SC Man Experiences 128-Pound Weight Loss Watching Calories, Carbs

Jimmy Dorsett lost 128 pounds watching his calories and carbs

One year ago, I blogged about an exciting weight loss initative taking place in my own backyard here in South Carolina called Shrinkdown. Thousands of overweight and obese people stopped by their local YMCAs all across the Palmetto state to say enough is enough with their weight and health problems. One man that did that locally in my hometown of Spartanburg, SC was 41-year old Jimmy Dorsett.

According to this Spartanburg Herald-journal column, Dorsett was more than just a little apprehensive about trying yet again to lose weight for the bazillionth time and the large crowds of people waiting to join the Shrinkdown efforts didn't calm his fears any. But the reality was he weighed nearly 400 pounds and NEEDED to be there although he once thought he would "always be big."

Yet, his fateful decision to stay which led to his eventual weight loss success was due to the prodding of his loving wife Lisa.

"There were so many people, and he asked, 'How are we going to do this?' and I said, 'One day at a time,'" she recalled.

Today, Jimmy Dorsett is still taking it day-by-day and is so glad his wife convinced him to stay. One year later, he has now lost an incredible 128 pounds and dropped 14 total pants sizes. WOWsers! What an amazing accomplishment that almost didn't happen because of his pride.

But the big payoff is what this weight loss has meant to him not just physically, but also emotionally.

"I really feel healthier, and I have more energy and my spirit is higher," Dorsett explained.

While the actual duration of the Shrinkdown program was only a couple of months (which resulted in a 35-pound weight loss over that time for Dorsett), the real challenge was whether he would maintain those new habits he had learned.

So, you might be wondering, how did he do it?

Dorsett began eating more fruits and vegetables and incorporated regular walking into his life. But what about his actual diet? I was pleased to see he pays close attention not just to his calories, but also his carbohydrates. In other words, he's livin' la vida low-carb--and he's committed to doing it for a lifetime!

"I learned this wasn't a diet," Dorsett said. "It was a life change."

WOO HOO! That is exactly what I talk about here often at my blog. Regardless of which plan you choose as your method for losing weight, just do it with all of your might and for the rest of your life. Nobody will debate me on this idea because only the individual can know what works for them. Jimmy Dorsett found his plan and now he's sticking to it!

When I read this story in my local newspaper, I decided to look up Dorsett's telephone number in the phone book to congratulate him on his phenomenal weight loss success. His wife Lisa answered the phone and I told her how proud I was of her husband Jimmy for getting his weight and health under control. I shared with her about my 180-pound weight loss in 2004 on low-carb and encouraged her to continue providing her husband with positive feedback so he can keep the weight off.

Lisa admitted to me that Jimmy had allowed himself to indulge over the Christmas holidays, but that he gotten right back on his low-carb diet and exercise routine at the first of the new year. She said the determination that Jimmy has displayed has astounded her and she is so happy to see her husband taking his weight and health more seriously now.

Interestingly, Lisa said the newspaper article left out an important part of Jimmy's weight loss--God's role in it. I told Lisa that the Spartanburg Herald Journal wrote a story on my weight loss too and omitted my mention of my faith and its impact on my success. I explained to her that kind of thing just comes with the territory when you talk with the media nowadays.

I previously explained in this blog post about how having faith in God can indeed help you in your weight loss efforts, so I won't bother repeating that here. Suffice it to say, Lisa and Jimmy believe in their heart of hearts that this would NOT have happened without the Lord's help. Amen because I couldn't agree more!!

One of the neat things about Jimmy's outstanding weight loss success is that fact that his wife Lisa and teenaged son Jimmy Ray both went on this diet with Jimmy to support his efforts. Lisa lost 32 pounds and Jimmy Ray shed nearly 20 pounds. Lisa told me they have gained back some of the weight, so they need to get back on it again. Ironically, she said her husband is now being the example for THEM!

I had to share with Lisa about how Christine weighed 95 pounds on our wedding day while I was around 350 pounds. This more than 250-pound weight gap has now been whittled down to less than 75 pounds in 2007! HA! Christine really HATES it when I tell this story which is why I keep telling it. LOL! Hey, I've gotta whip that girl into shape, ya know? Oh the irony of just a few years that have passed.

The real "it" moment for Jimmy when it all sunk in and he realized his life had dramatically changed was when he went to fasten the seatbelt buckle on the rides at the local country fair a few months back during the Fall.

"Tears got in my eyes and I said, 'Last year, I could not do this,'" Dorsett stated.

Man, that brings back memories for me, too. Sitting in a movie theater seat, realizing your gut is no longer touching the steering wheel of your car, walking down a narrow hallway easily, rings falling off my fingers and so much more. These are little changes that happen to you when you lose weight, but every single one of them are confidence boosters that propel you to want to keep the weight off forever.

For all intents and purposes, Jimmy Dorsett got his life back in 2006 and extended it for many years to come. His blood pressure is stable, he feels better and younger than he ever has in his entire life, and he can now wear his own wedding ring again for the first time in a very long time.

"I'm just so proud of him," Lisa said. "He's a new man. I told him he's sexy, and he likes to hear that. He's my hunk now."

Sounds like we know WHY Jimmy was so successful now, don't we? Lisa reminds me a lot of Christine who encouraged me all the way through my weight loss and she still does to this day. I couldn't have done it without her and neither could Jimmy Dorsett do it without Lisa. It's yet another low-carb weight loss success story with a happy ending.