Never Going Back to 480

 
At age 20, Andrew Frudden is a fit, handsome young man with striking brown eyes, clear complexion and rosy pink cheeks that accompany his overall health and his enthusiasm for his new life.
 
Today, no one would look at Andrew and imagine that just three years ago he was a 480 pound teenager with diminishing hopes of a full life, disabled not only by his burdening weight, but by the overwhelming fear that he might not live to see 20.
 
Most 17-year-old boys tread fearlessly into adulthood with the belief that they will live forever. This was not so for Andrew. At 17, his life was dominated by fear: the fear that there might never be a solution to his long battle with increasing weight gain, his inability to breathe, run, and simply be a normal kid.
 
While the other elementary school children received awards for physical education accomplishments, Andrew sat on the sidelines, embarrassed, self conscious and unable to perform even the simplest of physical activities. Food became his source of comfort, his friend, and a way to alleviate the pressures of daily life.
 
Adolescence only brought increasing stress, weight gain and embarrassment. It was then that Andrew sought professional help and began therapy with a physician who provided counseling while treating his stress and anxiety with a variety of drugs. This only contributed to his weight gain and in his words, “turned me into a zombie.”
 
Significantly overweight at 320 pounds, Andrew entered his freshman year at Templeton High School. The first day of school became a turning point in Andrew’s young life. Like a double-edged sword, sometimes the most painful moments in life are the ones that bring the greatest insights.
 
As the bell rang, the students began filing into class and taking their seats, something most students do without thought. Not so for Andrew. As he attempted to squeeze behind his desk his body overlapped the top of the chair. The wood creaked under the burden of his weight. “The students silently watched while my anxiety and fear grew that the chair would crumble under me. Panic set it in as I envisioned the ultimate humiliation for an overweight teenager,” recalls Andrew.
 
Boldly, Andrew told his teacher, “I can’t do this.” He knew he needed to get away from the stressful environment of a traditional school setting and began independent studies. However, soon the journey would become even more challenging.
 
“I got to know the four walls of my room very well,” Andrew commented, “and as my depression increased, so did my weight.” 300 pounds became 400 pounds and climbing.
 
A consultation was arranged to discuss Andrews’s eligibility as a candidate for the risky gastric bypass surgery. “It was scary. After going over the life threatening risk, I had to face the fact that I might die. If the surgery didn’t kill me my weight would.”
 
So far nothing had worked. It was then that Andrew and his mother decided to take control. Andrew was 480 pounds and not yet 17 years of age.
 
Andrew’s mother gathered together a team of fitness and psychological professionals to take a practical approach to Andrews’s journey toward overall health. “I finally felt like I had a plan; I finally had some hope,” said Andrew. As Andrew was weaned off the drugs, he worked with a nutritionist, a personal trainer and psychotherapists for treatment of stress, anxiety and the underlying issues that contributed to the weight gain.
 
“This was the second turning point in my life,” Andrew said. “Contemplating losing hundreds of pounds is impossible. I had to focus on just losing one pound at a time. I had good and bad days, but would stress about what tomorrow might bring or worry about happened yesterday. I just had to stay in the present moment and work on what I was doing today. As my nutrition and food choices changed, so did my desire for food. I was taking control for the first time in my life. In the beginning I had my doubts, but when I lost my first 20 pounds, I thought, ‘I can do this.’ And I haven’t stopped.”
 
Changes in nutrition and exercise were gradual. His dietitian, Marlena Tanner, R.D. took a “non-diet,” intuitive eating approach by gradually introducing healthy eating alternatives and portion control. “I was beginning to see weight loss results for the first time in my life,” Andrew remembers.
 
As Andrew lost the weight, there were some unforeseen problems. “My skin began to sag as a result of being stretched over many years,” he said. The final step in Andrew’s transformation was when he made decision to have his excess skin removed as he approached his goal weight. Andrew underwent what is called a major weight loss surgery to bring his body to his present day fit condition. The recovery was at times painful and difficult but was, as he states, “totally worth it.”
 
Life has changed completely for him now. He no longer has to look at a seat and wonder if he can fit into it, no longer has to figure out how to physically navigate walking though a store, no longer occupies the entire seat of a car, and no longer endures stares and insensitive comments from strangers. Where most young people want to be noticed, Andrew embraces the simple joy of being “average” and being just another kid. But, average he is not.
 
“On my journey I overcame many obstacles. I waded against the currents of despair and reached the other side, but not without the help of others. Along the way my team shined their light on me, threw me a rope and yelled, CLIMB. I call them my team of Avengers. I would like to thank my mother and father, therapists Jennifer Prins, Eric Goodman, Douglas Chisholm, M.D., nutritionist Marlena Tanner, trainers George Dugas, Jeff Marcove and Dee Harris. Last but not least Debbie Blossom-Miles who helped me at the beginning of my journey and has encouraged and inspired me along the way,” says Andrew.
 
Today at 185 pounds, Andrew has his first job. His future plans include college in order to study nutrition and to obtain his Personal Trainer certification. There is a half marathon and a marathon in his future, and with his new body has come a new, positive outlook on life.
 
Author: Debbie Blossom-Miles, Ed.M. is a certified personal trainer; and running coach with over 27 years experience in the fitness industry.
 
For more on Andrew’s journey, be sure to visit his YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/nvrgoinbakto480
 
Andrews top 10 tips for weight loss:
1. Look at losing one pound at a time not volumes of weight.
2. Sometimes you will lose weight like a tortoise and other times like the hare. Don’t get discouraged.
3. Don’t weigh yourself every day. The scale can ruin your day.
4. Gradually cut out all fast foods from your diet.
5. Prepare meals ahead of time.
6. Believe that you are stronger than you know.
7. Comfort eating doesn’t help us, it hurts us. It’s self-sabotage!
8. Before comfort eating, give yourself a “time-out” and let the moment pass.
9. Journal your weight loss experience.
10. Develop a specific plan for weight loss that includes a support team.

Activities: 
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