In the beginning . . .

Well, it all started several months ago. I was at the point in my life that knew I had to make a major change if I wanted to see the future. It really is true that we will never be able to break the bad habits we have in our lives until we first realize how much it is hurting ourselves and others.

I knew my life had gotten out of hand when I went on a family vacation and was too embarrassed and ashamed to have fun with the rest of the family at an amusement park. I had gotten to the point that I would rather stand than try to sit down on a plastic lawn chair. I had problems breathing and would be quickly out of breath if I tried to climb a flight of stairs. My weight was ruining my life. It was depressing. Things had to change.

I went to visit my doctor, Dr. Soudah, in Summer 2007 and expressed my heart to him. I told him of how I wanted to live to see my grandchildren and wanted to be able to perform basic tasks without feeling embarrassed. He was empathetic and vowed to help me if I were up to the task. He told me he was starting a weight loss clinic and wanted me to come back in September when it opened to go over a few things with me. In the mean time, he asked me to begin counting how many calories I ate on a daily basis.

Dr. Soudah’s philosophy is very simple and consists of three parts:

1. Obesity is a chronic disease, which requires a lifelong treatment.


2. Obesity is a disease process with a physiological cause, like diabetes or hypertension. It is not a result of weakness or lack of willpower on the part of the patient.


3. Obese individuals have a right to healthcare that is safe and fits their lifestyle. It should recognize and respect their individual, physical, social, spiritual, psychological, and economic needs.

This is premise upon which Dr. Soudah said he’d help me. When Sarah and I came in for the first visit, Dr. Soudah said that I had three choices to rid myself of the weight that was haunting me. First, I could have surgery and remove part of my stomach. I was not too fond of this because I know of people who go in for these types of surgeries and never wake up. This did not sound like the answer I wanted to hear. Second, I could take drugs to kill my appetite. This was not something I wanted to do either. I had tried taking diet pills but they do not work. They work for the moment in time that you are taking them, but a month later I would gain all my weight back and often additional weight, too. Lastly, I could take a medically supervised approach and form a lifetime-partnership with Dr. Soudah to help reset my brain and how I view food. This sounded like the best option and like the one that would have lasting effects.

So, I began my journey the very next day on September 22, 2007. Every day I eat 1350 calories of which 800 comes from four shakes and one bar that Dr. Soudah wants me to eat so he can know exactly what the majority of my daily nutritional value is equal too.

This is one of the shakes (my favorite flavor is chocolate but I have one strawberry I eat each day) and the my favorite flavor of the bars...Cinnamon Crunch!

Chocolate Shake

Cinnamon Crunch Bar

In addition to these two lovely items I eat a mean of 550 calories each day. Let me tell you something. This is a very, very hard task! However, I know I have to do this in order to meet my goal of becoming healthy.

Keep on the look out for updates along the rest of the way. Since September 22, 2007, I have lost 29 lbs. My initial goal was to lose between 25 and 30 pounds with Dr. Soudah. I am going to try and double it now! I am halfway there in pounds and my 12 week time period that I am doing this modified diet.

At the end of my 12 weeks, I'll go back to eating regular meals. Dr. Soudah mentioned that I should be eating around 2500 to 2800 calories by that time to help maintain my progress. December 14, 2007, will be the end of my 12 weeks. So pray for me that I do not destroy myself over Thanksgiving.

Remember...Weight = Disease
~Adam