jpsp27

Originally Posted by jpsp27

I have not adopted the habit of doing personals yet and feel kind of bad about that. But, I do read most if not all of what is posted. I appreciate what each of you has to say and am pleased to learn of your progress. You have been a blessing to me in these past weeks. I am down another 1.2 today and am pretty pleased. I too know of no other program that would yield these kind of results. I have about 4 ladies that I know that are going to start HCG because of what they have seen take place in my life. Which brings me to the following thoughts:

One of the greatest aspects of this diet is "HOPE". Just over a month ago I was looking at buying larger clothes because the seams of what I had been wearing were beginning to scream. There was just no hope that I would ever go the other direction. I have been so sedentary and was just creeping up and up in my bulk. Just no hope for a better day as far as my health is concerned. Just no hope that I would be able to enjoy some of the simple things in life again. Or, no thought of not being relegated to sitting on a bench while the rest of my family was able to enjoy various activities. Just no hope of returning to a normal life. Or, deceiving myself by saying "Oh, you guy's enjoy the amusement park (or the mall, boardwalk, etc), I just want to hang out here and watch people!" Or some other such nonsense. It is almost like the reality was so bad that it was easier to create a new "normal" way of life rather than doing something about the reality of my life. Just no hope for it to get better and being resigned to an ever declining quality of life. No Hope. At least in a physical sense.

I have been very active mentally because I could not be active physically. Since 2006, I have earned 3 post graduate degrees and am half way through with my Doctorate. I could do this, because I was not doing anything else. My excuse would be that I was not mentally lazy, just physically lazy. I now have "Hope", that in the not to distant future I will be able to amble about freely as I used to. For various reasons, I resigned the Church I pastored a year and a half ago. I have been patiently waiting for my next position; keeping busy at my home church. In my profession, I have a lot of credentials. But, who really wants a Pastor that is 500 lbs and needs to sit on his rear end all the time? Hope! I now have hope that in the not too distant future, that will no longer be my reality. I can see a time, where I can return to a normal way of life; which will allow me to more easily return to the work I love doing. Hope!

How did I ever allow this to become my reality? Oh, it first started with a back injury when I was a young man. I was a big strapping man who could do the work of two people with ease. One day, I picked up something that was even too heavy for me and tore a muscle in my back. Ever since then, every time I would work hard I would end up on my back for a couple of days. I was a nice 6'4" man with a 36" waist. The next thing I knew; I was buying bigger pants! Then I needed 2xl shirts! Before long, I ended up needing to buy bigger and bigger clothing and began fooling myself that shopping online was more convenient; never-mind that the stores don't carry clothes for what Dr. S referred to as a "Colossus"! Hope! I now have hope of being able to return to a normal way of life even when it comes to something as simple as buying clothing. Hope.

What about longevity? I have a wonderful loving relationship with my wife. She has never treated me with anything other than loving respect. But, She was sure to be a widow much too early. She made a remark to me last night about my size and loss that revealed that she also has a new hope where I am concerned. My oldest son looked across the table last night and said that my whole frame looks smaller. He said this with a smile on his face. He is proud of me for undertaking this. In a little over a month, hope is dawning in my life and the lives of my loved ones. I have wondered many times "why" I was here in Tennessee; waiting. I think that now I know why. Perhaps this time in my life was meant for this tremendous undertaking that is bringing a renewed hope to me and my family. I still have a long way to go as you can see by my ticker. But, I am certainly much further along than I was a month ago. Because of this new hope, I can see a new day on the horizon in the not too distant future.

Forgive me for rambling a bit this morning. Perhaps many of you cannot identify with what I am talking about. You might not be able to, unless you needed to lose over half your body weight. If that is the case, please forgive me for wasting your time. However, some of you can identify with me. So, for me and you, I say this diet finally offers hope of a normal way of life for us. Hope for a better life. Hope for being able to participate in life rather than watching it as it passes us by. That motivates me; I hope it motivates you too.

Jeff