I Feel Good!

Something to Feed the Body, So the Body Can Feed the Soul

(it is true that Christian books do change lives!)

     If you had told me a month ago that I could do something so dramatic about my life, I would have scarcely believed you.  But I did do something so dramatic and so drastic, that I believe I will have to use this space to tell you.  My latest discovery is not a book, in fact has nothing to do with books, but I believe that it will impact my life in a way that is just as dramatic and in fact may very well prolong my life.

     I am a fat person.  In fact, by any definition I am a very fat person.  The medical term is morbidly obese.  And I feel stuck.  I have been feeling stuck since I realized that I was fat and that I didn’t have the will power to deal effectively with the issue of being very, very fat.  You see, I love (at least I did love) soda drinks like Coke and Pepsi and root beer.  My idea of a good nutritious snack was a handful of cookies and a nice, tall cool glass of milk, 2% of course.  I never saw a cookie that I could pass up; in fact on my breaks, I would wander over to the Safeway next door and pick up a couple of free cookies from the bakery counter.  I think they put them out because they were starting to become dated, but do you think I cared?  They were free and boy, were they good!

     When I met my wife, twenty nine years ago, I was in fighting trim, literally.  I had just graduated from Officer Candidate School and I weighed 185 pounds on graduation and was six feet tall.  She thought she was pledging her life and her future to a man who would always stay in good shape.   Was she ever mistaken!  I didn’t do it on purpose, but once I left the military and started civilian life, four years after we got married, I began to neglect my body.  Exercise became sporadic, eating became a good substitute for relieving tension, you know, all the same old excuses.

     Speaking of old, I am currently 56 years old.  I weigh, or did weigh, 308.8 pounds or thereabouts and I stand 5’ 11” tall.  I think my body shrunk an inch from all the weight it has been carrying.  And I had decided somewhere along the way that I was stuck.  I was never going to lose weight.  I was always going to be fat for the rest of my life.  If you are currently over weight or have recently been over weight, I think you know what I mean.

     Since I became aware that I was losing the battle of the Bulge, I have been trying to lose weight.  I joined Bally’s and went for a while.  I tried pushing a shopping cart, then two, then three shopping carts while I walked around the perimeter of our local Safeway.  I tried walking period, up hills or for timed periods.  Borrrrrring!  I tried Ultra Slimfast.  I lost some weight, but was a little disconcerted when I wondered what the green color was in the bottom of the glass.  I never tried personal training because that costs money which is somewhat scarce.  I’m sure I tried other things which I have forgotten.  I also recently joined L.A. Fitness and then dropped my membership about six months later when I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere.  I briefly considered re-enlisting so I could go back through basic training, but the Army doesn’t want you when you’re over 45.  I also thought about bariatric surgery, until my insurance company told me I wasn't a good candidate, yet.

     Nowhere in this list above do you see me limiting my intake of some very fattening foods.  I grew up on a dairy farm and I love milk!  My wife gave up getting me to limit my intake.  Just like you can be an alcoholic, I found out you can be a milkaholic.  I dropped down to 2% and thought I was doing good.  Of course, I still sometimes drank a gallon of milk a day, but not always.  You already know how I feel about cookies and sodas.  I also love donuts of course.  Who doesn’t?  And on and on and on.  Where does it stop?

     Then about six months ago I ran into a man who told me about Herbalife.  Now if you have heard of Herbalife, don’t tune me out yet.  I pre-judged this company because I thought it was pretty much like Amway.  And it wasn’t until I got desperate enough to listen that I realized that it might make a difference in my future.  But I wasn’t ready yet.  Every so often this guy would show up at my workplace and I would give Herbalife another 15 seconds of my consideration.  Then about two weeks ago, it happened.

     I decided I need to do something about my weight.  I think my wife had given up.  She loves me, but she well knows how stubborn I am, after almost 30 years of marriage.  I think she had decided she was going to have to make do with a fat husband.  I’m not sure.  All I can tell you for sure was how I felt.  I felt hopeless.  I decided that I was probably going to be fat, overweight, morbidly obese for the rest of my probably shortened life.  I avoided going to doctors because I didn’t want to hear about my cholesterol,  my blood pressure, my weight, etc.  Although I did attend one doctor’s weight loss seminar which was actually advertising their product, which is probably well and good but I didn’t see it working for me.  I have just plain given up.  I expected to be fat.

     What changed my mind was that I decided to meet this guy from Herbalife at his office and sign up to try the product.  It didn’t look too complicated.  I don’t have time for complicated.  I work long stressful hours, I take care of my wife, who is disabled and I am also the housekeeper/cleaner/cook whenever that gets done.  But when I decided to try the product I also decided if I am going to spend money to lose weight I am going to have to cut out certain types of food.  I think my Herbalife friend mentioned something about this, but however it happened, I decided to go “cold turkey” on Sodas, Cookies, Donuts, Cake and Candy.  And I did.  I have not touched one of these products, except to hand something to my wife in the last two weeks.  I walk past cookies and donuts at work and other than giving them a hungry glance…..nothing.  And I did one more rather large change.  I no longer drink milk wholesale.  I use 1% in my twice a day shakes, using Herbalife Formula 1 powder.  Each shake uses 8 oz. of milk.  A gallon lasts me a week now.

     For me…..the results have been life-changing and earth-shattering.  Something very simple happened that I have long ago decided was not possible.  I LOST WEIGHT!!!!  Seven pounds and seven ounces to be exact, in one week.  I was 308.8 when I started and when I weighed a week later, I was 301.1.  WOW!!!

     Now you might think that this is much ado about nothing.  But try telling that to a fat person.  Of course I know that I must keep this up and I can’t go back to my old habits.  But for the first time in a very long time, I have hope that I can.  I am no longer doomed to be fat forever.  My wife can have a husband that will love her and cherish her, and most importantly live long enough to take care of her.  I can have back my self-respect.  It feels so good!  I’ll try to remember this small triumph as I persevere on, to my goal of losing at least 100 pounds.

     And I will keep you posted.  Today is the middle of August.  Keep an eye on this space as I continue to lose weight, through September, through October, through November and December and beyond.