My Weightloss Journey

I wasn't always 400 plus pounds. This is something I think of every time I struggle with getting up out of a chair, walking, getting out of bed, dressing after a shower, the little things of daily life have become a struggle upon having gained the weight.

When I was younger, before being an adult, I always played outside, I was active and went fairly high up in the martial arts class I took. Then I became an adult and joined the military and after the military even though I had some residual injuries from my time in service I was active, I rode my bike almost daily and went to the gym just as often, I was fit. I took CrossFit, ran both the first Tough Mudder and the first Spartan Race in Germany and enjoyed my health to the point of taking it for granted.

Then my family and I moved, we had three kids and the place where we were staying simply was too small and we could not find accomodations in the city where we lived, so we left Nuremberg, Germany and moved to Wurzburg where we did find a three room apartment, and yeah the girls have to share a room but everyone has their own space now.

I sold my bike because my knees couldn't take the pain of riding the hills of Wurzburg which is in the heart of wine country with beatiful rolling hills that have no mercy or cosideration for sore knees.

Then because there was no gym nearby I quit working out, I could have continued to do workouts on YouTube, but I didn't and then the chronic backpain, bad knees, and plantar fasciitis all seemed to act as one and took me to the pain cave where I dwelt for several years, all the while slowly becoming less and less in shape but not noticing it because in my head I was still a spry 24 years old.

Then it turned out I have paranoid schizophrenia and was taken to a psych ward several times. Each time I went off the meds until the fourth time I was taken away. Then, I stayed on my medication.

In the time that I stayed on my medication I gained two hundred pounds in roughly the span of two years. I became stagnant in my lifestyle and at a loss of what direction to take my life.

Earlier this year my wife asked me for a divorce and once I accepted it I know that I wanted to move back to America. I had lived in Germany for 20 years and made no friends.

Before living in Germany I was always somewhat popular and never at a loss for friendship or companionship, this is not to say anything against the Germans, they simply have different personalities to me and I could seem to only communicate with them in a formal capacity and setting.

Before leaving Germany last month I was sick of the side effects of being overweight and determined to lose the weight. I made my resolution on June 19th that I will not stop attempting to lose weight until I have gone from 403 pounds to 185 pounds. I figure this will take me two years.

My wife, shortly before I left for America, one day, was showing off how much weight she had lost and that her six pack had made a comeback. Curious as to how she did it I asked her what the secret was and she showed me.

She was taking fat burners with her multivitamins and a tablet called Orlistat. Bribri said the Orlistat is the main culpret of her fourty pound weight loss and she gave me a few tablets to try.

The next day I went to the bathroom like I had been doing it wrong my whole life up to that point and within three days I had lost 8 pounds.

Now that I am in America I had a look into Orlistat and saw that the weight loss suplement Alli contains Orlitstat. I talked to my sister and she sent me a picture of Alli being sold on the military post where her husband is stationed. I decided if it's good enough for the troops it's good enough for me and ordered a bottle off Amazon.

Also since living Stateside I have taken up walking on a daily basis and between the daily walks and the magic of Alli I have lost 20 pounds in a month.

I know, its only twenty pounds and its only been a month but in comparison to how I was feeling a month ago something has changed. I feel better, encouraged and look forward to dropping the next twenty pounds.

Thanks for reading!