One year....5/30/12 - 5/30/13

[slpwlker]

Congrats Evil 1. I am slowing working on it. been walking up till my back decided to give me a hard time. Gonna get back to it tomorrow after we shut down. Pants where feeling alittle looser but feel tight again. keep up the good work.

[57 bcr]

GOOD JOB,RANDY! Good thing you posted the new picture.I prolly would have passed by ya at Macungie,and not even known it! Again

[41chevy]

Be proud! It's a tough thing to do. I've been battling weight for 10 years...up and down, up and down. Paul

[1958 F.W.D.]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the comments......Not what I was out for- As Ben said.....I'm just in this to help others. I know what its like to be morbidly obese (the proof is in the pictures!) and I know how hard it is to "step off the cliff" so to speak.....If my testimony helps one person to make the decision and carry out the plan towards a healthier life, I will be happy. I dont mean to preach but this is something that I have become passionate about- especially with firefighting, which has been my life. I am now absolutely, positively convinced that one cannot be a firefighter if they are obese. Cannot do it, period, Not even driving. Sure, an obese person might get away with driving, but there is still the stress of an emergency scene to deal with- along with the high blood pressure and the risk of heart attack and stroke. Heart Attacks are the number one killer of firefighters in the United States.

A loud, obnoxious, oil-dripping, smoke-blowing two cycle mechanical asshole lawn-boy wanna be in my beloved F.W.D. ???? I rather think not. You have a better chance of seeing me get fat again.

[David]

Good job Randy. Look forward to seeing the new you next week.

[JTFormula]

You have had a tremendous accomplishment that I applaud. I have a very good friend who was 575lbs. His doctor told him at the age of 37 or 38 he will not live past 40 if he kept it up. He also had type 2. Being a father of three, he wanted to watch his kids grow up. He went for the full by pass and dropped from 575 to 270. He is 6'3'. He did manage to gain 50 more lbs in the last year but then was able to lose it again by the usual watch what you eat and working out. You still have to watch your food intake.

I watched as he had major complications and almost lost his life when his kidneys shut down because of the opperation but now it's been 5 years. He is active, is able to be there to watch his kids grow up and enjoy life again. He says its the best thing he could have done.

You should be very proud and by you feeling better and the diabetes being gone, your life only got better.

As for myself, I got up to 268lbs. Now down to 250 and still going just by changing my lifestyle. It's hard but when I see folks like you to encourage me, the goal can only get easier when you can see the results.

Bravo my friend, Bravo!

[Terry T]

Friends of mine, Tim & Renee did the same thing with Renee doing it 1st. April made her one year and she had lost 125 at that point. She looks great and said she feels better then she as ever felt as an adult. Tim is about 6 months behind her and is doing great, looking real good. Tim was my driving partner in the early 90's and is still a Line haul driver for Fed-Ex.

[mowerman]

good luck,,,and keep it up....bob

[mackniac]

congrats Randy , it is an every day battle like alcoolism but youre on the right path and we are proud of your achievement , I might be just a guy from Canuckistan up north , but I sure do feel for you the pride you have and the sacrifice you made .

[Freightrain]

Congrats!!

I have a good friend that is 320#. He took about 30# off a couple years ago doing a "biggest loser" thing at work(he works part time at Dairy Queen--retired from his real job). He already has a new left knee, needs the right and also has serious arthritis in left ankle. He gimps around with a cane and it's killing him. He knows what he needs to do, but can't break free, as I know he has likely put it all back on again. He was tall and skinny in high school, I've know him 25 yrs and watched him just get huge. It "runs in the family" as his wife is big, daughter is big, grand kids(2 girls, one boy) are all "big". One granddaughter got it and lost a bunch of weight and looks great (just graduate HS). The boy is 13 and has been 150+lbs for a couple years now. Sad to see a young kid with "dunlaps disease" when he has his shirt untucked.

It's funny how he would kid about me not eating and being skinny and "how easy it is". Sadly it is TOUGH having the will power to not eat. I'd love to just eat to my hearts content, but I just see myself as him and that puts a stop to it.

[Superdog]

sounds like we need to talk sometime

[fxfymn]

Congrats ol' buddy. I know how much that has bothered you and I'm glad you took the necessary steps to deal with it. Keep working at it since the surgery is only the first step in a very long road.

OBTW most, if not all, departments in VA do not have a maximum hiring age. We had a 58 year old recruit when I was on the job and a buddy went through Richmond's recruit school at age 57 (after retiring from Fairfax and Baltimore City; he is my hero).

