He thought he could cheat!

Dave's lowest was 179 lbs. one week. The week he went to the 700 Club TV show. (You can view the clip on his site: http://www.thislittlepiggywenttothegym.com/, it's in the left hand margin).

Upon his return, he was feeling great, looking fantastic & totally in the zone. And then people really started telling him over and over of how he 'looked TOO skinny'. He heard it all: frail, gauntly, sick...he was even asked if he was on drugs. These discouraging bubble-busting comments started taking it's toll on him, as he had to hear it daily from people.

Couple observations here:

• NO ONE ever told him he was TOO FAT when he was over 400 lbs.
• David was never SELF-CONSCIOUS when he weighed 425 lbs.
• Again, I was one of the few cheering on his efforts (just as I was one of the few warning him to lose weight).

What was the deal? He was finally healthy, no longer OBESE...and people weren't happy. Here's a lesson: don't live to make people happy. NO MATTER WHAT you will never please people. Do what is good for your body, your life, your family, etc.

Because of these comments of 'being frail, petite looking, etc' Dave became very self-concious. Actually,  the first and only time in his life that he was insecure. How ridiculous it that? One, he didn't look bad at all. He was lookin' so fine, super-hot & lean...yet, he felt insecure? And two, he had been 400+ lbs. and very confident? These negative opinions from others had devestating results. He started having a CHEAT MEAL. One on Sunday evenings is where it started.

Now real quick, imagine an ex-alcoholic who had been sober for a few years, not a drop of alcohol, starting back up & having 1 drink on the weekend. Imagine a pothead, staying clean for a few years...and then having a puff, once a weekend. Do you think that they could just have 1?....I'm afraid not.

So then, a person whose drug was food...going from clean eating to 1 cheat meal on the weekend..."There's no harm in it"....right? WRONG!

Calories in 1 slice: 298
Calories in whole pizza: 2,384

Dave's first cheat meal on that first Sunday in September of 2010 was pizza. His fave: pepperoni w/ mushroom on pan from Rusty's. At this first meal, he could only eat about 2 1/2-3 pieces. By the end of his cheat-season, he could put away a whole large pizza.

And soon, cheat eating started on Saturday afternoons and/or evenings...then Sunday lunch, and sometimes followed by a Sunday cheat-dinner......What foods was he eating??? His old 'faves, that's what:

• Pizza w/ super wedges & ranch
• Super Burritos
• Ribs
• Steaks
• Combos at the Mexican restuarants w/ sides of beans & rice
• Tortas
• Tons of chips & salsas
• Chili Beans @ family bbqs
• PB & J - w/ it thick!
• WHATEVER HE WANTED!

Now check this out: Monday thru Friday, he was going to the gym, continuing to burn 800+ calories a workout. And all of his meals from Monday thru Friday were home-prepared, clean foods. Dave started all this cheat eating in September last year...and took advantage of eating whatever he wanted through the HOLIDAYS. (This is why I am helping people w/ the 100 day Battle of the Bulge thru the Holiday Season.)

THE RESULTS: WEIGHT GAIN!

Of course, the entire time, I was reluctant to eat with him. That would just be encouraging the behavior. Plus, I DID NOT WANT TO GAIN! In fact, I was on my own mission to lose my baby weight from giving birth to our second son in Jan. 2010. I ate my clean healthy meals as he binged on all the fatty, red meat, high-carb stuff he wanted.

I was dying inside. Here I had watched Dave lose 246 lbs. in 2 years...and in a matter of months...he was packing on the pounds. I began to pray again.

And then, in April of 2011, I looked at him...his belly beginning to get a little round again & I asked the forbidden question (in my nicest tone), "What are you weighing in at these days?"

As he glared at me and asked why, I was nervous, but I knew I would be doing him a disservice if I didn't share my heart and concern..."Well, you're lookin' a little rounder these days and I'm curious if you are still weighing yourself...remember what Trainer Tom says, 'stay accountable to the scale'".

This was not what he wanted to hear...yet it was truth...and he knew it. I buckled down & prayed and prayed again. And he decided once again that 'starting on Monday'...he would start eating better. (Oh, if there was no such thing as Mondays, how many people would not eat crazy for the weekend just to start eating good on a Monday?).

So on a Monday, weighing in at 232 lbs...Reality sunk in...in a matter of 8 months of eating what he wanted on weekends only (thank goodness), Dave faced the fact that he had gained 53 lbs.

Imagine that for a minute...how many calories was he eating on the weekends to gain that much weight...despite the clean eating thru the week...and the 800+ calorie-burning workouts thru the week?

