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A Lasting Victory Over Weight Gain

By Mike Patterson M.D.

May 9, 2011

A Great Testimonial
On
Weight Loss
Michael Patterson, M.D. 

At age 49 I did something that I had not done in a long time, I stepped on a scale. “Houston we have a problem”, a huge problem! I weighed-in at 306 lbs. This was my second go-around carrying that amount of weight. As a second year med-student I tipped the scales at 327 lbs. So I was well aware of the misery that goes along with carrying that dangerous amount of a weight. Back then to try and lose weight I restricted the amount of food; starving myself and I walked a lot. That process took off some of the weight but I continued to plateau. So I starved myself a little more and instead of walking I began to run; which I thoroughly hate. In fact I participated in a marathon which I’m proud to say I ran in a little over 4 hours! With the starving myself and running regimen I shed 142 lbs.

Obviously I was very proud of the fact that I had worked very hard to lose all that weight.  So to reward myself I began to eat regularly again and never really changed my lifestyle. And over the next decade I regained 120 lbs of the 142 lbs I lost.  It’s hard to convince my patients to live a healthy lifestyle when I couldn’t do it myself. 

So 14 months ago I realized that my 50^th year was coming soon and I was in the worst shape of my life. I reaffirmed to myself and my wife who by the way is extremely fit, that I would lose 50 lbs by my 50^th birthday. I began to play racquetball at the local Y on a regular basis and joined the NexGen Fitness Center which offered me nutrition education along with regular fitness testing. 

A little more than four months into this regimen I reached my goal of a 50 lb weight loss.

I was playing racquetball five to six days a week and eating very balanced meals, including my favorite, steak and my energy level and endurance was the best it had ever been. I had come to the point where I had truly changed my lifestyle. 

Currently my weight loss total is over 100 lbs. I’ve gone from squeezing into a 46” waist pant to a 34” waist pant! 

As for everyday tasks it is totally incredible the difference a “strong core” contributes to activities not with my kids but just the simple activities of daily living. My mood has significantly improved not to mention my self esteem.  My kids and certainly my wife have noticed measurable differences with the everyday tasks. 

I now look forward to the next 50 years with greater aspirations that the past 50. My thanks to Chris Hershberger for the support and logic he provided in helping me lose the weight. And to my next door neighbor, Mike Kenyon, who directs the local Y for providing an environment to better myself.