This is a difficult post for me. Partly because I am sharing some pretty personal parts of my life, but mostly because it is somewhat embarrassing. I am posting photos, and I am embarrassed about where I let myself get as well as by the fact that I am not "there" yet, when it comes to my fitness. However, I have come a long way this year, and I felt it was important to share some things about my journey.
Let me back up a bit. In 2014, I was in pretty bad shape. But, to be honest, my wife Laura (Dr. White), was worse. Laura was suffering. She was exhausted all the time, in severe pain almost throughout her body, and getting worse. She had been to doctors(who told her nothing was wrong), had tried alternative treatments, to no avail, and nothing was helping. We were seriously wondering how much longer she could keep working. To make a long story(one that she will hopefully share one day)short, Laura found Functional Medicine. She read books, and began experimenting on herself...and it worked. After several years of feeling like death warmed over, she began a fairly rapid journey to greatly improved health.
This brings us to the beginning of 2016. After walking with Laura for a year as she improved, and learning more and more about functional medicine, it was my turn. You see, I was a mess. My health had been deteriorating for about 10 years. At the beginning of 2016 I weighed 263 lbs. I was taking medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and autoimmune dysfunction (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). I had chronic back pain, two hernias, and severe Vitiligo (autoimmune disorder). My stress was through the roof (another story) and I felt like crap. At 51 years old, I had basically decided I was getting old, and this was my lot in life. However, after watching Laura regain her health, I decided to go all in and see if it would work for me. On March 1, 2016, I began my journey back. I made changes to my diet, began supplementation, and began an exercise program. It was slow going, and difficult at first, but I decided I had nowhere to go but up.
During this process my wife, who had become passionate about Functional Medicine, and what it could do for others, began a fellowship, training with two different functional medicine programs, with the goal of opening a new practice. After a few months of improvement, I made the decision to begin the IFM Health Coach program, and the ACE personal training certification program. I wanted to work with Laura in her new venture.
So, that brings us to today. I am happy to report that at the time of this writing, I am down 50lbs. My back pain is gone, and my energy levels have gone through the roof. More importantly, I am completely off my blood pressure meds, my statins, and my thyroid medications! At 52, I have a completely different outlook on my future than I did at 51. That's a lot of change in one year! For those of you out there who are super fit already, please don'tjudge. I am not there yet. I am not putting myself out there as a fitness guru, or someone to emulate. This is not a before and after "transformation" story. This is a before and "so far" story.
I am posting this to hopefully be an encouragement to those of you who are beginning 2017 sick and tired of being sick and tired. To those of you who may have given up, or who just don't think anything will work for you. If you think this is what its like to get older, and this is your lot in life, I want you to know, we get it. We have been where you are, and we want you to know, there is hope.
If you are suffering from chronic health conditions, or just want to get healthier, give us a call and lets talk. Dr. White will customize a medical program for you, and we will walk with you through every aspect of your health journey. I must tell you, there are no magic pills, and no real quick fixes, although you will probably start feeling better sooner than you think. So, if you are ready to make real change this year, contact us. We will show you what we can do to put you on the road to Total Health.
- Mark White
