Phelan, weight loss

With me being so big, I could have opted to have surgery but I didn’t want to do that.

My wife Danni was the one who first heard about the Metabolic, Weight Management and Lifestyle Center in Greeneville. After she started the program, she asked me to try the diet with her and I told her I’d think about it. She said, “Too late. I already made you an appointment.” So, I said OK.

It was last spring that I first went to see Paula Renner, a family nurse practitioner at the Metabolic, Weight Management and Lifestyle Center. I was weighed and then she explained how the program worked, how cutting down on carbs would help me lose weight, and what the carbs were doing to my body. And she gave me an instruction guide on how to choose my food.

With me being so big, I could have opted to have surgery but I didn’t want to do that. I thought it was the lazy way out. And honestly, they said I could eat all I wanted. I just had to cut out a couple of different things like bread and potatoes. I was starting to get sick of potatoes anyway.

They gave me a list of stuff I could eat. And the fact that my wife was already on board, that was the biggest part. She had been on the diet two weeks at this point and had already started to lose weight.

The first two weeks I lost 10 pounds. That really motivated me. It was taking less food to make me feel full.

At first, I didn’t exercise. But as I started losing weight, I got into it and started doing more. I work out at home with my Bowflex, ride the bike at the YMCA, and swim. I love swimming. I also do some free weights. I work two jobs – at a school and at a Boys and Girls Club – so I don’t have much time. But I’m more active during the day than I was.

I wear a pedometer that counts my steps. I used to barely get 2,000 to 3,000 steps in a day. Now I’m walking 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day just doing normal stuff. Sometimes, I walk more than that.

But yeah, you’ll slip up on your diet. That’s human nature. I had a week where I was off and it was hard to get back on track but I did it. I notice every once in a while I need to have a cheat meal. And Paula says that it’s OK to have one every once in a while. But like Christmas, the next day you have to go back to normal.

I’m 38 years old and I haven’t been this small since high school. It feels amazing. I love this diet. I’m all in and I know I can keep going.

I’ve been on the diet a year now. I was 566 pounds when I started and wearing 8XL shirts and size 72 pants. This morning the scale read 412 pounds. I went shopping Saturday and I can fit into a 5XL shirt and size 58 pants. I also have been diabetic since I was 22 years old. But since I started losing weight, I’m no longer taking insulin. I take maybe two pills a day to control my diabetes now but I might be off that soon because my A1C levels have really improved.

My wife was also successful on the program. She’s lost about 70 pounds and looks amazing. She says I look great, too. So, I guess I do. I’m 38 years old and I haven’t been this small since high school. It feels amazing. I love this diet. I’m all in and I know I can keep going.

Is weight management for you?

If you think weight management might help you – learn more about the Metabolic, Weight Management & Lifestyle Center here