In December of 2010 I was diagnosed as VERY diabetic. Both my fasting blood glucose and my HbA1c were more than DOUBLE where they diagnose you. This was in addition to being 308lbs at the time (320lbs a few months earlier), along with depression, hypertension, high cholesterol/triglycerides, a degenerative spinal condition (I had spent 80% of the previous 5 years in bed) and a terrible family history of heart disease. I was on medical disability because I was unable to work at my regular job.
Rather than continue to die, somehow the diabetes diagnoses was the catalyst to start living. I started riding an exercise bike - it was all I could do with my back condition - and honestly, I could only manage 1-2 minutes at first. After a couple weeks I could do 5 minutes, and it just kept increasing in duration and intensity.
I adopted a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet and in combination with exercise I lost weight. Lots of it. 70lbs the first 3 months.
I dropped all the way to 218lbs - you could see abdominal definition. But I was seriously atrophied (especially in my upper body) from years of bed rest, so I started petitioning doctors and my insurance company to let me lift. Finally, after 16 months of increasing fitness and begging to lift ... they finally allowed it.
Now the goal is to increase strength and muscle-mass to at least "normal" levels. Sure, I'd like MORE ... but I'll take what I can get and, as such, simply reaching a "healthy" amount of muscle and strength is my current goal.