EAT (RIGHT!), PRAY, LOVE

Kevin’s weight loss journey started years ago.  His younger brother was extremely overweight which made Kevin think about his own weight.  What number would be his tipping point?  When would it be “too late”?  He decided his number was 300 pounds.

Years passed and Kevin realized that his weight had crept up on him, and he was sitting at 291 pounds.  He was prediabetic, had kidney stones and many other health issues and was in and out of doctors’ offices or the hospital with alarming frequency.   At his tipping point, Kevin began making a list of things that he could do that he felt would improve his life.  It was a really long list, so he decided to pick the top three:  health, religion, love, and begin by working on those.

Starting with number one on the list, Kevin tackled his health issues by contacting Dawn Trapp, the LeanMD mentor at Golden State Orthopedics & Spine.  “I was ready,” he says.  “You have to be mentally ready to lose the weight.  That’s the key, and it’s different for everyone, but I was there.”

Kevin works a very physically demanding job as a stationary engineer for a hospital, which involves walking about 20K steps a day to keep literally all systems running (plumbing, cooling, heating, ice machines, lighting, electrical, all of it!), but he found that half-way through his day, his hip and knee were in excruciating pain. “Both on the same side, I could barely walk.  It was time to make a change,” he says.

Kevin found Dawn to be very positive and supportive.  “I can’t remember a week where I regained any weight.  A couple of weeks I maintained, but for me it was a steady loss.”  While he also has support from family and friends, he has been divorced for years and lives alone now that his kids have grown and moved out, so it was easier for him not to have someone else’s food in the house that he couldn’t eat.  “The program really makes you think about how to eat correctly.”

Kevin even struck up a friendly competition with another LeanMD patient during his weight loss journey.  They held each other accountable and supported each other in the process.

Kevin is no longer on medication for prediabetes.  “Weight loss changes everything, but the mental change – how I think of myself – that’s been a really big change for me.”  

He no longer needs hip or knee replacement surgery.  “I’m 90% better just taking the weight off.”

About three quarters of the way to his weight loss goal, Kevin asked a woman out and she’s also religious, so she “gave him a kick in the butt” to get back into church.  “Just everything is getting better,” Kevin says of his weight loss and the impact it’s had on his life.  “Tackling the first item on my list, health, put everything else in motion:  Health, religion, and love.”  Kevin is making excellent progress on his list.  “I’ve reached my goal and now weigh 182 pounds.  I’ve found love and she’s got me back in church.  That’s my top three.”

Five months ago, he had shoulder surgery and it laid him up for a bit.  “I gained about five pounds, but I’m back on the treadmill working them off. I would absolutely recommend the LeanMD program at GSOS!  When you’re ready to lose the weight, they’re there for you.”

 (A reminder that if you’re on prescription medications while losing weight, it’s necessary to check with your doctors to ensure your dosages are correct.)