A former 400-pound pre-diabetic man marks a decade since he lost half his body weight by attempting to kayak the circumference of Long Island, New York.
Russ L'HommeDieu, a 45-year-old physical therapist and wellness coach, was so heavy twelve years ago that he couldn't be weighed at his doctor's office. "The scale only went up to 350 pounds," he recalls. Weighing more than 400 pounds, Russ was pre-diabetic with elevated glucose levels that suggested if he didn't change his lifestyle fast, he would become one of the 26 million Americans with diabetes.
The day he received the pre-diabetes diagnosis, Russ started making changes in his diet, but it was another day ten years ago that set off the extraordinary weight loss and life change that he's never looked back from.
"My son wanted a kayak for his birthday," Russ says. "I said, 'no, because you're not going into the bay alone, and I'm not getting into one of those things.' I saw the disappointment on his face, and I started to think how many other things am I keeping him from."
So, Russ got an extra large kayak for himself and started paddling.
In two years, Russ lost about two-hundred pounds, but more significantly, he managed to maintain the dramatic weight loss for the last decade by sticking with healthy eating habits and, of course, continuing to kayak every day.
To celebrate the milestone, Russ is planning to kayak the 275-mile circumference of Long Island, N.Y., on September 8. The journey will take ten days and you can follow his progress on www.longislandpaddle.com. See the Video Here: http://bcove.me/25llhrpr
See original story at
http://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/200-pound-weight-loss-leads-to-epic-adventure.aspx
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