The Begining

For decades I have been obese.  A variety of General Practitioner MDs all had the same advice.  "Eat less and exercise more."  I would try for about 6 months to follow that advice.  I would almost starve myself and exercise as much as I could.  I would lose some weight - 10 to 15 lbs and then plateau.  It was very frustrating.  My Type II diabetes got worse.  I went on more medications.  I felt helpless to control my blood sugars.

Type II Diabetes is a terrible disease.  Basically it is the inability of the body to keep blood glucose levels in the proper range.  It has devastating effects on the body.

• Adverse effects to the cardio vascular system, (eg heart attack, stroke, loss of circulation which can lead to amputation of limbs, etc.)
• Depression.  This one took me 15 years to understand.  Note: if there are any Dr.s out there please explain this to your patients.  Swings in Blood Glucose levels are a stressor on the body.  The body reacts with the fight or flight response.  An occasional fight or flight response is normal.  If your body keeps going into that response you will increase the possibility of depression.  It would have been nice to know this when I was diagnosed not 15 years later.
• High Cholesterol and triglicerides.  High blood sugars overwhelm the liver and so the liver starts dumping the extra glucose as triglicerides and cholesterol.  Very bad.
• Neropathy  (I may have spelled it wrong).  This often feels like your feet are warm or it is uncomfortable to wear socks.  
• Compromised immune system.  You are prone to infections.  Infections can become worse quickly and lead to amputations.  This is especially true if you are a smoker.  I am not.
• Nerve damage.

Think of it as a slow death.  There Type II Diabetes is a huge problem in the USA.  

My peak weight was about 360 lbs.  I could not run 1,000 meters.  I could walk for quite a distance, but forget running.

After decades of this I went to the 24 Hour Fitness in Downtown Portland, Oregon.  There I met a trainer.  We discussed my fitness goals, lose weight, get much healthier.  I stepped on the scale and she did the skin fold measurements to determine my body fat percentage.  We confirmed that in fact I was obese.    At this point in time I was on a large daily dose of insulin, and many other diabetic drugs.

That is the beginning.