Here at Blue Sky MD, we love it when our clients embrace their journey. We understand that losing weight can be a struggle and that a large part of that struggle is about changing behaviors and breaking patterns.
We recently had the pleasure of meeting and working with weight loss client, Grady Shope. Born and raised in Asheville, Grady has experienced a lot in his 42 years of life. He is a marine, a husband, a father of three, and a student of theology who has traveled to 23 countries and authored a book. Now, Grady shares his weight loss journey with friends and family on Facebook, hoping to encourage others. We hope that his story will help to inspire and encourage you, too.
During Grady’s first appointment at Blue Sky MD, he received a complete medical evaluation including a body composition analysis. His stats looked like this:
Weight: 323lbs
Total Body-Fat 39.9%
Total Body Water 133.2lbs
Muscle-Mass 59.7lbs
Body Mass Index 43.5
Dr. David Lamond challenged Grady to participate in Blue Sky MD’s weight control program for 90 days, during which time he is expected to lose 10-15% of his body weight. Throughout the program, Grady will adhere to an individualized weight control plan, weigh in weekly, and receive counseling, advice, and encouragement from the Blue Sky team. He will also receive weekly B-12 and B-6 injections and learn how and when to incorporate exercise.
Grady is journaling about this process and has agreed to share the highs and lows of the process with us. In just 10 days, Grady is facing the challenges with humor and optimism.
On day 4, he was reminded of his Marine Corp training when Nutrition Counselor, Yuri Eliashevsky, told him to drink more water because oftentimes dehydration can stimulate the feeling of hunger. He shared that, “while in the Marine Corp, they would recommend we drink half our body weight (pounds) in ounces of water.”
When facing “crunchy cravings” on day 8, Grady relied on the support and advice of his wife and Kristen Hunter, Program Director and Registered Dietitian, who advised him to replace the empty calories of chips and popcorn bathed in butter with celery and hummus, carrots, kale chips, zucchini or yellow squash chips, or lightly salted almonds.
In this excerpt from his journal, Grady shares how, with a little bit of thoughtful planning, he is able to enjoy his daily routine during his weight loss journey.
Day 10
Feeling Grreeaat Today!
My Blue Sky Program is going good. Redefining my eating habits is nothing more than just a little bit of planning. I meet with so many folk during the week; it hasn’t been easy to kick the “Country Kitchen” for healthier choices. Being a Good Ole’ Country Boy, it’s hard to let go that biscuit! But, now I schedule meetings around coffee shops or give suggestions like, Earth Fare, Whole Foods, Green Sage, Neo, and most restaurants will modify any meal. It just takes a little bit of planning and thought.
One thing for certain, take carrots, cheese sticks, almonds, peanut butter or celery for the in between meals. It’s the little things that will make a difference.
I will be implementing exercise in to my routine on day 14. Blue Sky recommended 2 weeks to adjust to my new eating habits and to make sure I’m doing OK. That’s the part of this I love, the accountability and encouragement every week. It will make all the difference, it has for me.
We hope that Grady will encourage you as he has us. Check back for periodic updates on his progress or follow him on Facebook.