And so he faced the facts and the truth that he could not cheat-eat on the weekends. PERIOD.

He continued to go to the gym and started eating better on the weekends...but as old habits are hard to break...it did take him a bit to master the 'lean eating all week long' habit again...more on this later...

And then the answers came....

How appropriate for a Sunday to reminisce on the many answered prayers for Dave's weight loss to begin...

As I mentioned the other day, I prayed for him DAILY. I began praying for him to have a desire, self-discipline...As I prayed over time, my prayers changed. At one point I prayed that God would give Dave self-control over his eating. I prayed a variety of things. His friends who spoke words of love to him about doing something about his weight, was an answer to my request, "Lord, please send someone to talk to him, since he won't listen to me".

If read my post on Sept. 1, I shared that we started our home version of Weight Watchers...mearusing out food and counting points.



Dave, July '07 w/ Baby Daniel...weighing around 425 lbs.

 After 6 months of Weight Watchers point counting...he hit a plateau. He had gone from 425 to about 360/365...and nothing. And the way Weight Watchers is...you deduct points when you've lost a certain amount of weight...and Dave was maxed out on his points from the start and needed to reach something like 315 to start 'eating less points'...and so here was my solution:

"Babe...you just need to go

to the gym &

burn some calories."



Now for the record, my conversations with Dave re: his weight and needing to lose it, was NEVER degrading or mean. I never, ever one time called him names. No manipulative, abusive putdowns! My words were always motivated by love, concern, and care...and yes, fear that I would be a  young widow w/ a young child. I kept them seasoned with love, but very straightforward & to the point. (And in sometimes were TOO frequent...I'll confess. Always reminded to TALK LESS - PRAY MORE!)

His response, after my 'helpful advice':

IF YOU TELL ME TO GO TO THE GYM

ONE MORE TIME...I'M NEVER GOING AGAIN!

Let's consider somethings that I was not seeing:

1. He wasn't familiar with all the gym equipment to begin with.
2. He was still big, so I'm sure that made him feel uncomfortable to go to the gym.
3. He was also just plain stubborn.
4. He still hadn't taken ownership of the idea of going to the gym. (Lose weight = Yes, Exercise = No)

So - back to the prayer closet I went. I prayed and prayed. I asked God to change his heart toward the gym. I asked God to send someone to be his workout partner. I asked God to move in a mighty way...and then, one day, as Dave was starting to not quite stick to the eating plan 100%...I got crazy, holy-roller style...I asked God to divinely intervene...in the name of Jesus & get my husband to the gym!!!! And some other things I'm sure were added as I plead with God to save his life, save our life together, save my son's dad. This was an emotional thing for me as Dave's wife.

(Overweight spouses, hear my heart here for a minute: When your spouse comes to you and talks to you about losing weight, consider what they are feeling inside too! They love you, they need you...but you are eating yourself to death. You're reluctancy/stubbornness to go to the gym or work out...it's all threatening the future they have planned to spend with you. Your kids are going to miss out on playing sports with you. You may not even see your grandkids. Take your eyes off the food, off the desserts...the primetime tv shows, and set them on God who can help you, and set your mind on your goal to LOSE WEIGHT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!)

Two weeks after my desperate fleece to the Lord to do something quick - Dave came home, we sat down to our 'healthy dinner'...and he says, "Guess what?" - "My brother got me 3 months of personal training...with Tom Strongin."

Yes - I nearly fell out of my chair...I nearly choked on my food...I wanted to jump up and scream "HALLELUJAH!"...I wanted to cry....tears wanted to well up....but I kept my composure...appearing unphased, as though it was common discussion at the dinner table. I didn't want to react in any way, in fear it would be the wrong way & spoil it...but asked, "So are you going to go?"...in the nicest, curious, sweetest tone. My insides were buzzing with joy...as he said, "Yea, my brother wants me to go, the trainer says he can help me".



Here's Dave at 306 lbs. Jan. 2009
Weight loss total: 120 lbs. in 9 mos.



And so that was the beginning of his journey with Tom the trainer. His 5-day/week, 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. 800-1000 calorie burning workouts began...and the pounds began to shed.

In his first 3 months, Dave lost 60 lbs.

What's crazy is that finally after 120 lbs. were gone, people finally started telling Dave, "You've lost a few lbs., huh?" And I thought "WOW - the bigger you are the more you have to lose for people to notice"...but at home, it was a glorious season...and the weight was just falling off.