[JumperAndSon]

Congrats!!

I have a good friend that is 320#. He took about 30# off a couple years ago doing a "biggest loser" thing at work(he works part time at Dairy Queen--retired from his real job). He already has a new left knee, needs the right and also has serious arthritis in left ankle. He gimps around with a cane and it's killing him. He knows what he needs to do, but can't break free, as I know he has likely put it all back on again. He was tall and skinny in high school, I've know him 25 yrs and watched him just get huge. It "runs in the family" as his wife is big, daughter is big, grand kids(2 girls, one boy) are all "big". One granddaughter got it and lost a bunch of weight and looks great (just graduate HS). The boy is 13 and has been 150+lbs for a couple years now. Sad to see a young kid with "dunlaps disease" when he has his shirt untucked.

It's funny how he would kid about me not eating and being skinny and "how easy it is". Sadly it is TOUGH having the will power to not eat. I'd love to just eat to my hearts content, but I just see myself as him and that puts a stop to it.

Well I'd like share my two cents on this scenario. First of all, I believe that it is very hard for kids to avoid bad habits that their parents have. I personally wouldn't hate on the kids and grandkids for being overweight because I don't think it's their fault. It is the fault of their parents for letting them get that way. But on the other hand, the kids should be able to look at their parents and say to themselves "I don't wanna end up like that" and make their own choices. But sometimes that is hard for kids.

Another thing is that the 13 year old that weighs 150 might not be that bad. When I was 12, I weighed 160 and was like 5'5". Now I am almost 15 and I'm 5'10 and still 160lbs. Not to mention the fact that I eat more than anybody else I know ("eftovers don't usually go into the fridge, my plate is the the place to put them). If he is eating a healthy diet and doing enough physical activity, he might turn out just fine.

But anyway, congratulations to Randy. Not only my super-physically-fit, BMT pal but my funny, entertaining facebook buddy too

Ben

[gvam]

Good Job! We will all have to keep a sharp eye out to find you at Macungie

[DCR]

Congratulations Randy. You are to be commended for such an accomplishment.

[Freightrain]

Ben, that is my whole point. It just travels down the blood line. Not that it's a physical thing where they have bad genes or whatever. They learn by watching and following. Not that he was really obsese at 12 yrs old, but when his gut literally hangs over his shorts, that's bad for a young boy. He does play sports(football and baseball) and his father is a big guy(tall, beefy build, not per say fat), so hopefully he will grow into his body in a few years. Bad eating habits are easy to pick up and hard to break.

[JumperAndSon]

Ben, that is my whole point. It just travels down the blood line. Not that it's a physical thing where they have bad genes or whatever. They learn by watching and following. Not that he was really obsese at 12 yrs old, but when his gut literally hangs over his shorts, that's bad for a young boy. He does play sports(football and baseball) and his father is a big guy(tall, beefy build, not per say fat), so hopefully he will grow into his body in a few years. Bad eating habits are easy to pick up and hard to break.

Well it's not how much you eat, it's what you eat. I eat like an elephant all the time (ask my dad) but I eat very healthy foods all the time as well. It makes a big difference.

Ben

[1958 F.W.D.]

I see what Freightrain is saying. My parents were never the healthiest people- Dad of course was an owner operator through the late 60's, 70's and 80's- eating unhealthy truckstop food and sitting relatively inactive in a drivers seat for hours on end....during a period of time when physical fitness and watching what you ate just was not a concern. So yes, bad habits certainly passed down the line. I remember Dad taking me to McDonalds every saturday morning for breakfast- it was "our" thing to do. I would ask for a second egg mcmuffin and he would buy it for me- when he should have said "No why dont you pass on that." Up to the time I was 17 or 18, he weighed as much as I did when I was my heaviest- about 385. Thats when he had a heart attack and it scared the piss out of him enough that he lost 100+ pounds through diet and excercise.

One of the things that made me decide to have the operation was remembering when he had his heart attack- I figured I was headed down the same road, only I might not be as lucky and could very well become dandylion fertilizer, so I said "yeah better pre-emptively strike."

Whenever my own kids make poor decisions or ask for more food- I say "do you want to become fat like Daddy used to be?" And when they say no, I say "Good- now run outside and kick the soccer ball around for an hour."

Nowadays, with all the education thats out there readily available to anyone and everyone- anyone who allows their children to become morbidly obese (nevermind severly overweight) is an asshole in my mind.

[Timothy Maikshilo]

Wow! That is awesome!!! congratulations and thank you for sharing this important part of your life.