Phil Kaplan Success Story - Cliff McCartney

Cliff McCartney - Success Story

I am a 47 year old man. I have faced some pretty severe health problems over the past few years. I won't go into detail here but suffice to say that I hit a lifetime low point in October of 2002. On October 1 2002 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I had extreme hyperlipidemia, extreme hypertension, and I weighed 320 lbs. In short, I was a walking heart attack. I was an absolute train wreck waiting to happen. The worst thing about all this was I DID IT TO MYSELF!!

I'm not a moron. I would never have willingly started killing myself a day at a time in my 20s, but THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID! Bad eating habits, no exercise, too much work, and lots of stress. October 1, 2002 was just the date that the bills came due. I'm just glad I didn't die. I probably should have. Anyway, I decided to start doing something about my problems.

With my doctor's help I began some prescription drug therapy, exercise, and diet. I immediately went on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet and began walking. By May of 2003 I weighed 270 lbs and had my chronic problems in check. I took my plan to the next level. I joined a gym in my area and started working out, started a little running and going to spin class. I reached a low weight of 240 lbs in the fall of 2003. I was so excited in my progress that I attempted a triathlon in the summer of 2003. What a disaster! I never made it out of the swim. I inhaled half the lake and had to go to the ER with aspiration pneumonia. While I was there the doctor informed my that I had had a heart attack. It was a "Non Q Wave MI". That is, I had no symptoms but my cardiac enzyme level was up. It was a minor one but it was there. I had a catheterization and found out that I had a 100% occluded right coronary artery (RCA). There was some blockage in the other two main cardiac arteries but it was minor. That's the bad news. The good news is that I had a "natural" bypass. My body had developed "collateral" arteries to make up for the blocked RCA. The doctor said that overall, my heart function was normal and there was no significant ischemia.

I kept with my program but 2004 was pretty much a plateau. I did several road races and I completed two bicycle century rides (100 miles). I was working real hard but not really losing any weight (or body mass) and not feeling any better (or worse). I started lifting pretty intensely in early 2005 with a friend of mine. The strange thing is that my weight started creeping UP! At first I thought it was muscle gain. I'm sure that was part of it but muscle gain can't explain 40 lbs. Even though I was lifting and doing aerobics like crazy I was gaining significant weight. By late summer of 2005 I weighed 283 and was noticibly FATTER! Then came the next blow. I had another heart attack on August 14. This one was a little more severe but it was still minor. With this one I had full blown chest pain and all the symptoms. It was another "Non Q Wave MI" with minor damage to my heart.

So there I was - an avid exerciser, thinking I was doing all the right things, and a veteran of TWO heart attacks. Needless to say I was a little frustrated and more than a little bit scared. How could this happen? It was simple! I was doing SOMETHING wrong! I just had to find out what it was. I came home and read everything I could get my hands on about heart disease. I read and studied exercise and diet. I don't really remember how I found your site but once I did I found a home.

What a breath of fresh air it was to read what you had to say! It made so much sense to me that I had to start incorporating your advice into my life. I started following your advice religiously. Supportive eating - I now eat six times a day with lean protein, starchy carbs, and fibrous carbs. Concern for muscle - I joined eFitness.com and have been following their weekly workouts. Aerobic exercise - I run, walk the elliptical trainer, go to spin class, and ride by bicycle - but LESS than I used to, and always with my trusty Polar heart rate monitor. I ALWAYS do my cardio work AFTER my lifting. I drink 150oz of water every day. I'd like to throw away my scale but my cardiologist has charged me with losing weight. He raked me over the coals after my heart attack and told me I MUST lose weight. As long as he is that insistent I have to monitor it. I bought a Tanita Innerscan scale and I use it to monitor my weight. I know that the body fat percentage and muscle weight readings are not entirely accurate but I still watch them to see how they are trending.

The bottom line? I've lost 45 lbs since August 17. I now weigh 238 lbs. I've lost 10 inches off my waist and over 10 percent body fat. My last cholesterol reading was 108 total, 50 LDL, 57 HDL, 55 triglycerides. My blood glucose readings have been within 95 - 110 every day. My blood pressure averages 125 / 75 and my resting pulse is down to 54. And less quantitatively, I feel better than I have since I was in my 20s. I went out the other day and ran 4 miles in 35 minutes, and I could have gone faster. Unbelievable! My body fat percentage, the BMI guidelines, and weight charts all tell me that I am still OBESE. I'm still on Lipitor, Lisinopril, and Lopressor. I'm not worried about all that right now. I'm not on a "diet" anymore, I'm on a "life."

I'll just keep at it and all that stuff will take care of itself. People tell me every day, "Man you look great!" They ask, "What did you do?" I immediately say "Phil Kaplan". They say "Who?" and I say, "go to www.philkaplan.com and read every word on the site, but be ready to get knocked out of your comfort zone. Phil will change the way you think about fitness and diet."

Phil, thanks so much for what you do. I feel that you have helped save my life just as much as my doctor has. I appreciate it more than you know.

- Cliff McCartney, Tyrone, Georgia

A Note to Phil from Cliff McCartney, Tyrone, GA

Cliff McCartney - Success Story

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