2004 was a great year! I lost 50lbs and met my wife!

Changes

i treat every day as if i could possibly die that day. what legacy is left? 200 years from now should others have an interest, i'll have it all laid out for them. "Don't let the sun go down on me... (Bernie Taupin) "

Since October 2003 during a trip home to visit my parents, I have made significant physical changes. Bad habits, bad choices and bad experiences have dominated my time in California. That October alerted me to the damage I have done. Consequently, I proceeded to make changes but not in the extreme reflexive method in which I usually react. Rather than react, I acted. The October 2003 trip was not the beginning, the beginning was a photo taken by Sam Corona at the DC's 20th Anniversary party in Anaheim - January 2003. I knew I had to change. I appeared ill.

How I did it

In a matter of 10 weeks, I shed 46 lbs without exercise. On April 18 2004, I weighed myself. The scale read 259 lbs. By June 27, it read 212 lbs. I remained 212 until the end of September when I dropped another 4 lbs.

In October 2003, I spent two weeks with my parents in Mississippi. This trip included quality time with them. My dad, my uncle Horace and I spent some time at the cemeteries in Buras and Boothville, Louisiana. I have been fascinated with my family history for years. Reading the headstones, I snapped photos and asked questions.

My parents have always had an influence on me. This influence has not always been evident. However, the effect took hold on this trip. When I returned to California, I made up my mind to make changes in my life.

Trash became my first victim. Within weeks, I threw out 30-thirty gallon trash bags. I would look at items and ask if anyone or I would ever find them useful. Usually, the answer was “no, surely no one would.” A secondary benefit to this was a cleaner apartment.

Short hair and grooming became my second victim. I decided I would grow my hair long despite my male pattern baldness taking shots at my esteem. I wanted these changes to repel girls who tend to take you off course.

I exchanged my risk of lung cancer for mouth cancer. Again, this was something to make me hideously unattractive.

I have always believed in one’s life, the physical comes first. However, this did not seize me now. Nonetheless, I joined LA Fitness for 3 months. The trip motivated me to leave my job and Los Angeles by the end of January. Leaving never happened. For 2 months, I worked out, but never developed a consistent schedule. These workouts included running through the hydraulic machines, bench-pressing free weights and ten to fifteen minutes on the treadmill.

Sometime in early February, my parents told me about Apple Cider Vinegar. They shared a story of a friend who had heart problems. This woman began drinking the vinegar with tea and honey and her clogged arteries disappeared. I took up the practice with one difference. I would drink it straight every day for a few weeks. It had a marked effect on my overall being.

Every year I have told myself I must be in shape for summer. Being tan and fit at the pool or beach is a nice experience rather than an unpleasant one. Through this weight loss, I kept a key habit.

After reading a few articles about the positive effects of eating fresh salmon, I decided to incorporate the fish into my diet. However, I did not start before fasting without a single drop of food or water for 48 hours. This fasting began itself after a phone call with my mom. My brother Josh had been losing weight and reading books about the topic. He shared a thought with my mom: Food is pain.

Consistency ran through my veins after the fast. I weighed every day. If I did not lose one day, I would reduce my consumption from whatever I did the previous day. For that reason, weigh every day.

I eliminated beer and soft drinks. Eventually, I drank only five liquids. I have also included the new vitamin Carb Assist by Centrum. Download a condensed version of what I did.