Vance
Age: 48
Lost: 212 pounds
If you could imagine a 46 year old man that weighs 407 lbs, who tried not to allow his weight get in the way of his life that was me. Even though I had high blood pressure, back pain, knee pain, borderline high blood sugar, high cholesterol, I still worked to stay active. It was becoming more and more difficult as years past. I was taking ibuprofen on a regular basis, after a round of golf I would take stronger medication. I started to notice a decline in my physical well being and infrastructure that had become alarming. I snored, and had inconsistent sleep patterns. There is much more to the list, I am sure you are beginning to get the picture. My family had developed poor nutritional behaviors as well from my example. My wife and 2 boys - 11 and 9 years old were all overweight. I knew we had to make some drastic changes. We tried to change our diet and begin exercising on our own and one of us would become disengaged and then the others would follow. Nothing seem to stick.
I had heard of the 20/20 program through a friend and they had told me that the program was great but the real difference from other programs was that 20/20 was a lifestyle not just a diet. The program addressed all of the aspects of obesity, including the very important psychological part. This advice never rang louder than before. I knew the behavior needed to change in order to be successful. I had been battling this addiction my entire life for as long as I can remember. That was 3 years prior to becoming a 20/20 client. It was March of 2008 when my wife Stephanie and I managed to get to the 20/20 intro seminar.
At that seminar Dr. Mark Dedomenico began to educate me on why I was obese. He said one thing, that was my aha moment…..”It is not your fault…you were never taught how to eat properly” This was after he had explained blood sugar and the effects of insulin and grehlin and our eating patterns associated with carbohydrates. It all made sense; I knew we had to do this program. I knew it was right for me and most of all I knew it would be the right thing for my family.
My wife and I decided to sign up our boys in the 20/20 kids April 2008 and ourselves in 20/20 May 2008. This was the beginning of our education into living a healthy lifestyle. I went into the program with the attitude; I will surrender to the program. Whatever it takes. I will not deviate from the plan I was given, not one bit. I decided to become a beta and understand my behaviors and my body. How I reacted to the changes. When you are in the 20/20 program, everything is designed for your success. Your dietitian, personal trainer, physician, psychologist, all of the employees at the PRO Club are supportive and wonderful. Through all of the hard work and effort you begin to realize the dream, it becomes this reality of light at the end of the tunnel. You understand that this is a long road “life” and in order to sustain this lifestyle change you just have to keep moving forward. Even if for only a small step at a time, even if you take a step back, this is okay. You just keep moving forward, taking all of the information you have learned and apply it.
There were days it was difficult almost a tug of war to get to the gym, but always every single time I would leave feeling good about my decision to tough it out, take one step closer. One motto was “no excuses” period. I still use it. 13 months after beginning the journey my wife was 90 pounds down from 271 lbs; our boys lost 20 and 25 pounds. I lost 212 pounds. A total of 345 pounds weight loss for the family.
My blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol are all at “as good as can be” levels.
A few tips for our success, Focus on yourself, lead by example, and do not allow a setback to change your lifestyle. It is a lifestyle, a conscious effort to change the behaviors that prevent you from participating in life for your entire life.
I participated in my first triathlon and finished respectfully. I never imagined in my wildest fantasies that I would participate let alone finish a triathlon. I now have a goal for an Olympic distance tri. The nice reward for being fit enough to train for an event is the results of training. Being able to participate is the prize. 20/20 lifestyles has given me the knowledge and provided me the tools to sustain a fit, active lifestyle, while maintaining a healthy weight. I now understand the direct correlation with nutrition and exercise to the foundation of my personal happiness and success. All aspects of my life have improved as result of my fitness; home, family, work, pleasure.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Dr. Mark Dedomenico for the amazing information and the development of 20/20 Lifestyles.