Francis "Uncle Blue" Lono, 69, of Hana, Maui, says he was "one big Hawaiian" in his youth. The 6-foot-2 Lono played baseball, football, tennis and other sports, and used to surf past dark.

Lono tried to stay active in his later years, but like many former athletes, he started packing on the pounds and eventually came to weigh 348 pounds.

"I love candy," Lono said.

He also ate a lot of high-sodium foods. "Hawaiians love eating a lot of salt. That's how we were brought up with our parents. They all eat salty stuff. No more ice before, so we ate salty meat, salty everything," Lono said.

Both his parents had type 2 diabetes, but Lono said he didn't think much about his risk of developing the disease. Then, 10 years ago he was diagnosed with the same condition.

Six years ago he began life-extending kidney dialysis, taking a Maui Economic Opportunity bus three times a week to the Maui Dialysis Facility in Wailuku. It's a 10-hour ordeal each time he goes, leaving Lono with little energy when he's not at dialysis.

Lono, retired supervisor of the National Tropical Botanical Garden's Kahanu Garden, said he has been watching his diet and buys fresh fruit and vegetables from farmers markets in Hana.

He now weighs 191 pounds.

"I had to take care of myself and cut my eating," he said.

Lono still eats candy. "But not too much," he said.