508 lb. farmer plows toward weight loss goal

Today Greg Thompson is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the day he joined L A Weight Loss, and began a journey that led to a new body and a new life.

You can listen to his story here.



Here's the scoop: Greg is down to 301 pounds from his starting weight of 508 pounds (!!!). He says he feels like a new man. He no longer has high blood pressure or headaches, and is more physically active.

But one year ago, Greg wasn't sure he'd even be alive today. Greg owns Dun-Bar Farms, his family's farm in Northwestern Wisconsin. At 508 pounds, he struggled to operate equipment, and climb in and out of the tractor.

He had virtually no energy to perform simple daily tasks, and could walk only short distances before gasping for air. Greg suffered chest pains, high blood pressure, and head aches.

Sometimes when he went grocery shopping, he couldn't even sum up the strength to get out of of truck and walk into the store! He'd hit the fast food drive-thru instead, and when he got home, he'd indulge in chocolates and sweets—his biggest temptations.

Greg says he was slowly killing himself. Every night he went to bed fearing he wouldn't wake up in the morning.

His saving grace came over the radio waves on his favorite music station, Moose Country 106.7. DJ Jay Moore was losing weight on the L A Weight Loss program, and talked about his experience every day. Jay's success inspired Greg, and he finally made a phone call to the Eau Claire, Wis., L A Weight Loss center.

Now, down over 200 pounds, Greg is pulling calves, mowing lawns, and cutting wood with relative ease.

When he goes grocery shopping, he parks in the furtherest parking spot. He avoids the candy aisle and goes straight for the fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, chicken, turkey, and fish that his counselor, Christina, recommends.

Last June, Greg rewarded himself with a trip to Montana to visit his sister. He's planning another "reward trip" to Montana again when he reaches his goal weight of 208 pounds. And we'll be sure to post a follow-up when he gets there.

You're on the right track, Greg! Keep going, you're almost there!

Here's Greg one year ago, at 508 pounds:



Greg now, at 301 pounds. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



FAST FACTS

Name: Greg Thompson
Hometown: Ridgeland, Wis.
Age: 43

Starting weight: 508 pounds
Goal weight: 208 pounds
Current weight: 301 pounds
Program start date: Jan. 9, 2006

Biggest temptation: Russell Stover chocolates.

Biggest motivator: Christina, his personal L A Weight Loss counselor at the Eau Claire, Wis., center.

Biggest obstacle: Finding a weight loss plan that worked for him.

Old eating philosophy: Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch, and pizza for dinner.

New eating philosophy: Fresh fruit and toast for breakfast; low-fat dairy, salad, and grilled chicken or cod for lunch and dinner.

Best thing about losing weight: Having a lot of get-up-and-go makes moving around and working on the farm a hundred times easier.

Best weight loss secret learned: Keep a food diary. Without one, you quickly forget what you eat and end up overindulging.

Meet the counselor behind Greg Thompson's success

Whenever I chat with L A Weight Loss customers, I don't get very far before they drop the name of their personal counselor. It's no surprise: Their counselors are a major contributors to their success. L A Weight Loss customers meet with their personal counselor three times a week to get the motivation and nutritional advice that helps them hit their goal weight.

That's the story behind our new My L A Weight Loss Diary feature -- podcasts with the personal counselors of people you've gotten to know on this site. And what better way to kick this off than with Christina Young, the woman who put our resident farmer Greg Thompson well on his way to his goal weight of 240 pounds.

Greg met Christina at the Eau Claire, Wis., center where he's gone three times a week since he started the program 15 months ago. Marnie and I recently caught up with Christina to get the inside scoop on what it was like meeting Greg at 508 pounds, and how she helped him develop a plan to realistically shed hundreds of pounds.

We hope you enjoy our first of many insights into what it's like to be an L A Weight Loss counselor. On with the show!



Speaking of Greg, he sent me a new photo last month sporting his ever-shrinking body. He's now an incredible 273 pounds, and Christina is a huge part of that success!

Here's Greg (minus 235 pounds) and Christina at the Eau Claire center. Only 43 pounds to go!! Keep it going, Greg -- you look FANTASTIC!

Catching up with our favorite farmer

Ever since Greg Thompson joined L A Weight Loss exactly two years ago, we've been following his progress, and cheering him on to his weight loss goal.

Why has Greg's weight loss been so remarkable? Because in two years' time, Greg has lost 246 pounds. When he first joined us at 508 pounds, he was struggling to do simple daily tasks. Now, at 262 pounds, Greg says he jumps out of bed in the morning, ready for anything.

The ability to get up and go is extremely important for this Wisconsin farmer, who needs all the energy he can get to run his two farms. And on top of the farm work, Greg has been fitting in time to exercise every day.

Greg's social life is transformed too. He goes to more parties, and has no problem being out in public. Greg feels like a million bucks. That's pretty incredible for a man who, two years ago, wasn't sure he'd live another day.

Now, Greg is just eight pounds away from his weight loss goal of 254. With his healthy diet of grilled chicken and fish, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, and other wholesome alternatives, it won't be long before Greg is celebrating his weight loss victory. Keep up the great work, Greg!

