Success in the Making - John

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I am 22 years old, 6'4" and when I started I weighed 341 lbs.  I am now at 313.6 and my goal is to be less that 300 lbs. by Easter.  

My Story

Well, I guess my story begins when I was a little kid.  All I ever did was ride my BMX bike.  I basically didn't do anything else.  I raced a couple times per week, and when I wasn't at the BMX track I was out messing around riding bikes with my friends.  That's why I never understood why I was overweight.  I was and am probably the most athletic fat person you will ever meet.  I can't say that I compete athletically very often, but when it comes down to it I can keep up with the best of them in just about anything.  

Throughout High School I was tortured by the other students.  If I heard the phrases, "fat ass", "fat boy" and the ever so hurting "lard ass" once; I heard them a million times.  At that time it really bothered me, and I hated High School with a passion.  I hated the people that I went to school with so much that I never was in the Yearbook and I didn't go to graduation with them.  At this time I was still only about 5'8" tall and weighed about 225 lbs.  I was pretty chunky.  After High School I grew about 8 more inches and gained about 25 lbs.  I was a big, bulky guy, but I wouldn't really say that I was really FAT.  I gradually gained a little bit at a time as I became less active and had money to go out to eat and such.  I probably had reached around 280lbs come October 9, 1999 when I decided that I would quit smoking.  I am so grateful that I am free of that habit, but as many of you know it leads to another bad habit.  EATING!!  

Upon meeting my fiancée in April, 2000, I was probably around 310 lbs.  I wasn't really satisfied with my weight, but I didn't really care at that time.  We moved in together and we became really complacent with each other.  We also didn't really do too much physically.  One day while we were out shopping, Crissy, the love of my life, decided that she wanted to step on the scale at the local GNC.  I knew I was going to dread doing this, but after her getting on, I figured what the heck.  I weighed in at a cool 331 lbs.  At that point I was on the verge of breaking.  It struck me deep that I was unhealthy, and unattractive, and growing.  Not doing anything about it.  

I believe it was about two weeks later that Crissy and I decided that we were going to join Weight Watchers.  The week before we went, man did we pig out.  We ate everything in sight.  We figured, that if we were going to diet, we were going to go out with a bang.  When we went to our first WW meeting I weighed in at 341 lbs.  The ironic part of it was that our first meeting involved the leader quitting because she had been gaining weight.  That wasn't the most motivating thing to start out with, but this wasn't about her, it was about me!  We went on program faithfully that first week and I lost over 7 lbs.  We came back the second week and we met a great leader, Connie.  She was dressed in her Prison stripes outfit that said P.O.F.  I related very well to that meeting.  I was definitely a prisoner of fat and food.  We became very active in our meetings and enjoyed discussing our successes and our downfalls.  We followed program until Thanksgiving dinner.  At that point I had lost 20 lbs.  Crissy and I decided that we would go back on program after New Year's.  It would be too hard to do this through the Holiday season.  Well, needless to say, we were so far off program that I gained 11 lbs. of this weight back.  

January 2, 2001 we were back at our meeting and were welcomed with arms wide open.  The first week, I can't say that we followed program faithfully, but we watched pretty well.  It was a hard transition from Christmas Pig to Weight Watchers.  But I lost 2.8 lbs. The next week I followed program very well and lost 6.6 lbs.  Next week I didn't drink my water, but I followed program and lost 1.6 lbs.  It was the Tuesday of that week that I discovered www.dottisweightlosszone.com.  The website was recommended to us by someone in the meeting.  I read a few things on the web site, and I was inspired.  To see the different success stories, such as Dotti's,  had amazed me and given me the motivation that I needed to get on track.  I started drinking my water faithfully, and following program almost perfectly.  I still allow myself to have that one cheat item or meal once in a while, but not all the time.  The rest of the time I have my blinders on. They are focused on going to the beach this summer and wearing this really cool pair of swimming trunks that I saw at JC Penny.  

This was the first week that I can say that I was extremely motivated by Dotti's site and I am proud to say that I lost 5.4 lbs. this week!  I have now lost a total of 27 lbs. since I first started going and I am about to achieve the 10% difference.  I am now 22 years old, 6'4" and weigh in now at 314 lbs. My goal is to be under 300lbs. by Easter.  I am incredibly motivated and would like to offer my hand to help anybody else out there that is in need of anything.  I have a long way to go, but I will tell you that I can definitely feel the difference in what I have lost already.  Thanks Dotti, for being such an inspiration.

It seems that in a lot of ways WW doesn't give too much information for guys in the program.  So, if I can be of any assistance to the overweight male community out there, just let me know.  Because being a guy is quite a bit different :)  So until then, keep your feet on the ground, but keep reaching for the stars.

Pursuing All My Dreams Of Becoming Healthy,

By: John F. Kleist III

(3/19) GREAT NEWS!!  I made it to my 10% difference on Thursday.  I have now lost 34.8lbs and am now at 306.8!!!!!  I couldn't have done it without you and your web site. You are such an inspiration.   The other great thing is that Crissy (my fiancee') and I are flying down to the Cayman Islands next month to get married!!!  Sunset wedding on the beach!!!  While shopping for clothes for our trip something great happened.  I dropped a size.  I shop alot at the Big & Tall store around here.  I usually wear their 4XL product line.  Well, that stuff is way to big.  I am down to a 3XLT!!!!  I am so excited.  Hope all is well on your end Dotti!  Thanks for being such an inspiration!

"Discipline is listening to people tell you what to do, where to be, how to do something.  Self-discipline is knowing that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life; you are the only one who can take yourself to the desired heights."  - Mike Shanahan

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