Yuma man's weight-loss required patience, pluck

Losing weight can seem like an impossible battle, but one Yuma man was able to shed 93 pounds. The success, he said, has required patience and intestinal fortitude.

In early 2008, Richard Craig weighed nearly 300 pounds, and had difficulty doing many physical tasks.

"I was seeing my blood pressure go up, and I found it difficult to stand up if I was sitting down on the ground," Craig said. "There were a lot of things that were just uncomfortable, like fitting in an airline chair, and just all the things we take for granted, they become more and more difficult."

Craig said he had finally had enough, and decided to do something about it.

"I tried several different things and everybody is different, and that is the key. What worked for me may not work for somebody else," he said. "I tried a lot of the different fad diets, the low-carb diet, and this that and the other... but finally someone told me about Weight Watchers."

Craig said Weight Watchers was a perfect fit.

"I went to a meeting and it seemed simple for me. It was easy. You just track what you eat, and stay within a certain range of calories, and the program works. You lose one to two pounds a week."

Craig said he didn't start exercising right away.

"I was kind of large and I would get out of breath pretty easily. After about four months I started exercising, and still today I don’t do crazy exercise, I just walk on a treadmill for a while, lift a little weight and jump on a bike. That's my work out. It is nothing strenuous or over the top. It's kind of casual. It’s just movement."

Craig said the Weight Watcher's plan is simple.

"It’s not pre-packaged food. A lot of people confuse it with some of the things they see on television. I still go out to eat and I can have In-N-Out Burgers, but I have them different. I have it without cheese, and ketchup instead of the spread. It is what you eat that is the key."

Craig said each person has a different peak amount of calories that is good for them

"With Weight Watchers you get a specific amount of points depending on your height, sex, your age and your weight. A point is about 50 calories. When I started I had 43 points, which is about 2,150 calories a day. Now I am down to about 31 points a day (1,550 calories)."

Craig said there are some foods he avoids.

"The common thing would be the high-fat foods. I eat a lot of fish, and instead of regular eggs for breakfast, I’ll have half a cup of Egg Beaters. I’ll chop up a jalapeno, a whole tomato and an onion. I’ll have a 100-calorie muffin and a yogurt, and that right there is about 250 calories for breakfast, which is not much. I also drink a lot of water."

Craig said, for the most part, he avoids sugar.

"Yeah pretty much, but there are substitutes for it. I do have soda, but I drink diet soda. Weight Watchers sells a caramel candy that I like, and Schwann's has a fudgesicle that takes zero points. But you can only have one and not five, that is key. At zero points, if you have one a day, it doesn't count. So you get to have a little guilty pleasure."

Craig said people can still snack as long as the snacks are sensible.

"There is popcorn available at the grocery store that is one-point popcorn, and is only 50 calories a serving. If you like the popcorn and you have a diet soda while you are watching a movie, you are good to go."

Craig said people looking to lose weight can make small changes that add up big in the end.

"You can still have those pleasures once in a while, but you can't go eat at a burger joint every day. It's funny because you can still go to these places. Jack in the Box has a pita and a side salad instead of fries. That's only nine points. It is a bit of a change and you just need to pay more attention to what you eat."

Craig said people shouldn't be too eager to see the pounds fall off.

"It just takes time. Nothing happens real fast. If you are doing it right, you are losing one to two pounds a week. It took me about a year to lose 90 pounds. You just have to be patient. In a couple of months people will start to notice the difference. Once you lose 10 percent of your weight, that is big." 

Craig said losing all those pounds amped him up.

"I was used to sitting around and watching TV all day, which used to be my favorite thing. I would come home and plop down and use the remote. Now I have all this energy, and I actually restored a Chevy Bel-Air. Everything is better, psychologically, physically and in my relationships. My wife likes it."

Craig said he is a totally transformed man.

"My kids don’t even recognize me sometimes."

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Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.

FATTEST TO FITTEST
See more articles inspired by the Fattest to Fittest: Yuma vs. Yakima Weight Loss Challenge. Go to YumaSun.com/Contests online and click on "Weight-loss challenge"