Sisel Lean Weight Loss Story
Happy 6th weight-loss anniversary and I didn’t have to eat salads every day to lose weight.
I began my weight-loss journey on October 1, 2012 and 1000 days later I had lost 252 lbs, dropped 18 pant sizes, finished 1st in the men’s division of age 35 years or older in a triathlon, and learned a ton about healthy lifestyle changes.
Let me tell you how a broken foot and a phone call changed my life.
In April 2012, I was having my annual physical. When I stepped on the scale my weight registered at 485 pounds.
My PCP picked up the telephone and made an appointment in the Weight Loss Department for me to see if I qualified for gastric bypass surgery. When my PCP hung the phone up I remember her saying, “Jim, if you want to see your 60th birthday, I hope you qualify for this surgery.” I went through the program and qualified for the surgery and had a surgery date of October 20, 2012.
But…
On September 11th while attending a Red Sox game against the Yankees I broke my left foot when standing up for the 7th inning stretch. Because of this, my surgery date was put off until January 2013.
It was the next day that I called my friend, Ray Hutchison who lost 65 pounds in 60 days. I asked him what did he do to lose the weight and if he would help me.
I told him I really wanted to avoid the surgery.
His response was, “Yes, I’ll help you but, Jim, it’s important to look at the bigger picture, not just a number on a scale.”
He recommended me to start drinking a meal replacement protein drink called SiseLEAN.
I also followed the three most common pieces of advice he gave me when it comes to weight loss: journaling my food, move more and water intake.
For most of my adult life, I never ate breakfast – I just drank a Diet Coke and ate a couple of muffins, usually chocolate chip. I thought the less I ate, the more weight I would lose, but eating more has actually helped me lose weight. Having the meal replacement SiseLEAN kept me fuller longer and I stopped snacking on random (bad) foods throughout the day.
I am not a gym person and I knew that trying to eat healthy ALONG WITH exercising heavily every day would be too much for me at once. Instead, Ray Ray recommended me to move more by walking once my foot cast was removed.
I live on a hill and started by walking up the hill made it just past my next door neighbors house before wanting to lay down and roll down the hill hoping I didn’t roll pass my driveway. The first time felt like an eternity, but the more I did it, and the easier it became, I now enjoy this (mostly) peaceful hour to myself.
The baby steps count!
I didn’t give up on myself when times got rough. I remember four days into my journey, I found myself crying hysterically after getting a text from my Ray Ray that read: “Jim, You got this. Just keep doing what your doing and you’ll be fine.”….
I was up one pound and after talking to my wife that he has no clue (haha), I was about to quit. She told me to call him. After talking to Ray I agreed I’d give it one more week if no results than I would quit. Seven days later I was down 12 lbs.
I stopped eating seamlessly and forced myself to learn how to cook my favorite foods with healthy substitutes.
I learned to celebrate non-scale victories. While it’s definitely a motivator to see the scale move down, it’s really about the other victories that make the lifestyle change so much more worth it. Things like being able to participate in a triathlon, shopping at places other than the Big & Tall Men’s Shop, finally being able to sit comfortably in my seat at Fenway Park; those little things are incredible measures of success.
On days when I feel like there’s no change from two months earlier, I look at before and after pictures.
When you see your body every day it’s hard to notice changes. And if you’re a bigger person, like me, it’s even more difficult to see significant transformations in the mirror. That is why you must depend on those non-scale victories and take a look at how far you’ve come!
My suggestion to you, if you are just starting out, take progress pictures! It’s so refreshing to see how much happier and more confident you are in later pictures.
So if you are looking to make a lifestyle change, or perhaps you’ve already begun, just remember to do this for yourself because you want to – not because you feel pressured to. If you are truly happy with your mind, body, and soul, OWN IT! If you are putting on a facade to hide your unhappiness, then maybe it’s time to take control. Don’t let anyone or anything bring you down – just take it slow and enjoy the ride. It’s not a race! It’s all about balance!
Oh by the way, I never had the gastric bypass surgery.
My starting weight 485.
My current weight is 173.8!!!
If I can do it…YOU CAN DO IT!
Last Updated on March 27, 2023 by Katie Sisel Distributor
