Wow, thanks for the marvelous response, already. So here it is . . .

If someone had told me a little over one year ago that I would reach my goal weight, that I would have the tools to maintain this weight for the rest of my life, and all of this would come to fruition within one year, I would have told them that they were certifiably insane. However, that dream has become my reality. Every time I step on the scale it still amazes me how far I have come in just over one year. I don't think I will ever forget the first time that I was able to purchase a pair of jeans off of the rack. It had been so long since I had been able to shop for clothing in any store that did not have the words Big and Tall in the name. I guess my story is a little less than typical (or maybe not), so I better share a little background.

I have always been the "fat kid." Well, to say always is a bit disingenuous. When I was five years old, I was so skinny that the doctors actually thought I had tapeworms. Imagine that! Just to prove that those doctors didn't know what they were talking about, I decided to pack on weight for almost the next 20 years of my life. I was a husky youth, a plump adolescent, a good sized young man, and eventually just an all around big guy. Before now, I honestly don't remember a time in my life where I was not overweight. Don't get me wrong, I never let the extra weight get me down. In fact, if anything I found that I had to have a rotund personality to match my physique. Man, isn't that just what society expects! Sorry, I still have a little pent up frustration over the attitude society has toward people that battle with weight problems. Anyway, back to my story, after years slowing packing on the pounds I found myself a 385 pound 24 year old. Luckily, I did not have any serious health problems due to the extra weight, but I knew that it was only a matter of time until it caught up with me. I found that not only was it catching up with me physically, but it was also catching up with me professionally.

I found myself in graduate school, after the second year, without a summer internship. I knew that without an internship my prospects for jobs the following year did not look good. Since I was concerned about this eventuality, I began to talk with classmates to see if they could make sense of my unemployment, because I couldn't. It was at that point that I started to wonder if my weight was holding me back (in more ways than one). I had two separate classmates ask me, without my bringing up the subject, if I thought my weight was the reason I was not getting a job. Before these conversations, I can't say that the thought had really crossed my mind, but after these conversations it was all that I could think about. If I hadn't gotten the jobs because it was a tight job market, there were better qualified applicants, or I simply had not performed well on the interviews I would have been able to handle that news, but to think I possibly did not get a job I deserved because of the way I looked was maddening. It was then and there that I resolved to never have the way I look get in the way of where I want to go in life. I guess you could say that was my "ah ha" moment.

Please don't get me wrong, the impetus for this drastic lifestyle change may have come from a moment of frustration, but my resolve has come from a new inner strength that I have found with this program. The Six Week Body Makeover is a God sent. I, like many other people that have come to know and love this program, was introduced to Michael Thurmond through "Extreme Makeover." The idea of being able to eat six meals a day and only work out the parts of my body that needed the workout appealed to me instantly. Despite this natural draw to the idea behind the program, I was not aware that it was even being marketed for sale. That was, until one Saturday morning while I was surfing through the channels looking for something interesting to watch. A picture of Michael Thurmond came on the screen and I immediately recognized him. As I watched the infomercial and saw people talking about how this program has changed their lives, I knew that I was hearing about a program that would save my life. After only a few minutes, I was convinced that this program would work for me. Needless to say, I have not been disappointed.

I wish that I could say that this program works so much better than any other program I have tried, but this is the only program that I have done. Don't mess with what works, right? I love the amount of structure that this program offers, while at the same time allowing for as much variety as you want. I personally feel as though this program keeps me grounded when the world around me is spinning out of control. Every three hours I know I have another meal coming. I take that time to sit back and let the world around me wait for a minute. Personally, I also like the fact that this program takes the time to educate you about your body's physiology and natural tendencies. Once you learn what causes your body to store fat, what types of foods react with each other to speed up your metabolism naturally, and how you can specifically target areas to sculpt that perfect body, everything else just falls into place. I have always been a very cerebral person, so if I can learn and understand how and why this program will work it makes it that much easier to believe that it will work for me.

To date, I have lost 212 pounds and over 104 inches off of my entire body. To put that in more concrete terms, I have gone from a size 54 waist to a size 32. My shirt size used to be a 6xl and I now wear either a medium or a large. I kept a pair of my size 54 waist shorts, and on days I feel like a good laugh I put them on. Amazingly, I could put two of me in that one pair of shorts.

So you figure with results like these my life must have changed dramatically, right? Well, I guess that all depends on how you define changed. To put it simply, I am still me, just a much smaller model. However, my outlook on life has changed. Rather than looking at how my body may limit what I can do, I now find that my body can do anything that I ask it to do. Of course, I'm not out running marathons yet, but I know that if I put in the time and effort I could. I no longer feel limited by my physical fitness level. Presently, I am in better shape than I was when I was 10 years old. Exercise is no longer a nasty word that only doctors use. I cherish my time on the treadmill. It is amazing how psychologically therapeutic, not to mention physically beneficial, physical activity can be. I love the new me!

Of course, with every success story comes the disclaimer: "these results are not typical." So there it is! However, if you will allow me one more moment to add in my two cents on that statement, I think this may be enlightening. First, it is true that everyone will lose weight or inches at a different pace. No one should expect to lose all of the weight they want to lose in one year or less (unless of course you are only looking to shed 5 pounds). I know I didn't expect that this program would work this quickly. However, if you stick with the program faithfully you will lose the weight. Which brings me to my second point, the reasons that the results are not typical is because people do not stick to the program. There is no doubt that it is tough. Getting through those first few months of cravings can be brutal, but you can do it! Stay strong, stay focused, stay dedicated and it will pay dividends! If everyone that tried this program gave it 100% the "results not typical" disclaimer would not longer be necessary. That is my momentary lapse into "tough love." I say all of that only to let everyone know that I am not some special case, a one in one thousand chance of this program working. I am simply the result of buying in fully and completely to this lifestyle change. If I can do it, anyone can do it!