Addicted to blub - a man loses 118 pounds - Abstract

Men's Fitness, Dec, 1998 by Todd Bank

Todd Bank Port St. Lucie, FL

Age: 34

Height: 5[feet]5[inches]

Weight Before: 268 lbs.

Present: 150 lbs.

Waist Before: 48[inches]

After: 33[inches]

TRAINING

Does three-day splits in the gym, runs five or six times a week and bikes or swims once a week.

A Valentine's Day promise results in the loss of 118 pounds.

Vertically challenged and horizontally blessed. That's the way I described myself to friends for the longest time - a very P.C. way of saying I was short and fat. In fact, I can't remember a time when I wasn't heavy, but the past few years were the worst - I added 90 pounds to my already large frame.

In 1994, my doctor told my wife, Stephanie, that he hoped I didn't end up like the overweight actor John Candy, who had recently died from a heart attack. I was a prime candidate for one, and I knew it, but for some reason I couldn't change my eating habits. By 1997, though, I was heavier than ever. Something had to be done.

For Valentine's Day that year, the only gift Stephanie asked for was that I lose a few pounds, even though we both knew I needed to lose much more. She just wanted me to try; I'm sure she didn't think I'd ever do it. I'd promised to diet countless times in the past, only to disappoint both of us when I didn't lose any weight.

This time, however, I took stock of my life, of the burden of being fat, and of the fact that I hardly ever played racquetball, softball or golf - sports I really enjoyed - because of my size. Even buying clothes was an incredible hassle: With a 48-inch waist and 52-short suit size, I took what I could get, not what I wanted. Most of the time I ended up special-ordering everything.

My first step was to read a book my wife had bought for me a few years back called Food Addiction: the Body Knows, by Kay Sheppard. In it, the author explains that the body creates addictions to certain foods such as sugar, wheat and flour that can be broken only by eliminating them from your diet cold turkey, which I did immediately. I consulted the book regularly after that and began following Sheppard's advice religiously.

Ending my addiction to snacking was the hardest part. Crackers, cookies and potato chips were a staple between meals. And I was a breadoholic; I could eat bread with anything, and I often did. I never turned down food, and I always cleaned my plate - habits that were the cause of my slow and steady weight gain.

At the same time that I picked up Sheppard's book, I took some advice I'd once heard on an Anthony Robbins tape: "If you want to accomplish something, go to someone who has already been successful in that area and model yourself after that person." I approached a couple my wife and I knew, each of whom had lost more than 100 pounds. Their recommendation was that I join their gym - an intimidating prospect for a guy who had not set foot in one for 15 years.

Needless to say, I started slowly. The gym manager put me on a 20-minute treadmill routine for a few weeks, after which I increased my time to 45 minutes and added the stairclimber and the bike. With my new diet supplementing my exercise program, I lost 13 pounds in two weeks.

The gym became practically a daily activity. I added three days of circuit training and was dropping about eight to 10 pounds a month. Soon after that, I enlisted the help of my friend Jeff, a certified trainer, who set me up on a three-day split regimen that alleviated some of the circuit-training boredom.

To help balance my energy, I spread my meals throughout the day. I ate egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast, salads and fruit for lunch, and chicken, fish and veggies for dinner. I cut bread out of my diet altogether, along with pasta, sweets, fried foods and pizza. By Christmas, 10 months after I'd started, I was down to 175 - and addicted to the gym.

With my workout routine firmly established, I decided to add jogging to the mix for a little diversity. I set a 5K race as my goal. Pretty ambitious, since the only running I'd ever done in the past was to the dinner table. Nevertheless, by May 1998, I was ready to participate in the Turtle Trot with almost 500 other people. It was an exhilarating experience.

The course ran along the beach in Jupiter, Florida. It was a beautiful day, people were everywhere, and there was an electricity in the air I'd never felt before. I ran the course in 27:08 and finished 259th - no threat to the world record, but a personal record that reflected a year of dedication and hard work. If there had been another 5K somewhere in the city that day, I would have run that one, too. I currently log 20 to 25 miles every week and count jogging as another healthful addiction.

As you might expect, everything in my life has improved since I dropped those 118 pounds. My wife got her Valentine's Day gift - and then some - and our relationship has never been better. My energy level has shot through the roof; my self-esteem is at an all-time high; and best of all, I'm not self-conscious about my weight anymore. With my waist at 33 inches and my suit size at a 40 short, I buy off the rack now - and that feels great.