My Personal Weight Loss Journey

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I grew up overweight, actually when you look at this story; I have been between “overweight” and “obese” practically my whole 52 years. My Mother and Great-Grandmother both have said that the pediatric growth formulas showed that I was destined to be in the 97th% for my age at adulthood.

“Doomed from the Womb” in my 1st year’s growth. I was estimated to be 6’-4” 225lbs. (BMI 27.4 “overweight”)…..
Today, that is how some people justify their weight problem. ”I am not responsible for what I do; anything bad that happens to me is not my fault.”

At my peak, I just missed the mark on the height estimate, but more than made up for it on the weight. In my youth, in the 60’s and 70’s, adults in my family, as others, used to classify you as “husky” even your jeans were labeled that. Nobody said that “Husky” would be a health issue. “He’s just big boned”, true; I am considered large framed. “Its baby fat, he’ll grow out of it”, maybe if I am taught the tools to know how. I’m sure almost all of you can relate.

The bottom line, today for far too many in America; obesity is an issue. And yes, still being overweight, I do have some empathy for people overweight and obese. However (to some of you), this may sound crass and heartless, on my part; but unless you have a documented medical condition, there is ABSOLUTELY no excuse for obesity. We are our own worse nightmare, and without the proper tools, the nightmare continues while we try to lose the weight we so despise.

As a child, I wasn’t like the kids today. I was active. I rode bikes, all over the neighborhood. As we lived in a quasi-country area the neighborhood was big. I had carte Blanche with where I rode as long as we wet as a group. We played outside unless it was raining; only then did you have to occupy yourself with other activities, I bowled. I played baseball in the neighborhood during the summer, (I relate to “THE SANDLOT”) and I was in Little League and was an above average player; one of my idols was Boog Powell. Not your leanest player in baseball, in fact he was a “tank”, players like him didn’t hit the baseball, he “CRUSHED IT!” Regardless of my ability, I was still one of the last to be picked for teams at school; and only because you had to be picked. It took years of proving my athletic ability before that changed.

I was still overweight because, there were no limits to “what” and “how much” I was allowed to eat. As I got older the joke was that I must have a “hollow leg”. Either way; no limits, no education; worse of all, an unrealistic acceptance from the adults in my life of what I was allowed to eat. Kids without guidance and limitations will run amok regardless of what the subject matter is.

By age 13, upon entering High School I was 5’9” weighing in at 180 lbs. my BMI was 26.6. I was 13, in a new school, and obese; not just obese, but an obese freshman. Lucky me….

In the spring of my freshman year, something great happened; a reprieve, even though I would not understand it until years later. Now in a new area for over a year, I met new friends and started to expand my sports. I took up Golf and Tennis, still rode my bike all over town, still bowled; but started to become constantly active during the day. I ate and ate, but as soon as I ate, I was gone; back outside with my friends. From the time I got up until the time I had to be in the house I was swinging a golf club or a tennis racket, playing ping-pong, or riding my bike. I never noticed the change. My mom never commented except to complain about my appetite, until she had to buy all new school clothes for me.

In spite of a veracious appetite, I grew 2” from 5’-9” to 5’-11”; I lost 40 lbs by the time my sophomore year started in September. I was now 140 lbs., my BMI for the first time in my life was in the “healthy” range 19.5. There was so much of a change that all my friends didn’t even recognize me. You’d think things would change for the better. Overall they did, now I wasn’t being picked because I wasn’t one of the school’s football or basketball jocks. Hey, I’m on the tennis team what do I care.

Like I said, my reprieve would later be my demise. Starting my junior year I was now driving. I was working, so less time to spend on the courts. Never-the-less, thanks to continued growth spurts, I was 17 and now 6’ 1 ½ “; my lack of exercise and now driving, as opposed to riding a bike for transportation, now has me weighing in at 163 (BMI 21.1), still a “healthy” weight, and I lost my “bird chest” from the massive weight loss in my sophomore year.