No secret potions...just lean, clean eating & serious hardcore workout routines 5 days a week, w/a food log, measuring out everything...and Monday weigh-ins...w/ some surprise Friday weigh-ins to keep folks on their toes. It was serious work that was paying off!!!

And then the 3 months of paid training was up...and Tom was amazing to offer Dave a special deal...and I went to prayer AGAIN - asking God to provide...while it was a great deal...we needed the cash.

And then Dave's dad speaks up, "Mijo...you've done so good and we're so proud of you...we'll cover the next 6 mos." I was blown away - again God provided beyond my expectations.



Here's Dave at 187 lbs. March '10



God provided in amazing, miraculous ways for it all. Tom told Dave that he would see him to his goal...and Dave reached 180 lbs. in April of 2010.

All the while Dave was motivated. Continued to stick to his meal plan (despite the boredom w/it). He was a man on a mission.

I did my best to try and change up the way I made chicken (the lowest calorie, most filling meat I could cook healthfully). I baked it, shredded, cubed it...made fajitas, every kind of salad w/ chicken. (I still search for fun recipes to change up our healthy eating.)

And I will admit...I eased up in the prayer department, once he had this kind of success. A total loss of 245 lbs. Who does that???? I thought it was in the bag. Done deal...we're done. Let's move on, right????

And then...something happened the summer of 2010...naysayers. People who thought Dave was 'too skinny'. Can you believe that no one but me, initially, ever spoke up about his weight problem when he was over 400 lbs.? However, when he looked amazing, getting ripped, lean, and super healthy....people picked that time to tell him that he was looking "gauntly", "petite", "frail". I think they had it backwards.

I couldn't believe that people would say that. Look at the pic above...did he look 'gauntly'???? Errr. He was finally healthy. Living a healthy lifestyle. Not everyone around him was used to his not-so round face, his cheeks were gone...no gut. Me, I was in hog heaven, I was like, LOOK AT THE DIAMOND THAT WAS IN THE ROUGH!...Mmmm, mighty fine, mighty fine.

Well...this negative feedback about his new found health & amazing transformation got in his head...and Dave thought...well, I don't want to look frail & petite...I can afford a cheat meal. I am intrigued by people and their reactions here...I was also fascinated by Dave's response to eat some of his favorite foods. And while 1 cheat meal is actually 'okay' w/ some fitness experts...the cheat meal, soon became a 'cheat day'. I could foresee where this was going...and so it was back to the prayer closet for me.

Good 'ol Atkins....

How many of you have tried the Atkins Diet? How many of you got throught the 14-day carb depletion without 'cheating'? How many of you successfully lost weight & have KEPT IT OFF since?

Really, if you did...contact me, I'd love to know how, because to this day, I have not yet met 1 person who has kept off all the weight. This is why I call the Atkins Diet a fad diet! You can't deprive yourself of carbohydrates forever, so why even start. What happens? You go down, you go up...you lose weight...you gain the weight back, plus some.

David's weight loss attempts following high school was just this. He went on the Atkins Diet...loss a good amount of weight...and then (because it's so hard to sustain), he went off it...and gained back all the weight and then some.

I have a theory that if many people would not 'go on a diet'...they wouldn't have as much weight to lose. Isn't this true? I see people all the time DEPRIVE THEMSELVES...only to go back to the old way of eating and then have some binging, because they cut so many healthy foods out of their diet, their body is deprived & then they fill themselves up w/ junk food, fast food, dessert foods .


1 whole egg has:
70 calories, 4.5 gms of fat &
215 mg of cholesterol!

 Now tell me, how is scarfing down a ton of cheese, red meats, ranch dressing, bacon, whole fried eggs good for you?

This was taken from MayoClinic.com:

If you are healthy, it's recommended that you limit your dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams (mg) a day.

If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or a high low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") blood cholesterol level, you should limit your dietary cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg a day.

Look at the 'cholesterol' content in 1 egg - that's all you need for a day. Research the amount of cholesterol by reading the labels on the sausage, meat, cheese, and milk in your fridge. No wonder everyone's on cholesterol meds...get rid of the cholesterol foods & you won't need them.

Now, I never read the Atkins books from start to finish, but I've come to my conclusion that this diet doesn't work by meeting a ton of people who have tried it & not been successful at staying at a healthy weight!

Now back to Dave: David finally got a roommate in 2004 that got him to go to the gym...but here was a 26 year old young man who had never really worked out before, let alone at the gym. Here he was trying to figure out the machines.

