Agent of Change in The News . . .

The local newspaper in my area was kind enough to share some of my story in this weeks edition . . . When asked if I thought the picture of me holding up my old pants was "corny", my response was "YES, very corny" . . . But it was the cover story, so I guess I can live with a little "corny".

Just click on the cover image for the full story.

Josh - Agent of Change

The Realization . . .

So, how did I transform myself? How did I take matters into my own hands?

I must preface the following by giving you an understanding of my views. As stated in my last post, I have always felt that I was "normal". Pretty average, like many others, certainly not drastically unhealthy. Additionally, I have always believed in both traditional medicine as well as homeopathics, eastern philosophies and the belief that the FDA was certainly not our best ally. For most of my life, I was passive with regards to my physical health. Like most others, I would go to the doctor, do what they told me and, hope for the best.

Put that type of thinking out of your mind. There is a reason human beings have two separate, completely functioning sides to the brain. I do not believe that individuals should be one sided in their approach to health, or for most issues they choose to evaluate. I believe in education, I believe in logic, but mostly I believe in myself.

As my posts continue on, you will quickly identify that I find many things illogical and therefore dismiss their validity. I am living, breathing proof that you don't need fad diets, magical pills, miracle supplements or prayer to get healthy. What you need is to make a decision that you are in control. There are array of things in life you cannot control, you own well being is excluded from that list.

Let's begin with weight loss . . .

Weight loss is based upon one thing only, mathematics. If you put less calories in your body then your body burns you will lose weight period! Now there are a host of ways to accomplish that, and most either work short-term, are not sustainable or attempt to change the way your body operates.

In my lifetime, I have tried many dieting techniques. Low-carb, high carb, fruit only, portion control, extreme hydration, extreme cardio, lean muscle building, etc, etc, etc.

When I finally decided to take control of my health, I did actually revisit the majority of past approaches and applied what I felt would work best for me. Did they all? Nope. But I continued to modify and hone in on what was or wasn't working and built off of that information.

We could spend days talking about experts and body types and programs . . . not necessary. What I have done has worked for me and very well. Will it work for others? I am certain it will. Will it work for everyone, I'm certain it wont. But, you knew there would be a "but", I do believe that if you commit yourself, motivate yourself (others can't be relied on) and focus, others can find similar success.

I am not a doctor, have no medical training, use the Internet as a primary resource for information and I am my own advocate. I am going to share the story of my transformation. I will tell you everything I did and continue to do. I will be sharing the products I use (and don't use), the foods I eat, the resources I draw upon and then . . .I am going to do something even bigger.

I am not trying to launch a health product, write a book or make an infomercial. So what is the big thing. . . you're going to have to wait just a little bit for that.

So, why a Blog . . .We're all normal, right?

I have struggled with the decision to express my views and personal experiences for some time. If you're reading this, it should be obvious what my decision ultimately became. I have a story to tell. A story that I believe may help some, offend others, provide me with an outlet to express my views and perhaps vent a little bit along the way. Everything you read within my blog is true, it happened to me . . .

The year was 2003, I was living with my wife of 8-years in a lovely coastal town in northern Florida. We were expecting or first child and I was working independently after recently leaving a financial services company in Chicago. Before we get too far along, this is a story about a "normal" guy.

Now, when I say "normal", let's not mistake that for healthy. You see this is a story about bizarre medical issues, health, lifestyle and the final event that pushed me to take control of my own life and well being. I like many, had a misconception of "normal". The "normal" which or society imposes upon us. The normal that says fast food, fad diets, bariatrics, wonder drugs and diet pills are OK.

Don't get me wrong, I had never considered myself outside of normal. Even when I was at my peak weight of 246 pounds, super sizing my way to and from work, I didn't see any problem with my behavior. When I smoked 3 packs a day and washed away my stress with a variety of normal remedies, I never viewed myself in a truly negative light.

A bit more about me to help with the flow . . . I am currently 33 years old, Caucasian, 5 feet 11 inches tall, work in sales, am still married (almost 12-years now), just had a second child, reside in the Midwest and look a bit differently then during my "normal" life.

Back to the story . . . shortly following the birth of my first child in February of 2003, I began to have strange, unidentifiable medical "issues". It all began with severe chest pain, followed by shortness of breath, rapidly becoming covered in hives and followed by a lovely drop in blood pressure as I began to go into anaphylactic shock! This extremely unusual condition has never been accurately diagnosed to date. Not even during the most extensive workup at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota did I find any conclusion or accurate cause for these ailments. 3 long years later, my suffering continued. Day in day out, I would fight this "allergic" reaction while trying to maintain a semi-normal existence. Let me tell you, working while taking 150-300 mg of Benadryl each day is no easy chore.

What happened at the grand Mayo Clinic . . . well, I certainly had the most extensive workup of my life. aside from the normal discomfort of being poked and prodded in every orifice, within a four day period I was informed that I had a Thymoma ( translation - growth in my chest right over my heart), cholesterol reading of 286 (with my triglycerides in excess of 1,000), the likelihood of hardening arteries and a long list of prescriptions to take home with me. Without going into great detail (more will come on specific in future posts), I went home feeling less then positive.

It was mere weeks after that I decided to take things into my own hands. Today, I have dropped close to 70 pounds, the Thymoma found in my chest has decreased in size (in fact, almost gone), my cholesterol is a stunning 140 ish (with my Triglycerides having dropped to 82). How is all that possible? I'm happy to tell you, read on . . . . .