Everyone has a Story: Egg Harbor Township resident walking away excess pounds

Posted Tuesday, December 21, 2010 7:50 pm I Updated: 8:09 pm, Tue Dec 21, 2010. By Michelle Brunetti Post Staff Writer

Hank Brouwer planned to have bariatric surgery to lose weight, but doctors told him he should get into better shape first. So he started a nutrition and exercise program in preparation about 20 months ago.

A few months into the process, the Federal Aviation Administration engineer realized he wouldn't need the surgery.

The 5-foot, 10-inch Egg Harbor Township resident went from 510 pounds down to 218 pounds today. The 47-year-old is still watching the pounds disappear, after having dropped from a 60-inch to a 34-inch waist.

"Most of my exercise has just been walking," he said. "I started out walking 30 minutes a day, and now I'm up to 90 to 100 minutes."

Brouwer didn't join a gym, but did use the help of Living Fit at 110 Roosevelt Boulevard, Marmora, NJ. He picked a medically supervised program of replacement foods such as shakes and meal bars, then learned to slowly re-integrate healthy grocery store food into his diet in stages, said registered nurse Nadine Rubenstein, of Mays Landing, who worked with him.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/blogs/scott_cronick/asticle
117cf5b2-0d67-11e0-be3f-001cc4c03286.html?mode=print
12/22/2010

For more story details click on Hank's Testimonial Story under the Success Stories tab.