both this blog and the alli message board are places for an exchange of information and for discussion. However, the message board is specifically designed to answer questions about individual experiences of using alli and the alli plan (like those mentioned above). It's staffed by a group of weight loss experts, including dieticians, pharmacists and fitness professionals, who are compensated by GSK but whose opinions are their own. If you choose, you can also get answers by using the contact us function on myalli.com.

The blog, in contrast, is a place to talk about broader issues surrounding weight loss, as well as to draw open the curtain on the educational marketing campaign behind alli. It's also a way to speak directly to the branding team, including GSK Consumer Healthcare VP of weight loss Steve Burton.

Stay tuned and thanks for your patience.

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