MANCHESTER, N. H. -- As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee solved tough problems and took pride in those accomplishments. But in 2002, his doctor diagnosed a problem not only tough to resolve, but a threat to his survival.

He had developed type 2 diabetes, and no wonder.

He was carrying 300 pounds on a 5-foot-11-inch frame and hated exercise. He ate unhealthy food in volumes and was full of excuses. He had another major risk factor: Both his parents, long ago deceased, had had type 2.

"I'm a genetic sitting duck," he said last Sunday on "Chat N Chew," a food show hosted by Mike and Karen Donnell on WTPL radio in Bow, N.H. The Donnells have type 2 diabetes.

"Deep South means deep fried," Mr. Huckabee said. "If you have an entree, you pour gravy on it. If you have a dessert, it has powdered or glazed sugar on it."

During childhood, food was used as reward and punishment. As an adult, that practice threatened to kill him. As governor, he was consuming "the same amount of food as a medium-sized village in Ethiopia," he has written, and he was approaching "the weight of a cement truck" with a backside "the size of tractor-trailer rig."

He once sat on a chair for a meeting and it collapsed. It was an embarrassing signal.

At time of diagnosis, his blood-sugar level exceeded 200 -- the acceptable range is 80 to 100. His hemoglobin A1C, which is a test of average blood-sugar levels over several months, was 7.2. The American Diabetes Association recommends 6.5 or less. Numbness in his arms prompted him to visit his doctor.

For a while after diagnosis, he did nothing, save for a yo-yo diet that left him even heavier. He chided himself for being "magnetically driven to eating binges" and felt helpless.

Fateful diagnosis

Then, in 2003, his doctor sat the governor down, this time for a heart-to-heart. "You need to understand that if you don't change your lifestyle, you are entering the last decade of your life," his doctor told him. He was only 48.

Even then, Mr. Huckabee was thinking the diagnosis wasn't that awful. He could live 9 3/4 fruitful years before a quick spiral into bad health and death.

But the doctor nixed that rosy scenario. The "cruel progression" of uncontrolled diabetes would dominate his remaining years if he failed to take drastic action, his doctor said.

His blood vessels already were constricting, affecting circulation in his toes, feet, legs and fingers. They soon would affect his mobility, possibly leading to amputations. High blood sugar, in time, would hinder internal organs and lead to heart disease and stroke. It also could progress to his eyes, possibly leading to blindness. Oh, and he could suffer end-stage renal failure, among many other problems.

"This time he told me how I was going to die," Mr. Huckabee said. His response: "Yikes. That's not how I wanted to go."

That's when a light bulb went on in the governor's mind, shifting his diverted attention into focused action to control his diabetes.

"I needed an exit strategy," he said, referring to diabetes not life. "It's such a demoralizing situation when you can't seem to make the breakthrough."

So this is the story of how an Arkansas governor set out in 2003 to save his life and, by all accounts, succeeded to the point where he is seeking the Republican nomination for president.

Last weekend, Mr. Huckabee discussed his health at length during a whirlwind campaign swing through New Hampshire, one week after his surprise second-place finish in an Iowa straw vote that has placed his candidacy under national spotlight.

A year after his doctor's scary prognosis, Mr. Huckabee had lost 110 pounds and now weighs as little as 180. His blood sugar levels are half what they used to be at 104, just a smidgen over normal. He requires no medications.

He also has reduced his A1C level to 5.6. considered in the normal range. His doctor told him he no longer has to consider himself as a diabetic, as long as he stays under control.

His blood pressure and cholesterol readings, which doctors urge diabetics to watch as carefully as their blood sugar, have been at "teenage" levels since he knocked off his excess weight and began his exercise regimen, according to a spokeswoman.

He has detailed these accomplishments in his 2005 book, "Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork," which outlines how he altered his lifestyle to beat diabetes. Much like his political speeches, his book includes humor, clever sayings and entertaining insights with a clear message: Stop bad habits and enjoy healthy living.

"You can, and you will," he says in his book.

And if last weekend was any indication, campaigning requires a strong mind, body and focus. Campaigning for president is a marathon, and Mr. Huckabee knows all about marathons, having run four of them since diagnosis. His new lifestyle, he said, has energized his presidential bid.