After high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps now at age 18, I’m 6’-2” entering boot camp a lean 163. Then Marine Drill Instructors got a hold of me. In 12 weeks I went from 163 lbs to 180lbs. Upon graduation from boot camp I had lost 2 inches in my waist and gained 3” in my chest. My BMI had raised to 23.1 a really “Healthy” type of healthy. By 1981, I was in my best physical condition ever; I could do 20 pull-ups, 80 sit-ups in 2 min, and my 3-mile run time was cut from 25:45 to 20:50 a solid 1st class Physical Fitness Test with a respectable run time. However, my reprieve changed, when I re-enlisted for a second 4 years and changed to become an Air Traffic Controller. I went to sitting in front of a radar scope. I did very little Physical Training on my own, group PT was only once a week. The clincher was that I had two choices for meals; either eating via “brown bagging” or going upstairs to the snack bar (greasy spoon). My maximum USMC weight had risen to 208 lbs., which was the maximum allowable weight under Marine Corps standards for my age. I was now fighting my weight for the first time since I was 13. I had allowed my attitude of unlimited consumption to beat me. My BMI was 26.7 and I was now officially “Overweight”. After 8 ½ years in the USMC, I did not re-enlist for a third time. I chose to pursue a career in the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller. While at the FAA academy I did lose weight, I still exercised, but no real effort on my part, more partying and little eating. Thank God for Towers without elevators. Yet after 2 ½ years in the FAA, and after 45 days of temporary quarters; I was now at my highest weight ever, and I’m only 28. I weighed 230 lbs., my BMI is now rising to 29.5 maximum as being classified “Overweight” and bordering on “obese”.

In spring of 1990 I started my first official diet. I began to drink SlimFast; the old SlimFast, a scoop of powder, a cup of non-fat milk, in a blender. I kicked it up a notch and added a 12-cube rack of ice and a banana; only drinking the Chocolate Royale, as it was the most palatable. Let’s face it, ANYTHING Chocolate is palatable.

REPRIEVE #2- 90 days on a SHAKE-FRUIT-MEAL-FRUIT-SHAKE plan and I’m down to 206. That’s gym weight! That’s get off your *kitten* weight and DO SOMETHING! I did, I joined my first gym. By July, I was down to 196 lbs. Even though my BMI is 25.2, a lower “Overweight” I am now the healthiest ever felt, including my time in the Marine Corps. I have great endurance, with good CHO, BP stats. Changes in my work environment, transfers, and once again no restrictions on eating; lead to failure. I made a “CHOICE”. Whether or not it was a conscience choice is irrelevant; I failed to follow through with what worked for and what could have been my last time of needing to change my eating lifestyle. I had a basis to adhere to and I failed to recognize that I was not following the rules.

In 1997, I went through a divorce. When I relocated, I decided to change my life. Hey, at some point I was going to want to start dating again…..Duhhh! Now, its spring of 1998 I’m building off of a starting weight of 235 (BMI 30.6 “Obese”). Been there, done that, but not the “obese” part…what a difference 5 lbs make. Again after 3 months of reduced eating, riding bike, and using the local apartment gym, I work back to 217 lbs. I am feeling good and am dating my now wife. Sure my BMI is 28.2 still considered “overweight”, but I’m getting the “6-pack”, okay maybe the case the 6-pack comes in, but still getting definition. Since the Marines, I have been able to cook, and I can cook GOOD! That’s not me saying so, that’s my friends and co-workers saying “Damn Kev, you should open a restaurant! Cooking… Result: Self destruction. To make things worse, my wife and I have justified it. It’s “happy fat”. “HAPPY FAT” is the fat you gain through over-indulgence and the result of having too much fun with the one you love.

But now, I think I know what to do; but there is no SlimFast. There is Atkins! I can eat all the cheese, steak, chicken, and protein I want? Count me in!!!! Then summer comes around and back in 2000, you had to stupidly limit carbs. Summer fruit = bad carbs. The diet doesn’t tell you that you will grow tired of eating this way. So once again, I failed the diet, and the diet failed me.

If, you haven’t noticed yet, each failure has led to a greater upswing in weight. Now it’s 2007. A back injury has resulted in my being the heaviest “husky” I have ever been (or so I would think). I’m 252 lbs. (BMI 32.8 “Obese” with a capital “O”). I know I cannot do the Atkins’s diet again, I thought of “South Beach” but it’s counting. It’s a DIET! I do not want a diet. NOBODY should want to be on a diet.

In May of 2007 my wife and I found and researched the Sonoma/Mediterranean lifestyle eating plan. Notice I said “lifestyle”. Yes, the book says “SONOMA DIET” but when you read the basis of the book and know about the Mediterranean Food Pyramid, you will understand that this is not a diet. This is based on the Mediterranean way of eating. Specifically, the research is based on the people from Crete and their low mortality rate. The plan, in my opinion, is a valuable tool for people who want to change their way of eating. Why, first off it does not require counting ANYTHING! I learned how to use the tools to help me with “eyeing” acceptable portions, I expanded my knowledge of the values of the various foods and how they benefit you. One of the most valuable tools for me personally, is that I learned is how I am satisfied on the portions of food in the 3 diagrams.

