Orlando Johnson III from North Carolina

My name is Orlando Johnson from High Point, NC. I was in the military for 15 years, and I use to run a lot. When I got out in 2002, my lifestyle became very sedimentary. I went from 190 in '02 to 265 in Mar. '08. I attended a funeral in Feb. '08 and my mother, who lives in Chicago told me, "Baby you need to lose some weight." In addition, she told me she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Since she is 16 years older than me, I could see the writing on the wall. The final straw that pushed me over the edge was seeing my 10 year old daughter in San Antonio and seeing her size. I realized I was not setting a good example for her.

On my way back to NC, I decided right then that I would not start any diets, but I was going to change my lifestyle. Telling you what I wanted to do is easier than doing it. However, I am very stubborn and when I set my mind to do something I normally accomplish my goal. In this case I wanted to lose 30 pounds because I did not want to get diabetes or heart disease.

My first major decision was to change my diet. I immediately cut out sodas, lemonade and other sugary drinks. I saw in 10 days that I lost 5 pounds. Next, I decided to work out. My goal was to stay on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes. I started off walking 25 minutes and running 5 minutes. I kept this routine and each week, I would walk less and run more until I could run for at least 30 minutes. In addition, a friend of mine told me about cleaning my colon. I went online and reviewed the ratings on the top colon cleansers available. I purchased a set and let me tell you, you would be very surprised to see what can come out of you. I also changed my food selections. I stopped eating fried foods and reduced my beef intake. Now I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I cut my portions down and I drink at least 4 bottles of water every day. Well, I am proud to say that in 3 months, I have lost 36 pounds and Saturday, 6/21, I ran outside 7.8 miles in 86 minutes and 58 seconds without stopping. I am down from 265 to 229. I just had my cholesterol checked and my cholesterol is 140. My HDL is still low at 33, but I am working hard to improve this number. I know a lot of guys do not feel like going to the doctor because of our high testosterone levels, but they are making a big mistake. My new goal now is to lose another 15 pounds. It's getting harder, but I know that I can make it.