Our Story: Part 2

"I have what doctors call a 'Little bit of a weight problem'. As a kid I used to eat bear claws two at a time and they'd get lodged, right in this region here!"

It was nice to be the chubby kid in high school who could do the Chris Farley impersonations and quotes from the movie Tommy Boy. Did it set the stage for a sustainably healthy life? No.

I got fed up with his weight in early 2011. He only saw one option. Urine.

No, not really urine, but HCG. It seemed to be a fast and relatively painless way to drop 20-25 lbs in one shot. And I really needed a kick start.

So I got my Melba Toast and cucumbers. I even bought a little red meat, which made the house stink and made Jenny cranky. I was very pleased with my after photo compared to the before.

One of my many fat pictures

Right after HCG

A miracle you ask? No. It was just a rapid weight loss that was in no way sustainable. In fact, I found after HCG I had lost strength. I felt lighter on my feet when I ran, but I felt weak. I know some of the 25 lbs I lost initially was muscle.

To that program's credit, I have never ballooned back up to my peak weight of nearly 240 lbs. And I was grateful for the early momentum in provided. But it did not set the stage either for a healthy lifestyle. That required a change in context, in how I viewed myself.