THE BIGGEST WINNER

Here begins my journey, day one, to finish what I started when my weight was almost 500 lbs. I told myself that I would make a commitment to get healthier and learn steps to make that journey worthwhile and long-term.

It all started when I decided to save my life and opt for the gastric bypass surgery at a fighting weight of 485 pounds. I was trying to save my own life. I had 2 small boys and a wife that I wanted to grow old with and I was determined and desperate to feel and look better.

A year after successful surgery and getting my weight down to 325 lbs, I spend more and more time thinking about how to help children, especially my own, so that they would never have to suffer the same ridicules as the "fat kid".

The answer came easy - work with kids in a place that fostered a loving, comfortable and nurturing environment and use the same goals I had for myself- make positive changes, lose weight and somehow work through the issues to make this a life sustaining thing.
That's how I decided to open a weight loss camp for kids. I helped myself as well and saw my weight drop to 285 pounds. But while I continued to mentor and try to inspire my own kids and these wonderful campers from year-to-year, my weight has been on hold ranging from 285-325 pounds.

So I start this blog, happy to introduce myself as the director of Camp Shining Stars, a non-profit weight loss camp in Wilson, North Carolina. During the off season I've been consulting at the Rice Diet Program's Healthy Market, both at the store and their on-line business. Patients come from around the world to attend this wonderful program.

In the last eight years, I have helped more than 1000 children lose more than 25,000 pounds. The basic principles I encourage all children and adults to foster for a solid foundation for long-term success are Structure, Support, Accountability and Reward.

Recently, I was contacted by the TV show, "America’s Biggest Loser" and given the opportunity to audition. I had been spending so much time dedicated to mentoring and supporting children’s health efforts that I lost sight of my own. I felt that it would be a great opportunity and it would also fill the goal of the 4 steps I think are most important for long term success. Going away for six months and working out all day with trainer professional for the TV show sure seemed like the perfect solution, but to my disappointment, at the last minute, my son Saul and I were not selected.

Although I no longer have the opportunity to compete for a $1,000,000 with the rigorously structured environment of a televised weight loss program, I've been motivated and invigorated to make positive decisions in my life once more. I am now living what I've been preaching to my campers.

I needed to be accountable, be structured, be willing to accept support and reward myself.
I want to thank the Rice Diet Program for its added support through this process.

In this blog I am going to share with you the tools I share with children for following an accountability-based program. At the same time, I will be working daily for myself.
I'm moving off the plateau and forward to my goals of a healthy and rewarding life.

I look forward to my future and the opportunity to blog my journey. I am happy to get your thoughts, and feedback along the way ...

Sincerely,
Ira Green