HOW I LOST 88 POUNDS

This time last year, I was fat, drunk, depressed and on anti-depressants. I weighed 286 pounds and drank a whole bottle of Bourbon almost every single night.

I now weigh 206 pounds. I have lost a total of 80 pounds and lost 50 of it from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

In 2008 I lost my church. I had started it in my living room with four people ten years earlier, and had just built a brand new building that could seat over 500 people when things started to unravel for me. (people were leaving in droves because I went from preaching the Prosperity Gospel to the True Gospel)

I lost my church, lost my faith, suffered financial ruin, one of my sons was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the other son ruptured his spleen. All of my friends vanished. My truck got re-poed. (my sons are both well, thank God)

So, I turned to drinking and food for comfort. I went from about 225 to 286, looked horrible, felt horrible, couldn't breathe, couldn't sleep, and couldn't fit into any of my cloths. I was drinking until I passed out. It was the only way that I could sleep. I was also seeing a shrink for depression, OCD, and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

About this time last year, I started experiencing what I would call my Charley Sheen Days. I lost my mind and started acting completely out of character, embarrassing myself and my family. My insurance quit covering my meds, so I quit all of my anti-depressants cold turkey.

Then, around the first of this year, 2011, I just woke up one day and didn't feel like drinking anymore. I just quit. God sovereignly took the desire and need for alcohol away from me. My faith and will power had NOTHING to do with it. I had NO faith, and I had NO will power. It was God alone.

Next, someone told me about an easy diet. It was: No seconds, no sweets, no snacks, except for on days that started with a S. Easy enough! So I followed this plan loosely from about New Years till Memorial Day, and along with walking, lost 21 pounds.

On Memorial Day, I was cleaning carpet for a customer and as usual, I was sweating like an ice cube in a fire. My customer offered me a glass of water, and I turned it down because I had some DIET Mtn Dew in the truck. I drank Diet Mtn Dew all day long.

She said, "Sonny if you will quit drinking DIET drinks, you will lose 10 pounds in a week" so I did. I quit drinking All DIET SODAS and lost 15 pounds in one week! It worked!

So, after losing an additional 15 pounds, I began jogging. Now I HATED running. I had been forced to run when I was in the Marines and hated it with a passion. But, I started jogging slowly, and forced myself to start praying as I ran.

I had been unable to pray for almost three years, but foreced myself to pray as I ran. Six laps would make three miles, so I dedicated each lap for a certain person or situation to pray for on each lap.

Then I tweeked my diet. I began to eat ONE main meal a day, usually in the evening with my family. I ate whatever Coni cooked or brought home.....BUT.....only one serving. If I got hungry during the day, then I would eat a bag of grapes or cherries, or some other fruit.

I have lost 80 pounds. I am off of all my medications. I am off of anti-depressants. I am off of my blood pressure meds. I jog at least three miles per day. I eat one main meal, with fruit snacks when Im hungry. I do lots of push ups and sit ups. I sleep like a baby and feel AMAZING!!!!!

So basically here is my routine:

I MAKE myself run three miles a day, seven days a week.

I eat one main meal per day, anything that is served, one serving.

I eat fruit whenever Im REALLY hungry.

I NEVER drink DIET SODA! I get MIO drops and put them in water.

I pray when I run, religiously! Ha ha, pun intended.

I rarely drink any booze. I did have a swallow of Tequila when I was in Arizona, and I had a swallow of Vodka at the Lake on the Fourth of July, but I just dont have the desire to drink....plus I dont want the calories!

This is my lifestyle. I intend to keep this routine everyday for the rest of my life. The Docs and experts, the trainers and gurus can say whatever they want to say, My Plan works for Me, and Im sticking to it!