My battle with weight started in grade school; as early as 5th or 6th grade I was overweight. That is when, I remember, I had to go shopping with my mom in the "husky" section for school clothes. As a junior in high school, my weight hit 225 and I went on my first official diet. This would be the first of many diets that I would follow in the years to come. None were the lifestyle change that I needed to make--the total change that included exercise, good food choices, portion control and the mental change that I needed to make to turn my life around and become the healthy person that I needed, and wanted, to be.
In the Fall of 2006, my weight had made me very depressed and miserable. I rarely went out and clothes shopping was something I tried to avoid at all costs. Shopping was something that would cause me to face what I had let myself become and that would make the depression worse. At my highest weight of 410 pounds, I wore a 60" waist pant that could be expanded up to 64" and a snug 6XL shirt--let’s face it, I should have been in a 7XL. Those sizes are only available at certain specialty men’s stores and they definitely did not come cheap.
Even at work, I was reminded of my size. I work for an airline and one of my benefits are free flights. Because of my size, that was a perk I was not taking advantage of because I was too embarrassed to set foot on a plane. To see the look of horror on passengers’ faces that had a seat open beside them was almost too much to bear. As big as I was, I had to use a seat belt extension and prayed that there would be an empty seat next to me. To visit my family, I have to take smaller commuter aircraft. The last time I flew home, as a "person of size", I was removed from the flight because I was too heavy for the plane to fly safely.
Around Thanksgiving I realized that I had to do something about my weight. I began looking into just about every diet plan being advertised. I had tried almost every diet out there and had failed on all them. I happened to see the NutriSystem commercial on TV with Dan Marino for the Men’s Program. Finally! A plan that was geared for men! That was when I decided to start NutriSystem. I ordered on December 15, 2006, and that big brown box arrived by December 19th. On December 26th I officially started the lifestyle change that is NutriSystem and I have not looked back!
In the last 15 months I have lost 190 pounds. It’s funny, but 190 is what my weight will be when I hit my goal in 30 pounds! (I’ll be less than half the man I used to be.) Unfortunately, I did not start taking my measurements until July 1, 2007; since that time I have lost 78 inches (that is six and a half feet!). I can probably conservatively say that I have lost, at least, eight feet. A coworker’s stepfather had bariatric bypass surgery the same day I started NutriSystem, and to date, I have surpassed his weight loss by 50 pounds! Thankfully, I did not have to have the surgery and spend tens of thousands of dollars, all I had to do was eat this wonderful food and follow the NutriSystem Program! Coworkers and friends are always telling me that I’ve lost a person and become a new person in the process. I’ve lost track of how many times I get passed in the halls by people I do not see on a regular basis because they no longer recognize me. Along with all my NutriSystem bears, I have my before pictures in my cubicle (to show others, and myself, how far I’ve come) and these things have inspired over a half dozen of my co-workers to start NutriSystem for themselves! That brings me joy to see my friends changing their lives for the better with NutriSystem; to get the health and happiness that I now enjoy! I am so excited to play a role in helping them to make lifestyle changes too; especially knowing how successful they CAN be if they follow this plan!
Many things have changed for me since I began NutriSystem: Clothes shopping can still get expensive, but it’s not because I am having to shop at specialty stores, but because I am replacing my entire wardrobe with regular Large shirts and 36" waist jeans and pants! I can go into any store and buy things off the rack and I no longer try to avoid shopping at all costs, now it’s something I truly enjoy doing, so I can show off the new me. Now, if I have the chance, I fly home more often since I am able to fit comfortably in a seat and fasten the seat belt--even having to adjust it smaller to fit! I’ve even taken the opportunity to fly to gatherings of fellow NutriSystem members that I initially "met" online at the NutriSystem bulletin board.
The best change for me is that my mind is made up that I am going to win this battle. Even though I am still losing weight, this is the home stretch and I know when I get to goal, I have the tools and the mentality to maintain my weight loss. What I have lost in weight I have gained in my will to live!
