!["I feel a thousand times better. The weight loss has made my health issues better."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/7f/ff/1358971608_3605_Untitled.jpg?itok=fPNgJDPV ""I feel a thousand times better. The weight loss has made my health issues better."")
"Food Network" star Paula Deen feels better than ever after losing 40 pounds, which she credits to portion control and exercise.
Deen, 66, even got her husband and her two sons to overhaul their diets, and the four have lost a combined total of 178 pounds among them.
Deen has lost 40 pounds, her husband Michael Groover, 57, shed 60 pounds, her older son Jamie, 45, lost 45 pounds, and her younger son Bobby, 42, has maintained an impressive 33-pound weight loss.
"Doing it together helps so much," Paula told People. "It's just easier when y'all encourage one another and pull in the same direction.
"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."
Deen, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2008, now follows a high-protein, low-carb diet and has drastically cut back on portion sizes and sugary foods. She also walks on the treadmill every day for at least 30 minutes.
The 5-foot-5 Paula, who slimmed down from a size 18 to a 10, wants to lose an additional 12 to 15 pounds, but says her weight loss isn't motivated entirely by vanity.
"I want to be here for my grandchildren," said Deen. "I think about them every day. My daddy was dead at 40. My mother was dead at 44. Waking up every morning is very exciting for me, to see what the day is going to bring."
