Randy Peels Off A Pound A Week For Four Years On The Low-Carb Lifestyle

Randy's stunning 231-pound weight loss transformation

Nothing inspires someone to make a major change in their life like weight loss quite like seeing average, everyday people just like them accomplishing great success. It is why I like to feature low-carb weight loss success stories early and often here at my blog because sometimes you need a little motivation and inspiration as you begin this journey for yourself.

Today I have another such story to share with you and this is quite an amazing one indeed! It's about that guy at the top of this post named Randy. In late 2003, Randy weighed in at 410 pounds--the exact same weight that I was when I began my Atkins diet in January 2004. Randy started his low-carb lifestyle a couple months before I did and set out to lose the weight slow and steady.

As a heavy child, teenager, and then adult, Randy could always conceal his weight because of his height. I can relate since my 6'3" body frame prevented people from realizing my weight had climbed above 400 pounds. And yet reality is reality and Randy knew he needed to do something after a specific even triggered that the time had arrived for him to do something about his weight.

"I think the straw that broke the camel's back was a trip to Sea World in Florida, and I was too big to sit in the chair for a rollercoaster ride," Randy admitted. "They had a chair set up outside the ride for you to get in, and I couldn’t. How embarrassing! I did not realize how big I had gotten until then."

It's funny how when you are overweight you just lose track of where your weight is because for the most part you just don't care. There's a sense of inevitability that obesity will always be your lot in life and Randy felt that until this experience at Sea World jolted him back into reality again.

After just a few short months of livin' la vida low-carb, Randy had dipped below 400 pounds and was well on his way to produce a slow and steady decline in his weight over the next four years. Part of his weight problem had to do with a "serious problem with food" that was a result of several issues Randy needed to deal with.

"I would eat to solve boredom, pain, depression, and anger--every reason except for hunger," he stated.

Unfortunately, as has happened to many people who have ballooned up to morbid obesity, Randy didn't have any sense of what a normal serving of food was supposed to be.

"For a family of three we would have to order two large pizzas and breadsticks and going to the buffet required three trips to the buffet table whether I was full or not," he exclaimed. "Leftovers? What are leftovers? I would eat until there was nothing left!"

In addition to his out-of-control weight problem, Randy had another reason to start living the low-carb life--diabetes runs in his family!

"My granddad had it, my dad has it, and my older brother has it. I knew at my weight that I would be next if I continued down the same path," he revealed.

Now that he's taken the weight off, Randy says, "Thank the Lord I don’t have it and if I continue this healthy way of eating then hopefully I will never get it."

I know the feeling, Randy. My situation is very similar because my brother Kevin has diabetes that resulted from his obesity and I was well on my way to a similar path before my weight loss success. Praise God for giving us the strength to overcome this mountain in our lives and allowing us the opportunity to share with others how they too can beat the obesity monster once and for all. It's what motivates Randy as he lives his life as a lean man today.

"The biggest enjoyment I get out of losing this extra person that I used to carry around on my back is now being able to help others learn more about this healthy lifestyle change," Randy explains. "I love being a motivator and inspiration to others."

Weighing in at 179 pounds now--an eye-popping 231 pounds lighter than he was in late 2003!--Randy has his sights on hitting 175 for a nice round number. But he's so happy now with the turnaround in his weight and health that his life will never be the same again.

"This is such a wonderful way to live and feel that it is hard to explain and put into words," Randy remarked. "I have never been skinny in my life and even when I look in the mirror I still see a heavy person looking back at me despite the fact that others don’t see that person anymore."

Boy, can I relate. It's gotten better with time, but people just don't understand the years of psychological torture that has been inflicted on fat people by others and even within the mind of the person himself. There's a healing process that has to take place so you can accept the new person that you have become and nobody ever talks about that. Although the outward changes can happen quickly, it can take years--maybe decades--for some to fully realize the change that has happened to them internally.

Today, Randy realizes he had a "disease" of being addicted to food and livin' la vida low-carb cured him of that condition by giving him a "better handle" on dealing with it.

"There are times that it is hard and I still want to eat that large pizza by myself," Randy admitted. "But all I do is remember where I was and where I am now and I like the present much better than I like the past."

Well stated, Randy! Leave the past behind you and push forward to that bright future ahead of you full of such promise and hope. That will drive you to keep up the fantastic work you have done for the rest of your long and healthy life thanks to the low-carb lifestyle. And the good news is, Randy KNOWS this is something he can do "for the rest of my life."

To all the low-carb naysayers, Randy has a message for you.

"There are so many false ideas about the low-carb way that certain people think it is all just meat and cheese," he said. "These people are just so misguided because I now eat more veggies than I ever did when I was obese."

And eating this way has produced one heckuva story for Randy to tell his grandchildren someday.

"I have lost over 230 pounds in four years which is just a little over one pound a week," Randy recalled of his low-carb journey since 2003. "I believe that is a very healthy weight loss plan and lifestyle."

Healthy and effective! CONGRATULATIONS Randy and keep up the great work on your low-carb lifestyle. We are all so very proud of you for being yet another example of the lifechanging ability of this way of eating on the lives of real people who buck the trend and give it a chance to work for them. God bless you buddy and NEVER GIVE UP! :)

100+ Pound Atkins Losers Have A Lot In Common

We all like reading about weight loss success stories because they can keep us motivated in our own weight loss efforts. When you've lost over 100 pounds on a low-carb plan such as the Atkins diet, seeing someone else do the same thing brings back a lot of memories.

This Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based Patriot News story highlights the journey of a man who once weighed 500 pounds and how he has been able to lose 190 of it because of the Atkins diet.

Whew, this guy was a big boy! While I never got THAT big, my 410 pounds was bad enough. My friend Kent Altena can probably testify to the same thing as a former 419-pounder who has gotten down to 230 pounds. And we all remember the St. Louis, Missouri man named John Smith who lost an eye-popping 300 pounds in one year after getting up to 647 pounds. I have a sense of brotherhood with these and others who have been able to shed triple digits off their bodies because of the Atkins diet.

It's time to add another name to that list.

Gordon Weise, a 49-year-old 5' 11" news reporter for WLBR-AM adult contemporary radio station in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, has been livin' la vida low-carb for the past two years after topping out at a quarter ton, or 500 pounds, in 2003. In the mid-80's Weise only weighed 250 pounds, but he allowed his weight to get out of control over the next two decades by failing to get any organized exercise and by regularly gorging himself on foods such as pizza, ice cream, and doughnuts. I remember those days.

Interestingly, Weise said he never wanted to go the route of risky gastric bypass surgery, but would have considered it as a final option if the low-carb lifestyle didn't work.

That's exactly what I said. I had tried so many diets that failed me over and over again, getting on the Atkins diet was my last straw. If it didn't work, then I would have followed the path my mother took in December 2003 to have the weight loss surgery done. Thankfully I did not have to do that because I did it the natural way -- through healthy low-carb eating and lots of exercise.

Something else I have in common with Weise is what our doctors told us about our morbid obesity. While I never had the "severe sleep apnea" problems that Weise had, I was forced to take breathing medication because my weight was bearing down on my body hard. But within just a few months of low-carb living after quickly shedding nearly 100 pounds, I was able to stop taking the breathing medicine for good! WOO HOO!

Weise's life has changed dramatically since he lost the majority of his weight and he is still in the process of losing. Now that he can move around better than he used to, he is able to begin incorporating exercise into his low-carb lifestyle which will kickstart him into another level of weight loss and improved overall health. I've been there myself and know how important exercise is to weight loss and weight maintenance success!

Although he still weighs more than 300 pounds, Weise is committed to the low-carb lifestyle to help him keep the weight off for good this time. But, like me, he doesn't adhere to the theory that this is the only way for people to lose weight.

"My role is just to give a message that no matter how bad it gets there is hope, there is something you can do, and there is a plan out there that will fit your needs and enable you to reach your ultimate goal," Weise said.

Absolutely! If low-carb isn't for you, then DO SOMETHING. That's the main point that people need to hear. Stop making excuses and get on with it already.

But just as I found with programs like the Atkins diet and low-carb, Weise admits that it was easier for him to stick with it than any other approaches such as low-fat, low-calorie, and portion-controlled diets.

"They say that eating fat sates the appetite, and I found that to be true. I was able to eat stuff, and slowly but surely I was eating less and less."

Weise's incredible weight loss success was what prompted him to be named the honorary chairman of the "Choose Your Weigh(t) To A Healthy Lifestyle" program sponsored by the Community Health Council of Lebanon County (PA). Ten of the most motivated people will be chosen to participate in this free 5-month weight loss campaign to be observed by the general public.

Everyone involved will have the support they need to reach their goals from the one-on-one personalized counseling, gym memberships, and more so they can be as successful as they can be. The organizers want people in the community to see how easy it can be to make the changes necessary to control your weight for the rest of your life.

They will choose the finalists by November who will begin their program in January 2006. They will meet twice a week once it gets started and will even field questions from people in their community regarding every aspect of their weight loss experience.

Because of the success of television weight loss shows such as NBC's "The Biggest Loser," the organizers of this effort believe this will make a real difference in their area. In fact, this is something that is advocated in the upcoming release of "The Biggest Loser" book coming later this month.

Obesity rates are continuing to go up and up as we know all too well. We need more communities to step up to the plate to be creative like this so at least there is an acknowledgement of the problem and to increase awareness of the severe consequences it poses. Many people may not realize the impact obesity has on healthcare costs which puts a severe drain on the economy. If we can get people to think about how their weight problem is not only hurting themselves but also affecting the people around them, then efforts like these in Lebanon County, PA will not be done in vain.

People like Weise are the ones who should be applauded by being an real-life example for others to see that it can be done. I am amazed by the feedback I receive from people every single day who tell me how my 180+ pound weight loss has motivated them to lose weight or to continue on in their weight loss when they felt like giving up.

If God allowed me to overcome my obesity problem thanks to the low-carb lifestyle, then why should I remain silent about it? That's why I created this blog and wrote my book. People want and need to be encouraged to do something, ANYTHING, to get their weight under control and I believe it is my duty as well as all the other weight loss success stories out there to tell everyone we can that it can happen for them, too!

"As honorary chair I'm going to cheer these people on and give them all the backing I can to get on with what they need to get done," Weise said.

YOU GO BOY! Tell 'em livin' la vida low-carb will be the best thing they'll ever do in their life to tackle their obesity! It can be a radical, life-changing experience if you make it a commitment for the years you have left.

Unfortunately, I do not have an e-mail address for Gordon Weise, but you can contact the author of this column by e-mailing her at barbmiller@patriot-news.com or you can call WLBR radio on weekday mornings from 5:00-11:30 EST at 717-272-7651 to speak directly with Gordon.