Weight Loss
36 year old male
Lost over 115 lbs. in 7 months!
In the Fall of 2001, I was diagnosed with a neurological disease called Spasmodic Torticollis (ST), also known as Cervical Dystonia. It is a condition that causes intermittent or sustained spasms/contractions of the neck and back muscles which control the position of the head, causing the head to lean to one side or be pulled forward or backward. ST is usually accompanied by constant and extreme pain. Currently, there is no known cause or cure for this disease and the best doctors can do is treat the symptoms, most commonly with oral medications and Botox injections.
 In my particular case, within 4 months of my diagnosis I was in such extreme pain and disfigurement that I was pretty much unable to do anything on my own. My head and neck were literally stuck in the position illustrated in the photo and the condition significantly worsened with any type of movement because of the intense spasms. I also developed scoliosis from maintaining this posture for so many years. I spent nearly the first 8-10 months living on my floor because of the awful pain when I moved.
As a result of my chronic pain and disability, I became very depressed, was almost totally homebound, had severe panic attacks, and was very sedentary. I no longer cared for my body the way I knew how and began eating large quantities of high fat foods throughout the day and night. I went from an athletic 185-190 pounds prior to my diagnosis to a morbidly obese 310 pounds in December 2006. Around the time my weight was 240 pounds, I was put on blood pressure medication for hypertension.
While I never did anything to change my bad habits (mainly because I was in denial), every day I told myself that the next day would be the day I would make the change and get back in shape, but this went on for almost 4 years and I just became more depressed, disfigured, and overweight. It got to the point that I began thinking that I needed something serious to happen to me in order for me to make the necessary change, which is exactly what happened.
In December 2006, I got sick with a bad stomach virus for almost 2 weeks and during that time my neck seemed much straighter and I lost about 15 pounds. Getting sick really scared me because I rarely ever get sick; so when I do, I always think the worst. In addition, considering my sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, I thought that my getting sick might be a sign that I had developed a more serious problem, such as diabetes and/or some kind of organ dysfunction. While this was not the type of motivation to change I would have chosen, this was exactly what I needed to jump start my brain into action. It was a wide open window of opportunity and I jumped through it. I knew that if I hadn’t, I would eventually get sicker and begin having more serious health problems.
 Considering I already lost about 15 pounds and my neck somehow improved while I was sick and for a short time thereafter, I began exercising and changed my diet following the recommendations at deflame.com. As a result, my neck gradually became stronger and straighter, I lost over 115 pounds, and I no longer take blood pressure medicine as my hypertension is under control through proper diet and exercise. All in just 7 months!
How did I do it? Quite frankly, it really wasn’t that difficult. I simply changed what I ate following the nutrition guidelines at deflame.com, I cut back on the amount of food I ate, took the nutritional supplements offered in the Basic Program at deflame.com, and walked everyday. That’s it. No special diet, diet pills or drinks, or any unique exercise program. I just ate properly and walked everyday. Believe it or not, that is all I did! The weight literally dripped off me. When I initially began losing weight in December 2006, I set a goal of being 250 pounds by Summer 2007. I hit this goal in March and by June I weighed 200 pounds! This is only 10-15 pounds more than what I weighed before I was diagnosed with ST 6 years ago! I currently weigh between 190-195 pounds.
I started walking ¼ mile a day and within 3 months I was up to 3 miles twice a day. My diet consists of an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, and modest portions of protein. I do not eat bread, pasta, grains, or sweets of any kind and the only thing I drink is water. If I am hungry between meals, I have a piece of fruit, which always gets me through to my next meal. Luckily, I have absolutely no cravings for any particular kind of food or drink. The only craving I have is ‘food’ when I’m hungry.
 For breakfast I have a protein shake which consists of a banana, frozen cherries, soaked almonds, and egg protein powder blended with water. Lunch consists of fresh melon, red grapes and cottage cheese, or fruit topped with chia seeds or hemp seeds, and for dinner I have a variety of meats (mainly chicken, fish, steak, pork tenderloin, & lean ground beef) with steamed or sautéed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, etc.) and/or a large salad. That is basically all I eat. While this may sound boring, if the food is fresh and prepared properly, each meal is delicious. I found that if I view food merely as a means to satisfy hunger, I have no desire or purpose to eat otherwise. I just make sure that when I eat, I eat the right kinds of food…those that are as anti-inflammatory as possible. When I feel full, I simply stop eating.
While I still suffer with spasms and neck/back pain on a daily basis due to my disability, and probably will to varying degrees the rest of my life until a cure is found, overall, my ST is significantly better on a more consistent basis. I attribute this to my anti-inflammatory diet and a very specific stretching/ exercise/massage program that I learned from attending the ST Recovery Clinic in Santa Fe, NM (www.stclinic.com). In addition to having less pain, I’m working again, I no longer have panic attacks, and I’m socially active again.
Thanks to the amazing results following the nutrition guidelines at deflame.com, I am confident that I will continue recovering from ST, but more importantly, I have reduced my health risks associated with obesity and chronic inflammation, and I will continue to maintain my anti-inflammatory lifestyle so I can further improve upon my health. I haven’t felt this good in over 6 years!
If you would like to contact me about anything I’ve written, please feel free to email me at toms@vol.com.
To learn more about Spasmodic Torticollis, as well as ongoing research and treatments, please visit www.spasmodictorticollis.org.
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