Losing weight is half the battle...keeping weight off is the other half!
by Robert T. Bringhurst
In November of 2001 I weighed in at 343 pounds. At the age of 44 I had more than my share of medical problems. I suffered my first heart attack at age 35 and diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease followed by two more attacks by age 40. I have undergone three angioplasties with very little improvement in my condition. At age 40 I was also diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. By age 44 my diabetes was spiraling out of control going from oral medications to 50 units of insulin twice a day by injection. I also developed a severe case of sleep apnea requiring me to sleep with a bi-pap device to insure my breathing continued while I slept.
With all this against me you might have thought I would have tried to improve my condition. I did not. I surrendered to it. My life consisted of working and nightly stops at the bar drinking heavily. I used the old excuse that if I got to go I may as well go happy.
It was at this time that my endocrinologist advised me that the amount of proteins leaking through my kidneys, as a result of my diabetes, had reached an alarming rate and that he was sending me to a kidney specialist with the recommendation of kidney dialysis to begin as soon as possible. He had been warning me of this day for the last five years but the warnings fell on deaf ears. Now reality set in. To quote him, "You can live on dialysis for many years...if you call that living!"
Desperate to stop this road to self destruction I consulted my primary doctor who recommended the Atlantic Coast Living Fit Center. I started the program in January of 2002. I found the entire staff extremely knowledgeable as well as having a genuine interest in my success. Through the classes I learned to embrace a whole different life style. Calorie counting, the importance of fruits and vegetables, physical activity, dietary fiber intake and much, much more. This was not a easy cake walk of a program but with the help of the staff and my own determination I am happy to say that I not only met my weight goal of 200 pounds but exceeded it down to 176 pounds.
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I am now in the maintenance program and am continually having success with maintaining my weight loss as well as increasing my knowledge every week. As far as my medical condition it is nothing short of a miracle. From 16 medications, some twice a day, down to one a day. My diabetes is in self control -- no meds required at all. My bi-pap machine is in its box stored in the attic for the last year now. My cardiologist is actually jealous of my condition and continues to praise both the program and myself for this 360 degree turnaround.
As far as for myself, let me say that at age 46 I feel better now than I have ever felt before. The way I like to describe it is that for 30 years I was in a coma and have just recently awoken. I enjoy life to the fullest and my only regret is that there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want.
Another benefit to this program that I forgot to mention is the fact that as of this coming January it will have been 2 years since I consumed any alcohol and that as of this writing it has been 7 months since I smoked a cigarette. Pretty impressive considering I was a three pack a day smoker for the last 25 years.
In closing I would just like to thank in order: my wife Lynn, always behind me in whatever I do, Debbe Bourgoin. Anne Kuchler, Nadine Rubenstien, Jeanne,and all my fellow patients at the center without whom this miracle would not have happened.
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156 pounds in 9 months! 
