My name is Chris Stanley and I’m about as ordinary as they come. Dieting is a foreign concept to me. So is adhering to a strict workout regimen. I love a medium rare steak and scoff at the idea of light beer. And yet here I am in the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE without sacrificing my budget or sanity.
If it seems like I’m oblivious to your distress, trust me that’s the furthest thing from the truth. I’m highly adept at laughing to keep from crying. To have made it this far, I suspect you are the same way.
Obesity is a lethal disease, an epidemic of seismic proportions. It impacts your physical, mental and emotional well-being. That’s what makes it so hard to conquer. UNTIL NOW!
When I was at my heaviest, I went into shutdown mode. I didn’t want anyone near me. I felt like a grotesque monster. And my lack of self-worth made it that much harder to care enough to even attempt to get healthy.
My story started out how most stories about weight start – in elementary school. I was the fattest kid in class. This was a year in, year out issue.
As if true of anyone suffering from torment and torture, you adopt certain coping mechanisms to survive. I mastered the art of self-deprecating humor. Later in life, I got a reputation for being able to drink anyone under the table. I certainly had the constitution for it. How could someone be proud of something so destructive and humiliating? Again, this was all about survival.
Eventually, my body started to give out. My knees would buckle. My heart rate would spike at random. I was diagnosed with diabetes. Hypertension was a growing concern. My doctor told me I likely wouldn’t life to see my 45th birthday.
