Smooth Sailing… Walt’s Story
From the time I graduated college and joined the work force, I had put on weight slowly and steadily. I was never too concerned about this, until it got to the point where I was on blood pressure medication and cholesterol medication and my blood sugar was classified as pre-diabetic. I suffered from sleep apnea and could not breathe lying down without the aid of a CPAP machine, and was using arch supports in my shoes.
When I went through a stressful period in my career, my weight shot up to nearly 300 pounds. At that point, I could barely climb on and off my boat when it was on the trailer. I could no longer ski, and fishing was difficult. I had tried many times to do something about my weight, but everything worked for a short period of time and then stopped working and rebounded. I felt that I was too busy and under too much stress to summon the time, energy and attention to put on my weight.
After I changed careers and found a job I really loved, I decided that the time was right to do something about my weight, for health reasons. I wanted to be able to enjoy doing things and be able to accomplish simple chores around the house without pain and difficulties. Most of all, I wanted to be able to sleep without the use of a machine. I made some attempts to do this on my own, but after a few such attempts, one of which had limited success, I was quite sure that I could not do it without professional help. I was too easily distracted and discouraged.
But, I was also convinced that, even though it would cost a significant amount of money, getting down to my ideal weight was the best thing I could possibly do for my health and for my life. At this point I went to Dr. Abby, and I made it my Lenten resolution to follow her program to the letter. I followed through on my resolution with the help of Dr. Abby’s team, and I lost more than 45 pounds.
I am now within 15 pounds of my goal, and I feel 100% better. I can easily climb on and off of my boat. I can get down on my knees to pick up something that rolls under the furniture without pain or difficulty. I can bend over to tie my shoes without being unable to breath. I can even sleep for short periods lying down without using my CPAP machine and without any snoring. I am not taking any cholesterol medication, and my blood pressure medicine is down to 10 mg of lisinopril from 40 mg before Dr. Abby’s program.
For months, friends have been coming up to me in all sorts of situations and saying, “I hardly recognized you! You look great!” This has continued much longer than I would have expected, but I never get tired of hearing these compliments. People in my family tell me I look just like my grandfather Klein, who was a surveyor and out in the field all the time and continued to undertake construction projects and outdoor activities throughout his life. I have the greatest admiration for my grandfather. I would say he was a hero of mine, and hearing that I look just like him now that I am the age he was when I was young is perhaps the most deeply gratifying compliment I have received.