Wow! Grilling Meats and Vegetables, Whole Grains and Pasta, Fruit, Nuts, and Wine (if you choose). I am not starving, I am not craving, and by mid-summer I’m back down to 227lbs. (BMI 29.5) Still “Overweight” and with no exercise, with the exception of climbing a 5-story Control tower. This is “THE PLAN”, I know now that I finally have “framework” for the first time in my life. Yep, you guessed it, we failed. We got lazy and made excuses. We continued to try to adhere to the basics of the plan, but the main culprit has been “VOLUME” of consumption. We are letting the stress in our lives carryover into our eating. One thing I learn in all of this is that I am a “stress eater”. I get bored or stressed, I eat. If it were grazing in small amounts and the right food, that may not have been a problem. This is a problem!

We retired in summer of 2009 and being newly retired, we had FUN! We traveled the U.S. with our 5th wheel, coast-to-coast. We moved to WA, we fixed up our old home and rented it out. We have been having loads of fun in WA. By the time I established myself with a doctor here, I knew I had gained weight, based on how my clothes were fitting. On December 7th, 2010 (“a date that will live in Infamy”….ironic huh?) I had obtained a new maximum weight, 257.9 lbs. My BMI is now 34. My Blood Pressure is 140/90 and that is without working. My CHO is 273 and the Dr. is talking DRUGS. I’m 51… I’m not my Grandpa’s 51 (for all of you who think 51 is OLD…) I’m 51 years young, also a heart attack/stroke waiting to happen. I ask for a retake of the labs in June, and reluctantly the Dr. agreed.

For me, it took a threat of medication to get me to get serious about my health. Some would say “what’s the problem, just take the pill”. Well, for one, that “magic pill” is not magic. These medications for heart problems, cholesterol, blood pressure, acid reflux, whatever, have ramifications. Long term use can and WILL harm organs; shortening your life. So first thing you need to ask yourself; “is the fix worth a shorter life?” If you do not lose this weight, you will be destined to start/stay on these types of medications. Changing your lifestyle, losing excess weight can prevent/reduce, if not allow you to stop taking these medications. Something the drug companies don’t tell you.

Over my lifetime, so far, I learned all the tools I need stay healthy. I just failed to stay the course. I know that you cannot escape some form of exercise, whether it is the gym, walking/jogging, just doing yard work. You have to stay active. No excuses, you have to have cardio and some strength training. You don’t have to be able to lift the weight machine, but you have to keep muscles tone. As they say, “use it or lose it!”

You and ONLY YOU; have to be conscious of what food is going into your mouth and HOW MUCH! If you could down 3 Double Whopper’s, large fries, and a 32 oz. soda without weight gain when you were young, does not mean you will continue to stay on that path when you are older. It will catch up with you and FAST!

My doctor has in his office a poster that states: “I CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST, BUT I CAN CHANGE MY FUTURE”. I consciously and unconsciously chose to fail every single time I set out to lose weight, or keep the weight I lost, off permanently. I failed myself. True, there were contributing factors to expedite my failure; but when all is said and done, I had the control to say “No Thank You” and I chose to ignore the rules.

For those of you who stuck through this posting till the end, I say “thank you”. I hope my journey to permanent weight loss will help you to come to grips with reality. Reality is harsh; reality hurts, and does not follow “political correctness”; REALITY is that 2 x 4 that God slaps up the side of our heads from time-to-time to get our attention. Some take it as a great learning experience; some get slapped silly.

My opinion; the deadliest words in weight loss is “I know”. If you “know”, then why do you “Choose” to remain the way you are? Why did I/do you continue to fail? Before a person successfully changes their life, they must WANT to change; not just say they want to change. For me, my “WANT” was the fact that I know I am too young to be on these types of medications. For the younger crowd reading this, you are WAY TOO YOUNG! That alone should be a wake-up call.

Starting January 5th of this year, we (my wife and I) began a PERMANENT change in our lives. Though to some, our goals might seem lofty. They are necessary reality for us, which we have accepted will take a little longer to achieve. We must get back to a realistic weight and exercise plan. We must be realistic about our food choices. We are retired, so we have no excuses. I joined “MY FITNESS PAL” to use the tools that will assist us in our goal and to help us make this permanent change. It only takes 21 days of consistent meaningful change for a person to correct bad habits, but it takes a lifetime of hard work to stay changed.

Today, I am back on combination of a SlimFast style eating plan as in 1990, and my wife and I have once again incorporated the Mediterranean lifestyle, with High fiber intake and light to moderate exercise more frequently, at least 3 times a week. I lose at a faster rate than my wife, so we are about on the same track, as we both proportionately should hit our own goals about the same time.

The point of my story is never give up. If you fail; learn “why” you failed and accept the reality. If you screwed up, admit it and move forward. If there is a medical issue, get it fixed and get back to work! It is NOT A DIET! It is a permanent change for you to enjoy the rest of your life.