Meet Rod. Rod is the kind of guy that walks into the room and everyone notices (in a good way). He has the ability to make everyone think they are part of his team, in on all his jokes and that he is talking to them even though they might be all the way across the room. He has great stories and he just makes you happy.
In the four months that I have known Rod, he’s had some hard days but he always gives me a smile and he always gives me his best effort. That is why he has dropped so much weight and seen continued success that he has never experienced before.
Here is just a sampling of the weight loss success he has had:
He has dropped 45 pounds in four months. He has lost over 12 inches just around his waist, over 8 inches around his hip and over 9 inches around his rump. That’s a total of 29 inches gone! The great news about his weight loss is that we know it is fat melting away. While his percent body fat has consistently decreased, his percent lean muscle mass has increased!
Here is Rod’s story:
Rod came into the Odom Health & Wellness Clinic about two years ago because of a knee injury. He quickly became a regular, working with Dr. Odom and doing maintenance physical therapy to improve his balance and strength.
When Dr. Odom told him about the new, customized weight loss program, Rod said, “I just knew it was time.” Rod started out in July of 2012 at 320 pounds (morbidly obese) and a waist of 56 inches. When asked why now? What was different in July of 2012 that he decided to lose weight? Rod said he reflected on all he accomplished in his two years of working with Dr. Odom, physical therapy and stretching. All this helped him stop gaining weight and improve his balance; it was enough to convince him he could actually lose weight and keep it off.
Rod says that someone of his size always thinks, ‘Oh sure, I’m going to do it [get healthy] sometime soon.’ But all the bad habits developed over time are a big deal to battle so Rod chooses to believe he is successful and will continue to be successful.
Besides just getting started, the biggest factor that has continued to help him see results is “the OHW program has folded into my life and routine instead of me stopping my life to step into the program.” He says, “This is a change in life that I can handle. I’m not being someone else temporarily, I’m being a healthier me for the long-term.”
Here is an example of how Rod has fit the program into his life. Before July, Rod would stop by Caribou for a cup of coffee and not too healthy breakfast. He told the OHW team that this was an important part of the day so we didn’t take it away-we worked the program into it. Now, Rod goes to Caribou most mornings, gets his coffee (of which he has slowly decreased creamer and sugar but still enjoys), gets a delicious (but lower calorie) breakfast and he fills out his food log (which is something Rod would never want to do otherwise). He has worked this great accountability tool of a food journal into his routine during a relaxed time that he enjoys.
Rod starts out his mornings on such a satisfied note that he shares joy by helping out the Caribou girls. “I get there during their busy time, so I bus the tables, refill the napkins and condiments and clean up a little for them.”
Rod says that feeling healthier has pushed him to do good things for others. Losing weight has also made him physically capable of helping in bigger ways too. Rod volunteers much of his time at his temple but now he can do things like carrying heavy boxes of canned food that he could not have done before.
“Getting up and just doing is so important. I don’t love exercise but I love having exercised. I walk away with my blood flowing and think, ‘man, I just did that!’ Rod says his new energy and satisfaction help him continue making good choices that lead to more success. And he has more energy to give to helping others, not just for volunteering but even cleaning the house for his wife!
Some of the little things have the biggest affect. Rod told me a story of a day three months into his weight loss when his 21-year-old daughter ran up to him and he automatically lifted her up in the air over his head like he did when she was a little girl. He grinned ear to ear that he was able to pick up his little girl again, something he hadn’t done in many years. I promise that joyful feeling buoyed him through the next two weeks!
Rod’s accomplishments are contagious. He comes in each week and walks out cheering on everyone else. Each small success (bending over to tie his shoes without effort, getting off the ground quickly, squatting to pick up a penny) propels Rod to his next big success. He can’t help contain his excitement so he shares it with everyone else by being upbeat, helpful, giving and joyful. Even when it doesn’t come easy, Rod knows that each effort, each good choice, each hard workout will produce another small success that will lead to another.