Andre Cramblit: Dramatic decision paid off for my health status

Obesity has been a problem for me most of my life. Growing up I shopped in the husky section. When I was 13 in 7th grade, I weighed 225 pounds. My football coaches loved it, but it was not easy being the brownest and roundest kid in school. I was an athlete all through high school playing baseball and kept busy, so my weight didn't change all that much, but I did slowly get bigger. During my college years I stopped playing sports and doing much exercise at all and joined a co-ed fraternity that had open beer taps, not a good idea for losing weight.

Over the next 20 years or so my girth grew, and I entered my 40s at nearly 380 lbs. I had a variety of health related issues due to my super morbid obesity. I was suffering from high cholesterol (269), high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. I had to use a machine at night to keep breathing. I had asthma, bad joints and back pain. I couldn't keep up with my six-year-old son, and I was facing early death from a heart attack, stroke, possible diabetes and weight-related cancers.


Something dramatic had to happen, and after much thought and deliberation I made the decision that I was not going to live and die this way. At my lowest I lost 180 pounds, which resolved my health issues. How did I do it? It wasn’t an Old Indian Trick.