When I first gave my presentation on Escaping the Insulin Trap at the 2013 NGH convention, I knew I had to start out addressing the question that would be on everyone’s mind as soon as they saw me: why would anyone take weight loss advice from a guy who looks like me (top photo)?
The best answer I could think of was to show them a few other photos:
 This photo was taken at the end of my professional hypnosis training in 2003 and was used on the first Second Trances website.
At this point I hadn’t been to a doctor in years, so I don’t know exactly what I weighed. About a year before that I’d been weighed at 392 pounds so it had to be at least that and probably higher. |
 At a hypnosis conference in 2008.
Those pants are size 62 (I am 68 inches tall) and are tight around the waist. I still wasn’t monitoring my weight so I have no idea what it was. |
 The day I proposed to my wife, Julie, in 2009.
Getting romantically involved with Julie had prompted me to start paying attention to my health again. My weight was down to 385 pounds and my A1c (blood test for measuring blood glucose levels over time) was over 8, which is extremely unhealthy. I’d been a Type II diabetic since 1994. |
 Another website update photo, from August 2012.
After a couple of years of doing everything the USDA, the ADA, and my endocrinologist said to do, eating lots of grains and avoiding meat and fat, my face was much less puffy-looking but I still weighed in at 375 pounds. My latest A1c result had reached 9.3 despite being on three separate blood-sugar-lowering medications, which was alarming enough that my doctor wanted to have me start injecting insulin. Instead, I read Gary Taubes’ book Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It and started a low-carb diet. |
 August 2014
The low carb diet has done amazing things for me. In this photo I weigh 275 pounds and my most recent A1c was 5.6, which is almost within non-diabetic range. I take only one medication now instead of 3. My blood pressure, triglycerides, and other key health indicators are also much improved. |
Our program for Diabetes Self-Management is based on my experience, along with a healthy dose of motivation and good habit-building.
So … why would you take weight loss advice from a guy like me? Because I’ve experienced the struggle — I’m still experiencing it — and I know first hand what the emotional and physical toll is like. I understand that being fat is not indicative of a character flaw. We can talk about your situation frankly, without judgment, and focus on setting and reaching your goals.
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