jbiggars63
New member
In 1987 I was a fit 220 pound single guy that ran 6 miles a day, weight lifted and taught aerobics 3 times a week. I met and fell in love with my wife who wasn’t a fitness fanatic like me, and I started to decrease my activities and eat unhealthy foods. By the time we got married (7/2/1988) ...I had started... to gain and was at 275 pounds. When our first son was born (9/19/1989) the scale reflected my weight at 350 pounds. 19 years later (on August 4th, 2008) I weighed 493 pounds. I was worn out all the time! When I went to Wal-Mart to do the shopping, I needed to lean on the cart as soon as I got one and had to lean on it the entire trip. By the time I made it to the check-out counter, I was dripping in sweat! I was tired of being pointed at by little kids who said "Look mommy, there's a really fat man!" At least some kids didn’t know how rude they were…..adults did. I was at a company golf tournament once when a bike rider rode by and yelled "Oh my God! Get out of that cart and walk!" There is no describing how humiliating that was. While it would be easy to blame this on my wife, it wasn’t her fault. I had fought this battle before and knew I was the one responsible and as I edged closer to 500 pounds the time had come to do something! Through mid-December I yo-yo'd between 470 and 490. During this time, I had witnessed a friend of mine, Bonnie Voegeli, lose 30 pounds in 3 months on the Medi-Weightloss program. I finally decided to corner her to learn about the diet she was following and began following a low-carb diet on December 23rd, 2008. I viewed this journey, a long slow marathon and my initial goal was 90 pounds on 09'! In just two short weeks on January 6th, 2009, I was already down to 478. I then called Medi-Weightloss and set up my first appointment with Dr. Jeannine Cobb for January 23rd, 2009 weighing in at 454lbs. I was eating 1,000 – 1,200 calories and keeping my carb count under 25g a day.
The next week, I started to exercise. It wasn’t much, just 15 minutes 3 times a week on an exercise bike. Fast forward to the present and I take 4 - 6 spin classes a week, lift weights 3 times a week, and walk/jog 4 miles in 45 minutes 3 times a week. I have gone from size 66 pants to a 38, but know once all the excess skin is removed I’ll be back to a size 34/36. This journey has had lots of milestones, but one of my favorites occurred in early August when I took 4 large trash bags of all my 4x and larger clothes to the DAV and again in December when I took 3 more bags of 3x and bigger clothes to the DAV because I am never going to need them again! My last weigh-in was 228 pounds which equates to a loss of 265 pounds. My goal weight WAS 250 pounds, which is the weight my doctor specified as a goal for my tummy tuck. She thinks the surgery will take another 8-15 lbs off! I am proud to say I have not had a gain week or even stayed the same all year! That’s right, I’ve had a loss every single week and needless to say, the Wal-Mart trips are a breeze now and yes, my wife is even exercising and eating healthy with me and has dropped 50 pounds! I ran the Turkey Trot in November (2 miles in 21:38) and plan on running the 10K River Run (May), and the Wichita half marathon (Oct). I am just loving the added energy and freedom I am experiencing with this great weight loss! I share with everyone I meet and hope to inspire many to try Medi Weightloss to realize their dreams!
I have come to believe there are four very important parts of a successful weight loss program. In order of importance they are:
1) Determination: You have to decide you are important enough to change your way of life to a healthy one. NO MORE EXCUSES!
2) Support: For me it is family, friends, the staff at Medi and my gym and I also belong to TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly).
3) Diet: For me it was the Medi-Weightloss low carb diet, food logs and drinking 120 ounces of water per day.
4) Exercise: At least three 30 minute aerobic sessions and three 30 minute weight or strength building sessions per week, but always allow for at least one day of rest.
The next week, I started to exercise. It wasn’t much, just 15 minutes 3 times a week on an exercise bike. Fast forward to the present and I take 4 - 6 spin classes a week, lift weights 3 times a week, and walk/jog 4 miles in 45 minutes 3 times a week. I have gone from size 66 pants to a 38, but know once all the excess skin is removed I’ll be back to a size 34/36. This journey has had lots of milestones, but one of my favorites occurred in early August when I took 4 large trash bags of all my 4x and larger clothes to the DAV and again in December when I took 3 more bags of 3x and bigger clothes to the DAV because I am never going to need them again! My last weigh-in was 228 pounds which equates to a loss of 265 pounds. My goal weight WAS 250 pounds, which is the weight my doctor specified as a goal for my tummy tuck. She thinks the surgery will take another 8-15 lbs off! I am proud to say I have not had a gain week or even stayed the same all year! That’s right, I’ve had a loss every single week and needless to say, the Wal-Mart trips are a breeze now and yes, my wife is even exercising and eating healthy with me and has dropped 50 pounds! I ran the Turkey Trot in November (2 miles in 21:38) and plan on running the 10K River Run (May), and the Wichita half marathon (Oct). I am just loving the added energy and freedom I am experiencing with this great weight loss! I share with everyone I meet and hope to inspire many to try Medi Weightloss to realize their dreams!
I have come to believe there are four very important parts of a successful weight loss program. In order of importance they are:
1) Determination: You have to decide you are important enough to change your way of life to a healthy one. NO MORE EXCUSES!
2) Support: For me it is family, friends, the staff at Medi and my gym and I also belong to TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly).
3) Diet: For me it was the Medi-Weightloss low carb diet, food logs and drinking 120 ounces of water per day.
4) Exercise: At least three 30 minute aerobic sessions and three 30 minute weight or strength building sessions per week, but always allow for at least one day of rest.
