Doctor Lost 270 Pounds, Now Helping Others Battle Their Obesity Problem

Dr. Nick lost an astounding 270 pounds and wrote a book about it

As someone who has lost nearly 200 pounds, I am always asked about what it feels like to lose as much weight as I did. People want to know how my life has changed since this this miracle of weight loss -- the natural way! -- took place.

I like to tell them just to read my book "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" (shameless plug, shameless plug!) to find out the details, but I tell people there are others out there who have lost even MORE weight than I have with unbelievable success stories to tell as well.

One such story is that of Dr. Nick Yphantides. Don't ask me to pronounce his last name because I haven't got a clue (LOL!). I think I'll just refer to him as Dr. Nick for the remainder of this review thank you very much. And that's okay with him, too! :)

While I weighed 410 pounds when I started livin' la vida low-carb to lose weight on January 1, 2004, Dr. Nick weighed 467 pounds when he literally began his weight loss journey on March 31, 2001. His weight loss story was indeed a LITERAL journey because he decided to take a one-year sabbatical from his job as a medical doctor and travel around the United States to all of the major league baseball stadiums to keep his mind occupied with something he enjoyed while he went through his weight loss plan.

Here is Dr. Nick before and after his amazing weight loss:


Needless to say, losing 270 pounds without the use of drugs or surgery is reason enough to write a book about it. In fact, Dr. Nick says he doesn't know anyone else who has lost as much weight naturally as he did and was even invited to speak on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to share his insights on nutrition and weight loss with a Congressional committee.

The ideas he shared with those Congressmen became the groundwork for his book entitled My Big Fat Greek Diet. Just as my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" title is a play on words with a popular mainstream music hit by Ricky Martin, Dr. Nick took the name of a blockbuster movie to create his unique title.

But once you get past the title of the book and you start reading about this former morbidly obese doctor's incredible and miraculous transformation, you WILL be inspired to lose weight yourself. You can tell Dr. Nick has a deep heartfelt desire now to help others reach the same weight loss success that he did as evidenced by this quote from the end of the Introduction to his book.

"If you don't have your health, you don't have anything. Being overweight or obese is unhealthy, and it will take years off your life span. Please, please do something while there's still time. You won't regret it."

After you read about the pain and anguish that Dr. Nick went through from a humbling airplane incident to his brush with cancer, you will realize that this man of God truly desires the best for everyone who comes into contact with his story. He even decided to create a web site at HealthSteward.com to provide a support system for people who want and need to lose weight. Dr. Nick knows how hard it is and wants to help others find the success that he did.

The first half of My Big Fat Greek Diet details what it was like living in the skin of an obese man and then overcoming that enormous weight problem forever.

But in the second half of the book, Dr. Nick outlines his 7 Pillars Of Weight Loss And Maintenance that will be the foundation for people to apply to their own lives to create their own weight loss miracle. To bring about genuine and lasting weight loss, here are the seven things that Dr. Nick believes need to happen in YOUR life before weight loss can happen:

1. Make your plan a permanent lifestyle change.
2. Cut your calories down.
3. Eat the right kinds of foods.
4. Exercise often to burn excess calories.
5. Create a fun distraction while losing weight.
6. Allow others to keep you accountable.
7. Continue on the plan to keep the weight off forever.

While Dr. Nick came at his weight loss from an entirely different perspective and program than I did, I cannot disagree with most of those pillars of weight loss he created. Other than the cutting calories pillar, I can see compatibility with livin' la vida low-carb in those recommendations of his regardless of which method for weight loss you choose. You will have to read each of these incredible accompanying chapters to Dr. Nick's pillars to garner further insight into what he means with each one. And Dr. Nick throws in poignant examples from his own experience to drive home the point.

Taking the issue of weight loss surgery head-on, Dr. Nick warns people about the inherent dangers of choosing the gastro-intestinal bypass surgery that has become so commonplace these days. While it has been an effective tool for many morbidly obese people, there are better options that he believes can help people without the risks involved with surgery. Speaking as a medical professional, Dr. Nick advises against weight loss surgery and urges his patients to only choose it as a "last resort."

WOW, what a GREAT book, Dr. Nick! My Big Fat Greek Diet certainly brought back a lot of memories for me as I so easily could relate to your suffering as an obese man on his way to an early grave. That was me, too!

Praise God we were both able to overcome and find our way out before it was too late. I pray that this book will encourage people to look at themselves in a new way and realize that change needs to come. Let God give you the strength you need to get started the right way -- RIGHT AWAY! You will not be disappointed, I promise!

THANK YOU, Dr. Nick for writing My Big Fat Greek Diet. You are a brother in Christ and a member of my weight loss brotherhood as well. It is an honor to have had the opportunity to read your book and I wish you continued success in maintaining your weight forever. May you and your beautiful new wife Despina find love and happiness for all the days of your life. God bless you, my friend!

1-2-06 UPDATE: Dr. Nick read my review and wrote the following e-mail to me:

Jimmy!

Happy New Year brother and thank you for everything.

I really appreciate your generosity and the review. Thank you brother. I am impressed with how well you write and how prolific you are. I see that you are a very active author.

It's not about losing the weight right brother? It's about not finding it again. I pray you are doing well in that phase.

God bless you Jimmy and again, I thank you from the depths of my being.

Your brother in Christ and Health,

Dr. Nick

I am grateful to know you, Dr. Nick, and will keep your efforts in prayers always. God bless you, my brother!

1-3-06 UDPATE: Some of you asked me to find out what Dr. Nick eats now to maintain his weight loss. Once again, he gladly answered me in an e-mail:

Regarding maintenance. This is perhaps where you and I may see things from a unique perspective. I am not as focused on what I eat. I am more deliberate about why and how I eat. I am convinced that the how and why is more important than the what. I eat to satisfy physical hunger not for all the reasons that I use to. I also eat to the point of being satisfied rather than packed like a canon. God never intended for food to replace the role He yearns to have in my life. I no longer practice food idolatry like I use to.

I of course care about what I eat but its not the exclusive focus. I eat a variety of foods though I definitely have cut way back on processed carbs (though I have not excluded them) and eat food as close to the original form that God put it on earth. Lots of salads, veggies and all kinds of meats and nuts.

Also, I went from being a guy who was convinced that I did not have time to work out to being a guy who does not have time not to work out. My time working out is now a matter of life and death. I spend about an hour a day doing aerobic activity of various forms and then about 20-30 minutes of muscle toning routines as well. Working out as much as I do also allows me some margin on the caloric intake side of the equation.

This strategy has allowed me to stay within a 20 pound range for the last 4 years without feeling deprived or that I am on a diet. I need to be able to live with this routine the rest of my life and unless it feels natural I dont think I could sustain it. I hope that makes sense and will adequately answer your reader's inquiry.

Thanks again bro!

Respectfully,

Dr. Nick

THANKS for that explanation, Dr. Nick. But do you realize we are a lot closer in our maintenance philosophy than you think? Eating what you desire to eat while avoiding processed foods and enjoying nuts, meats, salads, and veggies along with regular daily workouts is exactly what I do on my low-carb lifestyle.

THANKS again for the info, Dr. Nick!