What is it like to rediscover your life and begin living it to the fullest? You're about to hear from someone who can answer that question.
John Pozzobon is the modern day equivalent of the incredible shrinking man. His weight loss story is nothing short of phenomenal. Like many obese people, John knows what it means to live life on the outside, but like very few of the 100 million, or so, obese Americans, he did something about it. He proves that losing weight, if done in a manner consistent with good health, yields a lifelong benefit that, unlike today's fad diets, is sustainable for a lifetime.
Source: Bread and Money
B&M: John, you've recently experienced a big change in your life that affects your health. What was it?
JP: The change was what I put into my body. Mostly fresh fruit and vegetables. I completely stopped drinking soda and very seldom drink coffee. I drink a lot of Green Tea and water. I haven't given up on everything but I eat my old favorites very few and far between. I also started walking and running a couple hours a day and I joined a gym and lift weights 3 times a week for a couple hours those days. My attitude towards my health and well being has done a 180 and I have never felt this good ever.
B&M: What was your maximum weight?
JP: My highest weight was back in the mid to late 1990's when I was a manger for McDonald's and weighed around 365-370lbs with a 56 inch waist (ouch).
B&M: Have you always been overweight?
JP: I have struggled with weight my whole life. Not to the extreme it was 10-12 years ago but I grew up having to wear the husky sizes as a kid. Even though my mom and dad would prepare well balanced wholesome meals I would sneak candy etc. As I grew older I watched my diet more carefully and through the 1980's till the early 1990's I was around 165-180lbs with a 34 inch waist. I worked out and played sports constantly. I had to always watch my diet and I was successful for a period of time.
B&M: People often mistakenly assume that weight gain is something a person chooses. They often wonder why people with a weight problem don't just stop eating and get more exercise. What is your response to this?
JP: I feel that a majority of overweight people do eat the wrong things, eat late at night before bed, and do not get enough exercise. That being said I also feel a lot of people have medical conditions such as an overactive thyroid or something like that. They can't help it and are ostracized by society. Until you walk a mile in someone else's shoe you should keep an open mind. Not everyone chooses to be overweight. But there are people who have a choice and don't make the right one.
B&M: Very good point. Ultimately it does come down to personal choice. Where people get stuck, I believe, is that too often their choices are based on poor information. It's really hard to make the right choice without good information. For instance, we're told to diet to lose weight and every year millions of overweight and obese individuals go on one type of diet or another, but the choice to diet is actually based on poor information. As you figured out on your journey, diets don't work. The health and nutrition choices we make have to be sustainable for a lifetime. Once we learn this simple lesson, the choice to go on another fad diet or make real changes that we can live with is up to us.
Follow up:
So tell us about some of your past dieting adventures?
JP: I have dieted in the past with mixed results. When I was younger and more active it wasn't as much of an issue. As I grew older and started working longer hours with more responsibilities in my life I had less time for exercise and ate the wrong things at the wrong time. From time to time I'd drop weight and regain it. I tried Weight Watchers, a carb free diet, etc. nothing ever stuck with me. When I started working in the fast food industry, working late nights, long hours, and eating that garbage I really started packing on the pounds. I just decided to give up. I said "What the hell, I guess I'm just supposed to be fat so why fight it anymore". That's when I got to my heaviest.
B&M: I bet some of our readers are at that place right now, where they've simply given up. What is different about what you're doing now?
JP: Eating whole and organic foods, making time for exercise, staying in control of what goes in, and taking the time to live my life the right way. We have to realize that life is something precious to us. This attitude is what has changed me---getting back to the old fashioned way of eating and not eating the processed foods and drinking the soda. I believe that soda is the number one enemy that we have. It doesn't matter if it's regular or diet, it is the worst thing for you. As soon as I stopped drinking soda a lot of my aches and pains went away, I had 10 times the energy I used to have and my mood improved 100%.
B&M: Was there a catalyst or one thing that got you to change?
JP: The inspiration came once I read the book A Life Unburdened. Although I had been dieting off and on that book changed my outlook and propelled me to become what I am now, a believer in whole and organic foods and not letting my diet manage me, but me managing my diet.
B&M: How difficult was it to change?
JP: At first it was very difficult. I wanted to eat the old things I used to. But as I progressed through this I began to see results and more importantly feel them. There were times along the way that I felt like stopping but with God's help I maintained the willpower to keep going. Now I wouldn't go back to my old ways for all the money in the world.
B&M: What kind of food do you eat and what is a typical day of meals like for you?
JP: My diet consists mainly of fruits and vegetables. I enjoy meats but I don't eat as much as I used to. During the week I usually have salads for lunch and fruit for dinner. I am not as hungry as I used to be so my intake is less. On the weekends I will indulge in some other things like pizza once in awhile or a hoagie now and then but it's in moderation and only so often. My favorite meal is Sunday brunch at a local restaurant. My first trip is to their fruit bar where I load up on tons of fresh fruit. I then have some eggs etc, but the fruit is first and foremost.
B&M: Do you use any oils or fats (butter, olive oil, etc.) and if so, what kind?
JP: I do indulge in a variety of oils in my diet. Extra Virgin olive oil, butter, and pure sunflower oil are the ones I use most. Not in excess but in moderation. I do want to try the coconut oil you mention in your book. It seems to help you a great deal.
B&M: Do you exercise? If so, what is your typical routine like?
JP: I walk each work day for a half hour at lunch time. I work out at the gym lifting weights 3 times a week for a couple of hours each time. I run and walk for an hour or so each and every day. I do 300 leg raises in 6 sets of 50 before bed each night.
B&M: With your demanding workout schedule, do you use any supplements (vitamins, minerals, fish oil etc.)?
JP: I take flaxseed oil, vitamin E, Bee pollen complex, and CoQ10. these seem to give me the energy I need and help replenish my body with the nutrients I need to work out aggressively.
B&M: How has losing the weight affected your life?
JP: The affect the weight loss has had on me can be summed up in one word. UNBELEIVEABLE. The attitude, the mood, the energy, the pain free mornings, the overall outlook on life has changed. I wish I could find the words to describe it better. I wish I could put people inside my head so they could experience it for themselves. That is the only way I could show them what it feels like.
B&M: What recommendations would you give to someone who has a weight problem?
JP: My advice to people would be to never give up on yourself. You need to believe that you can make a difference in your own life. I know this sounds like a cliché but if I can do it anyone can do it. I think you need the following ingredients to be successful. First and foremost is a belief and faith in yourself that you can do it. Secondly is a strong faith that God will see you through. Third is the support of your partner. Felicia has been a major point of encouragement and inspiration for me. Last and certainly not least is support from my family. My parents have been behind me every step of the way, although my mom, dad, and grandmother feel I'm getting too skinny, but they're used to me being twice the size I am now, I'm currently at 179lbs.
It's a difficult start to change a lifestyle but once you get the ball rolling it gets easier. You will hit bumps along the way but stay focused and positive. The end result will make you happy and open your eyes to a world you had forgotten existed. I've gone to the pool and beach for the first time in 12 years. I'm 42 and living my life the way it is supposed to be lived. I have a lot of time to make up for but I'll do it. Jim Valvano stated it best, "Don't give up, don't ever give up." Words I live by.
B&M: Thank you John for sharing such an inspirational story. You've proven that people can realize positive change in their life once they have the right information to make the right choice.
If you have questions or comments for Mr. Pozzobon, write to him at pozz4@juno.com.
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