David did a ton of cardio and stuck to the treadmill, stair-climber, elliptical, etc. He was trying to use the weights, but never really got instruction on how to use it to lean out...just get strong.

And yes, I guess you could say he was 'fat strong'. You know these people...they don't eat healthy. They kill themselves at the gym trying to power lift, yet a 5 year-old could outrun them. Again, out of balance.

I appreciate Dave's efforts of trying. He did his best with what he had. And he totally gets an A+ for effort.

When I met Dave, he was in the midst of these efforts to lose weight. He had lost about 70 lbs. At the point he was around 290 lbs. The most he had ever weighed had been 350/360 or so, up to this point.

The day we got married, he was about 285 lbs. And me personally, I didn't mind the fluff. In fact, I am grateful that many women Dave had met along the way disqualified him based on that. Harsh? I know. How could they disqualify such a wonderful man? I don't know, but he was available to me because they had & I was veeeeeeerrrry glad they did.

When I met Dave, his honesty, integrity, love for God, service to God, commitment to the Word of God, his hardworking ethics, compassion for people, faith to pray, and those gorgeous brown eyes & dark hair were enough to win me over. I knew at 28 that it those qualities that would help a marriage last...not buffness, a lean cut body...it's character you marry a person for, right?

Now when we got married, I didn't do Atkins. To me, I felt it wasn't healthy....needless to say, I brought carbs in the house and Dave ate 'em. And within first 3 months of us being married, Dave went from a 2X to a 3X. I said, "HOLD THE PHONE".

I realized at that point that Dave would gain weight if he wasn't on this so-called diet. I called it 'set yourself up for failure' eating plan. Really? How could some gain so much in just 3 months. And he wasn't eating bad. Just some noodles, bread, and sometimes rice. I realized that I had to support him in this 'diet'.

We got married Feb. 20th '06, and by May we were doing the 14-day carb depletion TOGETHER...and on day 9 - I found out I was pregnant. So much for a ZERO-carb diet for me!

From May '06 to Feb. '07 - David gained.....140 lbs. Soon he was a 425 lb. man! I was devestated along the way of my pregnancy. Dave never weighed himself along the way. I just knew that he had gone from a 2X on our wedding day to a 4X by the time Daniel was born. I had cried over his gain, begging him to stop gaining to avoid leaving me as a widow at age 40...but my tears fell on deaf years. That summer, I knew things had to change...or Daniel would not have a DAD to raise him through his childhood.

My only solution....to go to the ONE who could change his heart. And that's just what I did!


.....more on this tomorrow....

My Husband's 200 lb. Weight Loss Story!

Check out his blog @
http://www.thislittlepiggywenttothegym.com/
for some Before & After Pics!

Many of you know Dave and knew him as a 300 lb. man...and some knew him as a 425 lb. man.

Sharing Dave's story is heavy on my heart. Perhaps it's to discourage the HOLIDAY BULGE. Perhaps it's to discourage the PROCRASTINATION.

Or maybe it's to ENCOURAGE YOU

that no matter how much weight loss you have, it's possible!!!

I'm going to start from the season I met Dave and our friendship days. The days that he was doing that dreaded Atkins, fat & protein/low-carb diet. The meals we shared: salad w/ ranch, fried chicken & NO FRUITS, little veggies.

I'm going to recap what happened the season we got married, when I got pregnant and how a 285 lb. Dave went to 425 lbs. w/in a 9 MONTH PERIOD.

Then I'm going to share the year that things changed when our first son was born. How the desire in Dave's heart was for Daniel to NOT know him as an OBESE DAD was so strong & was his motivation.

I will share the journey from Weight Watchers, thru Trainer Tom...and up to now. We are going to be transparent on the struggles...and how people who told Dave he was getting 'too skinny' had adverse affects on his motivation.

One thing I've learned is that for the obese person - FOOD is the drug. They have an addiction. They have overcome it...yet it still wants to haunt them and creep back in and take over. But if you have the mindset that you are NEVER going back, and you let people help you - YOU DON'T EVER HAVE TO BE BIG AGAIN!!!!

I'm excited to share this info! As a wife, the role I played will be shared as well. When a man & woman get married, the 2 become 1 - And I had an active position as Dave's helpmate to help him reach his goals. I am going to share how I continue to be that voice of reason, truth, and encouragement in Dave's life. We're in this together - join me as I share!

I hope you join me as share this story of a real weight loss struggle and the truth of what food can do to a life, a marriage, and a family! Join me in this journey, as it is my hope that you will receive truth to motivate you to lose weight, yet give you the hope that it is possible!