Mr. Huckabee, 52, was born in Hope, Ark., to working-class parents who struggled to pay rent and keep food on the table. The family diet typically included fried, sweet and processed foods, and his mother always insisted on a clean plate. In a family with limited resources, food was used as reward and punishment, which fostered unhealthy eating habits.

The 100-year rule

After his doctor's scary prognosis, Mr. Huckabee began changing his focus from losing weight to being healthy.

He eliminated sugar, transfats and processed foods from his diet along with foods with chemicals, additives and what he describes as "contaminants." He detoxified his system and adopted a philosophy of eating only foods that were eaten regularly 100 years ago, including whole grains, vegetables, fruit and nuts. "We didn't have Twinkies or Oreos 100 years ago," he said.

In the first 90 days on his new diet, he lost 60 pounds, which was "incredibly motivating." The downside? He had to have his suits altered three times. When his tailor finally told him that the back pockets were joined in the back, with front pockets becoming rear pockets, he bought new suits.

Exercise proved to be his biggest challenge. He said he was never an athlete and had flat feet.

At first, he could only walk about 40 yards before exhaustion. But slowly he extended the length, adding 10 yards, then 50 yards, then full laps until he reached a mile. Soon he was walking numerous times around the governor's mansion.

When walking turned boring, he began running short distances, then ever longer ones. In time, he entered a 5-kilometer race, and the news media did stories about the governor who had lost 100 pounds and now was planning a 3.1-mile run.

That filled him with fear that he might collapse and look wiped out, much like what happened to former President Jimmy Carter three decades ago when Secret Service agents had to assist him after a 5K run, an incident captured by a news photographer.

But Mr. Huckabee finished the race in 27 minutes. "I was so pumped up that I felt like I could run the Boston Marathon," he said.

He never ran the Boston Marathon, but he did sign up to run the Little Rock Marathon, and it proved to be worth the effort.

"That was one of the most amazing days of my life," he said. "After the finish line, I broke out in euphoria.

"For me, it was an affirmation. I just ran from a lifetime of bad habits and beat them," he said. "I could put a stake in the ground and say I regained my health."

Proof of his dedication occurred in 2005.

President Bush had invited him and his wife, Janet, to sit in the presidential box during the inauguration parade that year. But the parade was scheduled during Mr. Huckabee's scheduled 5-mile workout.

So he declined the president's offer, although Mrs. Huckabee did attend.

You read correctly: It was January and snowy, and Mr. Huckabee was exercising on his treadmill while watching the parade on television, which showed his wife sitting behind President and Mrs. Bush.

"Instead of going to the inauguration parade, I chose training," he said. "That's when I knew I had dedication."

He has run the Little Rock Marathon twice, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., and the New York Marathon, with plans to run another marathon this fall.

"You make time to run. If you wait until you find time, you won't do it," he said.

His daily workout is included on his official calendar-sized schedule, which begins most days with runs ranging from 4 to 14 miles, the latter of which can take 2 1/2 hours. He calls his run "sacred" and gets angry with staff when they schedule interviews or speeches that conflict with his workout. "When I die, the campaign is over," he tells his staff. "When I do run, they know I think better, speak more clearly, and I have more fun and more energy."

But the campaign trail is not always filled with healthy food.

Last weekend, he gave numerous speeches with long trips in between along New Hampshire highways. But he ate sparingly, yet never looked tired, even during a final stop where he praised the spread of food but was not seen eating any of it.

He said he eats when hungry, and what he eats is nutritious and filling. For a lot of foods available today, he said, the box would be more nutritious because at least it contains fiber.

During a noontime campaign stop billed as a chowder-fest, he ate a shallow bowl of clam chowder but no crackers or bread. Considering he had run 4 miles that morning, the calories were no concern.

Later that Saturday, during a quick stop in rural New Hampshire -- he already was late for a speaking engagement -- he spent a few minutes reading labels on packages of nuts before buying the healthiest pack.

"The hardest part isn't event food but airport food courts," he said. "At most events I don't eat."

During one political event that occurred after Mr. Huckabee had shed 100 pounds, President Bush gave a speech, pointed to him in the crowd and called him a word he hadn't heard in ages.

Skinny.

Proof, once again, of success.

Today he says he eats well, feels terrific and enjoys healthy food.

And when he says he is running for president, take it literally.