by Julie Westly, CarbSmart Contributor
Posted 11/28/2001
Ron Moshier is from Minnesota and winters in Texas. Ron is 6' tall, and follows the Atkins program. He has used low carbing to lose from his top weight of 260 pounds down to a trim 180 pounds. Ron's waist size has shrunk from a 44 to a 34!
Ron has been overweight his entire life. "Remembering back to when I was eight years old," he said, "I knew then I was different from the other kids. I was laughed at and made fun of. That's when I decided to laugh back and made jokes just to make it easier on myself."
"The first diet I remember trying was Slim Fast in high school. I entered the 7th grade weighing in at 214 pounds for football season. I was humiliated, and thought I needed to do something. I was able to lose about 30 pounds and kept it off for a whopping two months. I just couldn't keep drinking my meals. As usual, I resorted back to my original high carb lifestyle."
"I continued an upward climb over the next 10 years, and peaked at around 265 pounds. That is when I met my wife, Nancy. Both of us have battled the bulge our entire lives. A friend of my wife's, who is also a registered nurse like Nancy is, introduced us to the Diet Center program. I was only allowed approximately 1000-1200 calories each day and only allowed certain foods. I did lose about 80 pounds in four months that time, and got down to the same weight that I am today. The only problem I had was keeping it off. I truly felt as if I was starving! That's not how I could or would live the rest of my life. Once again, I began the quick climb back up to 260 pounds."
"My wife and I are professional entertainers and we found our careers starting to blossom. We started entertaining all across the country and performing with nationally known artists such as Lacy J. Dalton, Chubby Checker, Tammy Wynette, Eddie Rabbitt, The Drifters, and others. I knew we had the talent and ability to go out onto the stage and put on a great concert, but the only problem was having enough stamina, because of being so over weight, and also, "not looking the part."
"During this time, I was extremely loyal to everything that was 'fat free' and 'low fat,' and in those five years of doing low fat, I managed to gain 30 pounds! I was ready to give up and figured I was meant to be 80 pounds overweight for the rest of my life. But in July of 1998, all that would change."
"My wife and I were performing at the Tin Lizzie Casino in Deadwood, South Dakota when friend of ours showed up. We didn't recognize him! I had just seen him in April and he had managed to lose 65 pounds in that short period of time! We thought that if our friend could do this, then we could too. Nothing else had worked before and we were desperate to improve our overall health and quality of life."
"We started the third week in July, 1998. My first three days were a nightmare! I had sugar withdrawals that were so bad, I would be on stage and the sweat was literally pouring down my face. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I could hardly play the keyboards! Thank God, it only lasted three days. From then on, it was a breeze. I lost 26 pounds the first month, and continued at steady weight loss pace until I had lost the entire 80 pounds by the following April."
"My health improved to the point that I could jump around on the stage all night long without collapsing. I have found the low carb lifestyle to the my lifesaver! I truly feel that in time I would have died due to my obesity. I was just a matter of time."
"Today, even my doctor is a low carb believer. He just can't get over how my LDL cholesterol has dropped 81 points and my HDL is now up over 100! My overall ratio is an incredible 2.5, and 'normal average' is 4.5 for a man my age. My triglycerides are down to 52! This means I'm much less likely to develop hardening of the arteries. He says to 'Just keep doing what you're doing!' "
"I have tremendous support from my family and friends. Of course my strongest support has come from my wife, Nancy. She is so dedicated to helping everyone lose weight and is always there answering questions and giving helpful advice. Being professional entertainers, we are on the road performing at least half the year, we thought that if we couldn't eat this way all the time, then it wouldn't work for us. Nancy was given a true gift from God in her ability to develop fabulous low carb recipes and has made the low carb lifestyle (pardon the pun) a piece of cake!"
"I have never cheated since starting low carbing in July of 1998. I'm just too afraid of what could happen if I tried some things with sugar in them. I won't go back to the days of being overweight ever again! I experienced only about a two-month stall once. I focused on my goal, started exercising more, and really paid attention to what went in my mouth. I broke the stall and went on to reach my goal just a few short months later."
"You must be dedicated to this way of life. Don't start with the idea that, 'I'll give this a try and see what happens.' You already know the answer. When you decide that you're going to take control of your life, then it's time to get started. Just one cheat a week will set you back the whole week. Remember that every time you cheat, you're only cheating yourself!"
Ron says that the three most important things to remember are:
- Do this for YOURSELF and no one else. You're worth it!
- Exercise/Drink lots of water.
- Exercise! It's very important whether it be a walk in the park, a lap around the swimming pool, or walking the golf course (my favorite form of exercise along with weight training).
- Never give up! Stay focused, be committed to this, and you will live a long and healthy life!
"One final thing I would like to say to everyone that is uncertain about trying low carbing, or for those that have tried it but given up: Do yourself a favor and put your heart and soul into losing your excess weight once and for all. Never give up on yourself OR the low carb diet. If you stick with it and don't worry too much about losing the weight, I PROMISE you, it WILL come off!"
"Now, make a promise to yourself. Do not cheat and you will SUCCEED!"
********************
CarbSmart carries Nancy's great cookbook Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did.
You can read Di Bauer's review of Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did.
Nancy's website can be found at: www.low-carb-cookbooks.com.
|