Here's Greg looking better than ever at 262 pounds:

Counting up to the next 100 weight loss stories

Break out the pinatas and party hats! With this post, My L A Weight Loss Diary hits a major milestone -- our 100^th post!

That’s 100 stories detailing the hard work people undertake to accomplish their goals ... 100 examples of lives changing for the better ... and 100 points of inspiration for anyone seeking to do the same.

You've been able to get up close and personal with these amazing people through podcast interviews. We’ve also featured expert advice through interviews with Dr. Boyd Lyles, our resident health expert; and nutritionist Jennifer Simmons, who’s offered tips for eating well and staying health.

Our first post last November detailed the weight loss story of John Spino, who went from 310 to 182 pounds, and controlled his diabetes as a result. Since then, we’ve featured nine people on My L A Weight Loss Diary who were able to control their diabetes through proper eating and exercise.

We've also showcased 15 people who lowered their high blood pressure by losing weight, including Greg Thompson, our once-500-pound man. He was one of our favorite interviews, and we're sure that his inspirational story moved many to improve their lives.

Another of our favorites is Georgina Fowler's story. Georgina explains in her own words how she beat thyroid cancer, then lost 98 pounds on L A Weight Loss! Now that's what I call amazing.

Of course, none of this would be possible without YOU, the readers, who visit here every day to congratulate and encourage these women and men from around the country. So please, chime in and tell us your favorite stories from the hundred we've shared -- who made you laugh, made you cry, or convinced you to start your own weight loss journey.

In the meantime, we're busy working on the next hundred, so keep the comments, stories, and ideas coming! And as always, thanks for reading!

Walking farm and wide

I just got off the phone with Greg Thompson, the Wisconsin farmer we've been following from his high of 508 pounds to his current weight of 301. He tells me he's now walking six miles every day at a pace of 3.8 mph. Whew! When he said he has a lot of "get up and go," he wasn't kidding!

Ron Layne's secret weapon: his counselor!

You got the chance to meet Christina Young, Greg Thompson's personal L A Weight Loss counselor, and a key factor in his success.

Now, in the second installment of our counselor podcast series, we're happy to introduce James Maxwell, counselor for Ron Layne. With James's support and guidance, Ron dropped 74 pounds -- and literally saved his life.

James was a counselor at the Glamorgan Center in Calgary, Alberta, where Ron went three times a week for 10 months. I got in touch with James recently, and were immediately impressed by his candor and enthusiasm. He clearly loves his job, and knows how to motivate people!

So lend him your ears, and enjoy his first-person account of life as an L A Weight Loss counselor. And without further ado ... James!

My L A Weight Loss Diary turns 1!

We couldn't let November slip by without celebrating a special birthday -- ours! This month marks the one year anniversary for our blog.

That's right, it's been one year of chronicling the weight loss journeys of people across the U.S. and Canada. One year of sharing their struggles and successes. And one year of inspiring more people to lose weight and get healthy.

We've come a long way since Nov. 2006, when we profiled Jim Barker, our first success story. Since then, we've showcased 210 women and men who also achieved their healthy goals with L A Weight Loss.

Among them are our People Magazine stars, Janene Campbell and Mandy Muniz, who were featured in the publication's January "Half Their Size" issue. Janene went from 371 to 164 pounds, and Mandy from 293 to 126 pounds.

And who could forget our farmer from Wisconsin, Greg Thompson, who lost 235 pounds, the most of anyone featured on the blog! Thanks to his personal weight loss counselor and portion control education, he's well on his way to his 240-pound goal weight -- a far cry from his original 508.

You've gotten up close and personal to these and other men and women through podcast interviews. We've also shared recipes, cooking tips, and expert nutritional advice to help keep your plates low on fat and calories and high on nutrition and taste.

Speaking of which, we introduced Controltrim on the blog last month, the new L A Weight Loss product that helps you feel full and eat less.

And we launched the first-ever Atlanta Controltrim Weight Loss Challenge last week, where 10 Atlanta women are striving to meet their weight loss goals in six months, and take home the grand prize of $1,000 shopping spree and program reimbursement.

But this birthday wouldn't be complete without giving a big THANKS to you, our loyal readers! You cheer on these women and men, and keep them inspired and motivated to reach their weight loss goals. So please, keep it coming!

Plus, feel free to tell us your favorite story from the hundreds we've shared. What made you laugh? Cry? Or motivate you to start your own weight loss journey? And if you've already reached your goal weight, check in and let us know how you're doing! We love to hear from all our readers!

Media, you're welcome to join the conversation too! As always, if you're interested in interviewing anyone we've featured on the blog or learning more about L A Weight Loss, just contact Jackie Zima at Jackie@GregoryFCA.com, 610-642-8253, or 215-534-2973 (mobile).

In the meantime, we'll be busy talking to more people who've found success with L A Weight Loss. 'Til next time!

P.S. We'll be taking our holiday break the remainder of the week, and will return Monday the 26th. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!