My journey began after ice fishing season ended in February 2011. Through the course of the season, I'd succeeded in growing a nice bushy full beard. On a cold crisp morning after I'd just taken a scalding hot shower (necessary for waking up here in the frozen north), for some reason I decided to shave the beard off. I was shocked to see that I'd managed to develop an extra set of jowls. I guess I'd been growing more than that beard! Crap! Why did I shave? At least behind my beard, I didn't know how fat I'd become!
Back in my bedroom, I put on my favorite big pants (44" Waist) and realized they were tight. To make matters worse, I ran out of holes at the end of my belt! Then, out of force of habit, I pulled down my biggest woolly sweater to "conceal" what I'd become. I looked okay, but I felt like crap.
Through the next few months, I tried to eat more salads and skip the high fat foods and I even managed to lose a little weight. By the end of April I was down from 248 to 235 pounds. One day for lunch, I called up my friend Karl and invited him to lunch at a local favorite food trough. Karl beat me there and when I walked in...Holy cow!!! I couldn't believe how thin Karl had become. Just a few months earlier, Karl was way over 350 lbs. He had to have dropped at least 50 lbs between Superbowl Sunday (the last time I'd seen him) and that fateful day at the food trough. I said, "Hi Karl! Where is the rest of you?” He laughed and through the course of our lunch I found out that he'd joined the Slimgenics weight loss program. Apparently, it works!
A couple weeks later I went to Alabama to work for Karl on a short term assignment. The assignment only lasted about a week, but during that time I had the opportunity to study what and how Karl managed his Slimgenics plan. To be honest, Karl sold me on the idea of joining up! He made it look and sound easy.
A week later, I signed up with Slimgenics. During my initial weigh-in, I tipped the scales at 231.25 lbs! My waist was 44 inches!
Through the initial counseling and coaching, they promised I’d lose the weight if I followed the plan exactly. The plan is expensive and has cost a lot of money, but I've discovered that I'm very good at following a regimen and the plan is working! Tell me what to eat and when and I can do it. Give me a little encouragement and I’ll walk over hot coals for you!
That initial counseling session was key for me. I mentioned that I used to be an athlete. They asked what I used to do and I told them I loved football and track. I said, “I know you won’t believe me by looking at me now, but I was a sprinter and I wasn’t too bad at it.” Later, they asked me to set some goals about what I’d do when I reached my goal. I laughed and said, “I’d like to run the 100 meters again”. They immediately wrote it down, but I complained, “Hey it was just a joke.” They laughed, but it remains in my goal list today!
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