John Deegan weighed 348 pounds on Wednesday May 25th, 2011 at the start of his challenge. To take his before and after pictures, he needed canes to help his posture for the standing-up photos.
In his first journal post he said,
“I’ve been saying someday I will be slim all my life. I am now 60 years old. Not too many years left for excuses. And now… I need a hip replacement. However, the doctors will not operate on me until I lose 48 pounds (he wants me at 300). So, I have tentatively set my operation date one week after this contest ends…”
He then continued in Captain Picardesque style…
“MAKE IT SO!”
98 days later, 87% of the other contestants had dropped out… Many of them – almost all of them – were 100% fully mobile and able-bodied… Many of the dropouts were half of this man’s age…
But this man FINISHED THE CHALLENGE… and posted his results:
Before: 348 pounds
After: 314 pounds
Before: waist: 60 inches
After: waist: 54 inches
In his next to last post before reporting his challenge results, he reported the news:
“The doctor has now scheduled me for hip replacement! What a way to celebrate finishing the challenge!” …
“You know, sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and can’t believe I am 61. Inside I feel like a 30-year-old. I’ve wanted to get in shape my whole life and now I am FINALLY doing it!”
JOHN’S WINNING BURN THE FAT CHALLENGE ESSAY
“During this challenge, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that you are never too old to make important changes to your body. Even if you are handicapped with two bad hips, two canes, with bone on bone arthritis, you can still make significant changes if you are motivated.
The key to my transformation was in a large part due to my desire to have my hips replaced. My doctor said he wouldn’t operate on me unless I reached 300 pounds. So, that became my goal. I succeeded by figuring out how to deal with my desire for night time snacking. I found some sugar-free gum drops and this was my treat at night. I found that the longer I was away from starchy carbs, the less I missed them.
I used to think I was at total effect in my desire to lose weight. I have tried a thousand times and never gotten this far. Whenever I was tempted to overeat, I just told myself, “John, in 61 years you have eaten almost everything. This time is for you. You have tasted everything. You are not missing a thing.”
It was difficult going to the gym. People would look at me stumbling along with my two canes and you could just read their minds: “What is HE doing in the weightlifting area?” Well, I hired a gym instructor for a few lessons to teach me how to do some weightlifting being seated. There is a TON of things that a fat, handicapped person can do. After a while, people started showing me respect for being so dedicated to my task at hand. I started going six days a week, sometimes twice a day.
One of the big things I learned is the natural deliciousness of raw food. You don’t NEED to eat sweets. There are substitutes. My biggest win was finding a diet that I could live with for the rest of my life. As time moved on, I could now taste the natural sweetness in vegetables. I started thinking, “Hey, I can live with this.” And that’s the key finding a solution that works every day.
You know, I have lost six inches from my waist during this 98 day challenge. That is SIGNIFICANT. especially for someone my age. My metabolism does not respond as someone who is younger does. I am very proud of my progress.
I feel like a winner mainly because after 61 years of life, I am still trying to get healthy and look good. Many people give up at a much earlier age. I pushed through a lot of pain, bone on bone arthritis of both hip joints, and stumbled along with two canes. If I could do this anyone can. That’s what makes me a winner and that is why I deserve to be the champion.
This is only the beginning. Just WAIT until I can move around like the rest of you!”
Well Done John and keep up the good work.
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