My name is Ted, I’m 48 and have been married for 16 years and have a 15 year old son, 11 year old daughter and a 4 year old son.
I don't qualify for life insurance.
I don't qualify for disability insurance.
I don't eat the wrong foods.
I'm not an over eater.
I'm not a snacker.
I eat my vegetables.
As much as possible, I avoid carbs.
I'm not a diabetic.
My cholesterol is always in the low to mid 100s.
My insides blood work is more on par with a very fit person.
You can't judge this book by its cover!
I've tried everything under the sun and have been successful to a agree with various programs. But nothing long-term either in practice or in any physiological way.
I started my current weight loss journey from my highest weight ever, 409 pounds.
I bought a new 60” belt November 2017 and through June I was on the last hole the biggest size. I started a medical weight loss program with my cardiologist and I lost about 25 pounds and then I plateaued there for 3+ months. I am eating all the right foods and I am not eating the wrong foods. I strictly follow the regimen with no additional success. What I'm told to expect is about hundred pounds in 6 to 12 months.
My struggle with coffee is that I'm not a coffee drinker. In fact for the first 48 years of my life I've had a total of maybe a 1/2 a cup of coffee combined throughout my life. And here I am watching my wife and friends drop weight just by drinking coffee! UGH!
At the beginning of November I'm at a dinner with Doctor Chi who I've known for many years and I asked him for samples of Lyrica because I have neuropathy - nerve damage in my right leg from a bad IV stick a year-and-a-half ago. I was stuck 10 times before the hospital got my IV in! My insurance will no longer cover the Lyrica and I don't have $2,000 a month for one prescription.
I'm bound and bent to not die early, to become a Diamond and to be able to change my career.
I got home from dinner and I said to my wife, I have got to figure out some way that I can stomach this coffee that has melted her weight off. I've seen her for years struggling to lose weight as a gym fanatic! A whole lot of sweat and no pounds, no inches. Then the coffee started to flow.. like the Hudson!
With all of the self-help and self-improvement programs that we've attended or taught I figured it's time I take on the personal challenge and struggle of my own embetterment.
So I tried one cup of coffee and I just couldn't do it! I couldn't get it down the hatch! So my supportive wife said let's try some chocolate. She got a packet of hot chocolate to disguise the coffee flavor! This has to work! It just has too! The fact that I have never acquired the taste for coffee was not going to stop me from losing weight. If everyone else is having success, I have to give it a try! As I mentioned in the beginning, if something happens to me, there's nothing for my family as I don't have any type of insurance coverage.
So far to date I have had 40 cups of coffee! I haven't missed a day, I haven't missed a cup! I weigh in every Sunday morning. On the third day it dawned on me that my severely painful neuropathy in my right leg between my hip and my knee was virtually gone. But I wasn't really sure as it was just kind of like a lingering thought, Gee my leg didn't hurt last night, did it? So then I started to pay more attention to it. And lo and behold the nerve pain that I have at night is about 75% diminished.
My first two weeks of drinking coffee, I had really bad food intake because of a new 7 week work contract I was on. I was very limited when I could eat and I couldn't drink at all - during the day because it's a dry sterile environment. And I still lost weight!
My leg pain is greatly reduced and as of December 17, I weighed in at 348.6, and yes I'm down a total of 60.4 pounds!
First Milestone achieved – get below 350, CHECK.
Next Milestone – get below 300 and to be able to qualify for and purchase life insurance!
My ultimate goals are:
To be alive for my kids!
To NOT have bariatric surgery (which I've been stalling for 3 years now).
To see my kids grow up into adults. Something of my own father was not able to do. He passed away when I was 15 of a heart attack from severe diabetes.
Yesterday morning, I punched in my second NEW hole into my belt because all my clothes are falling off and belts are expensive so I’m going to keep punching new holes LOL.
By the way, my current hole is down 7”.
If your reason is your own, you will drink the coffee.
Speaking to the non-coffee drinkers – Even if you hate the taste of coffee, you will accept and LOVE Valentus despite the coffee taste! Why? For me, not having my own father to see me as an adult, and not seeing his grandkids – my kids are more important to me than my dislike of the taste of coffee.
I take the Prevail MAX 5 times a day.
People are coming to me asking what I am doing? I tell them I changed my coffee! To a weight loss coffee… (then I ask them) do you want to try a cup? EVERYONE has said YES – $20 6 day sampler BAMB!
