Personal Account: Weight Loss

Did you achieve your New Year's health resolution goals in 2019?  Did you make any progress on health at all in 2019?  Does that kind of discourage you from wanting to take another stab at it this year? 

Yes, I have done the same thing.  I have done it so many times that I thought that failing to keep New Year's resolutions was an expected thing! I had failed at quitting smoking, losing weight, increasing my activity levels, and even failed at drinking more water.  It gets discouraging.  

Can I share my story with you?  Two and a half years ago I was caught in that "failure to make changes in my health" fiasco.  I had been through some emotional issues prior to that and food became my source of comfort.  The kids were gone from the house and I was supposed to be coasting toward retirement.  Things just weren't working out that way. 

I was not where I wanted to be financially, I was tired of being in practice as a chiropractor after 37 years, and I had still not recovered from the loss of my oldest son.  I was what the kids call "a hot mess."  I was golfing with my son and his friends on a spring break around that time, and I noticed that I was struggling with breathing and was absolutely exhausted. We were playing 18 holes and it was warm.  The problem was that I was riding a cart. I noticed that my ankles were swollen to the point that they were drooping over the tops of my socks.  I poked at that "fat" and I remember looking at the dent that was left in the "fat" in a state of shock. I knew that those dents meant congestive heart issues.

I did not do anything about the issue for two months.  I kept smoking and drinking at least 9 cans of diet cola per day.  Finally, I could not walk into my office from the parking lot to get in the office to work. I ended up in the hospital with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure.

I was fortunate and very quickly treatment and medication had the heart under control.  I quit smoking and gave up the diet cola, but I substituted instant lemonade for the cola. I did absolutely nothing else to help my condition.  Looking back, that was pretty dumb for a guy who was a trained health care professional. I ballooned up to 376 pounds. I was in the doctor's office for a follow-up visit when the cardiologist told me that my examination was good, my heart was doing well, but that I "could not live" with 376 pounds.

I went home and decided to make a change in my life.  I am now eighteen months from that doctor's visit and I weigh 286 pounds. My goal is 245 by December 31, 2020.  I have a ton of energy, my attitude is great, and I feel totally invigorated.  How did I do it?  I found a way to lose the weight, a way to inspire me to exercise, and it has cost me exactly $0.  Does that sound good or what?

I want to share my method with you.  I hope that you can apply it to your own situation and make your life better.  I have an online mentor, Brendon Burchard, who is fond of saying that when you knock on the door of opportunity, don't be surprised when hard work answers.

This is exactly the case with this method.  I used what I call the "common sense" diet.  My online mentor is also fond of saying that common sense is not always common practice, but when it becomes common practice it is mastery.

All you need to do is honor the struggle and apply my method and I know you will be thrilled with the results.  It is so simple to do and I KNOW you can do it.  You see, I am the master of my own health!  I decide when to dance and when not to.  I decide when to golf and when not to.

I knew I had to make an immediate change when I started. I had the motivation. I had to change or I was going to die. That is your first step. Find your motivation. If you are not motivated you won't do it.

Sir Isaac Newton said that a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.  I looked at death as an outside force. I had to make changes. I knew if I waited to check out gyms or buy workout equipment all would be lost. I started with what I had on hand.

I told my wife I was going to change and why.  This is the second thing you need to do. You need someone to hold you accountable. Find someone. Your spouse or loved one is the perfect person. They love you. They care. That caring love is there to inspire you. Take advantage of that. 

Changing how I ate was the third step. I cut back from two plates of food per meal to just one. That was hard. I love food. But, I knew I had to do something.

I also switched from instant lemonade to water. I drank water all the time. When I got hungry for a snack I drank water. I was drinking between 160 and 180 ounces per day. After about a month, I noticed I was down about 15 pounds.

I also noticed that I had more energy and was actually feeling "brighter" emotionally. I then thought that I would try to eat just what I knew instinctively to eat. You see, I believe that we all have the common sense to know what is healthy to eat and what isn't. The trouble starts when we convince ourselves that what we are eating isn't that bad for us. Have you ever met someone who says they are drinking water because water is in coffee, soda pop, or even beer?

How about that person that tells you that the bread is ok because it is whole wheat? That is the second half of the third step. Use your common sense. When you pick up the food to eat, look at it and really think about what you are eating.  Should you eat those potato chips or should you have a handful of blueberries?

I was doing well and was down about 25 pounds and I was excited to do better. I was tracking my calories and was trying to keep around that 2,500 mark. Then I had an epiphany. I wondered what would happen if I exercised.  Now, you have to understand, I hate gyms! I hate buying expensive exercise equipment even more. I was almost at the point that I was going to buy a "stepper" when I saw a TV commercial with an elderly couple walking up and down the stairs. 

At the end of the commercial, they were happily walking to the top row of seats at a baseball stadium. I got it! I started walking up and down the stairs. I walked up and down once per day for a week. That was tough! I was so deconditioned that I sat and panted for a few minutes after just one trip up and down. I pushed to do two trips up and down for two weeks, three trips up and down for three weeks, and so on. When I got to six weeks it was late spring and I decided to start walking outside.

I now walk 3.5 to 4 miles about 4 times per week. The weight still comes off easily, but I have allowed myself to have one day per week to eat "off the menu." I discovered that it was just too hard to live the perfect dietary existence. That is the fourth step. Exercise.  

Those are the steps I took.  I know you can do this because I did it. I really think that starting after the holidays as a New Year's resolution will help give you even a little more impetus. You can do this. Make it a goal.

Set a reasonable health goal for three years in the future. See yourself at that point. In your mind's eye see how you look. From that vantage point, look back and decide what strategic steps to take to get there. Do you need to diet?  Do you need to exercise? What kind of diet will you use? What type of exercise is best suited to you? Do you have someone to hold you accountable? Do you have massive motivation?

Once you have your strategy, find the tactical steps to execute your strategy. Get yourself a day-planner and write in when you are going to exercise. This is a NON-NEGOTIABLE time. This is your time. Schedule everything else around that time.

Journal your weight loss experiences. How do you feel about how your day went with your weight loss program?  What do you need to do better tomorrow? What changes can you make to improve your program? I do this every day and eighteen months after starting I am still excited to get up and get started each morning. I know you will be too!