'Losing weight's easy when y'all do it together': Paula Deen's family collectively shed 178lbs after her diabetes scare

Paula Deen has told how her family collectively lost 178lbs after she announced that she was battling Type 2 diabetes.
The 66-year-old TV cook who spent years promoting a high-fat diet, decided to quit her unhealthy ways after being diagnosed with the disease and her husband and two sons jumped on board.
Ms Deen - who is now 40lbs lighter - explained to People: 'Doing it together helps so much. It's just easier when y'all encourage one another and pull in the same direction.'

Transformation: Paula Deen, who spent years promoting a high-fat diet, decided to quit her unhealthy ways after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and now she is 40lbs lighter (in 2010 (left) and last October (right))

In a bid to get into shape the 5'6'' matriarch ditched her calorie-laden favorites and opted for cleaner foods.
Revealing her weight-loss secrets, she said: 'It's all about moderation. I eat reasonable portions now. Tonight I treated myself to just half a piece of bread... You can't deprive yourself all the time.'

 

Meanwhile her second husband Michael Groover managed to lose 60lbs. The 57-year-old was told he would need knee replacement surgery if he didn't trim down.
Last July his doctor put him on a diet called OurSkinny, which involves four protein shakes a day plus a light dinner.

Team effort: Ms Deen with her sons Bobby and Jamie, who both shed more than 30lbs

He said that before his wife started dieting he 'used to get birthday cakes when it was nobody's birthday' and would fail at diets because he would hit boxes of donuts.
But now, like her, he is 'committed' to getting into shape.

'I love feeding people but now I also want to help people eat right'

Ms Deen's two sons also vowed to kick their bad habits. Jamie, 45, who fronts a show on the Food Network said that he wanted to be a good role model to his two sons.
After quitting carbs after 6pm and switching cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets for salad he lost just over 45lbs.
'Six year olds eat the right portions,' he exclaimed.
Jamie's brother Bobby, 42, said that he started taking care of himself long before his mother's diabetes diagnosis, around 12 years ago.
'I didn't look or feel good, and I decided to get into shape,' he recalled.

Unhealthy lifestyle: Ms Deen's husband Michael Groover said that before she started dieting he 'used to get birthday cakes when it was nobody's birthday'

He stopped 'eating whatever was in front of me' and stuck to lean foods and lost 33lbs in the process. Today he hits the gym on a daily basis, running 3.5 miles and weight lifting for 60 to 90 minutes.
His tip is to be creative and 'make parsnip chips instead of French fries.'
Ms Deen, who lives in Savannah, Georgia, is set to bring out a new cook book this fall titled The New Testament with more tips and healthy recipes.
'I love feeding people but now I also want to help people eat right,' she added.