Kevin W. McCarthy

The Professor of On-Purpose

eat right

Kevin, How Did You Lose Weight And Keep It Off For Two Years ?

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Many people have asked me to reveal the secret to my success with losing my weight and keeping it off.  This On-Purpose “Minute” gives you the skinny on the keys to my weight loss, keeping it off, and staying at a healthy weight. Warning: this “Minute” is a bit different from what you might be used to seeing.

After watching the video, keep reading as I share my update and a surprising residual insight to this whole healthy experience.

OK!  So I had a bit of fun there with you in this On-Purpose Minute.  Hey, it’s the summer so it’s time to cut loose a bit.  Did you watch it all the way?  Hopefully, you hung in there with me and learned my many “secrets.”

From March to July of 2008, I lost 50 pounds.  Candidly, about 10 pounds have crept back on me here on my 2nd anniversary.  I’m in much better shape so I hope some of it is muscle weight – or is that a rationalization?  The tips I gave you work amazing well, if you apply them.

More importantly, I’ve learned a few things about myself, too.  Keeping a healthy weight isn’t nearly as hard as I imagined it to be.  Certainly my behaviors and habits are much healthier, yet there is still this unnecessary and unhealthy desire – call it an occasional lust – for sweets.  It isn’t a physiological need, but an emotional longing of some sort.  But what?

Some unmet need, hurt, frustration, or anger causes me to run to my drug of choice.  I’m working on understanding what the heck is happening and the pattern.  It mostly rears its ugly head at night.

Thankfully the weight loss and new habits have given me a margin of health, a fresh start, and a clearer mind, but there’s more work to be done on good (not so old) old Kevin.  By stripping away a pile of fat-boy producing habits, I’m getting to the root of my issue(s).  It is all good!

My prayer would be that you, too, get on a journey of healthy on-purpose living.  Your personal insights refine and enrich your life if you will go to them instead of running from them.  If you have a health coach, then work with them.   If you need a health coach, then please contact Judith McCarthy at judithmccarthy@cfl.rr.com to learn how you can do what I did.

My On-Purpose Pants!

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One of the oddities about an affluent society is our clothes closet.  Many of us who have gained a few pounds over the years have two and, sometimes, three sets of clothes.  I'm not talking seasonal clothing like winter and summer clothes.  No I'm talking normal, fat, and even fatter.  By the time most of us reach "even fatter," we've lost hope and finally given away the normal clothes settling for the fat and even fatter selection. 

Since I've been in the process of reprogramming my eating through the Take Shape For Life system, I've dropped over thirty pounds since April 3.  Yep, 30 pounds in 2 months.  My "even fatter" clothes began drooping on me within a couple of weeks.  After about a month, I was digging around into the "fat" set of clothes.  Now they're bagging. 

Over the weekend I bought two pair of men's pants and a pair of jeans – size 36!  My belts no longer fit either.  I've shrunk out of my 40s and 38s.  I was looking like a homeless guy with baggy pants.  Honestly, I can't remember wearing 36s.  There were none in my closet.  When I played a lot of competitive tennis – some 18 years ago – I was a size 34 tennis short.  So to wear a 36 is like rediscovering my youth.  What a joy for the baby boomer! 

I am still in my fat burning state.  Who knows, could 34s actually be in my life again?  Why not?  Honestly, the image of size 34 was so hopelessly erased from my self-perception that it is still hard for me to imagine it.  And I'm a guy with vision!  Yet I know it is not only possible, it is probable if I simply decide to commit to it.  My goal weight is 190.  At that weight the 36s will probably fit just fine.  Then again size 34 might be just the thing.

There isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't ask me about my weight loss and tell me how good I look.  Never in my life have I had so many kind words spoken to me about my appearance.  Family, friends, and clients have asked for my help so I decided to get smarter about TSFL so I can better advise them rightly.  Plus, I love to learn.  I am such a fan of Take Shape For Life that I accepted the invitation by Dr. Andersen to be trained as a Health Coach.  I'll be trained by the best so I can help people be on-purpose with their health.  My wife, Judith, is really the person most interested in actually doing the day-to-coaching with coaching.  Together, we'll be learning.  I'm a zealot about this life changing program that has helped move me toward optimal health and away from disease.  I cannot NOT share it with you.

If you've done a want list and tournament on your Physical/Health Life Account and had "lose weight" show up as your top want, then TSFL may be the program just for you.  Do you have an on-purpose plan to trim down and keep off the weight?  Great!  If not, then let's connect… on-purpose.  Wouldn't you like to own a pair of on-purpose pants as well?

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

30 pound weight loss – 7 Weeks!

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Tsfl_may_23_2008Unbelievable!  I am somewhat stunned.  After years of attempting to eat right, exercise, and drink more water… and failing to lose much beyond the initial five or ten pounds, I am actually down 30 pounds since April 4th.  That’s seven short weeks ago. 

Here is my weigh in photo taken just about 6;45 am this morning.  You may recall my blog post on April 4th with my scale reading 230!  My goal weight remains 40 pounds of weight loss or to reach 190 pounds.  Nevertheless, to break the 200 mark is a major milestone for me.  I can’t remember the last time I weighed under 200.  Certainly, when I was playing lots of competitive tennis at age 35 – some 18 years ago – I was in much better shape.  Playing in the Men’s 35 Nationals Clay Courts I hurt my knee and laid off for 13 years until a modest three-year return to courts.  I haven’t play for nearly two years now.  I would have to guess my weight has been above 200 since 1990.  I just can’t believe I let it slide like this for so long.

The picture that’s the header of my blog shows me in late October, 2007.  I probably weighed 235 at the time of the photo shoot.  Now, in addition to new clothes, I’ll soon need new photos taken for my web site and speaker kit.  This is what one calls a good problem. 

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Amazing!

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OK, so I decided at the beginning of April to start the TSFL program to learn how to eat as an adult.  Facts are my diet really hasn't changed that much since I was a teenager.  I love my pizza and ice cream.  How many more areas of my life am also making decisions like when I was a teen?  Hmmm!  Topic for another day.

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Since April 3, I've lost 25 pounds.  That's the great news.  The bad news is this morning I'm to introduce Dr. Sandy Shugart, the President of Valencia Community College, as the Campaign Walk Chair for the Light The Night Event with the CFL Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I'm on the board and Sandy I are friends.  Normally, it's a delightful honor to introduce a friend and dynamic leader like Sandy. 

Except for one thing…

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