WEIGHT LOSS RESOLUTIONS: IT specialist shares journey to health, fitness Published Dec. 17, 2014 By Debbie Aragon AFCEC Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- It was nearing Christmas when Rodney Ray did what many others do during the holiday season; he stopped to get his photo taken with Santa. Sadly, the smile he wore so easily for the photo was nowhere to be found when he looked at the photo a little later and realized he was actually larger than Santa. Like many other Americans, Ray, an information technology inventory specialist with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, was obese and out of shape. According to the American Heart Association, more than one-third of U.S. adults, or more than 78 million people, weigh significantly more than their ideal, healthy weight. As many people are getting ready to make their New Year's resolutions to lose weight and get healthy, Ray, now 100 pounds lighter and within his healthy weight range, hopes his tale of realization and action will help others stay on track for success. It was 2009, and at age 52, Ray had ballooned to 302 pounds. "I had retired from the military five years prior and I just did nothing," he said. "Because of the weight gain, my health had taken a turn for the worse ... I had fatty liver disease, stomach problems, high blood pressure and onset type 2 diabetes." Things continued to get worse when, at one doctor's visit, he was told he was going to have to start taking insulin shots. Not understanding what that meant, Ray asked if he would have to visit the doctor more regularly to get the shots. "He said, 'no,' you shoot yourself every day," Ray said. "My reaction was, oh no, I can't do that." The only way for Ray to avoid the insulin shots was to lose weight, his doctor said. Although he would get a jump start with his weight loss because of a liquid diet needed prior to exploratory surgery to check his liver, the IT specialist would still have a long way to go. "Once I lost 20 pounds on the liquid diet, I told myself, 'I can do this,'" Ray said. After removing flour, white sugar and rice from his meals, he went on a low-carb diet and added walking to his routine. "It was about that time that we moved in to (Port San Antonio's Bldg. 171) and I saw the long (almost half a mile hallway) and decided it was the perfect opportunity to start walking," Ray said. He began walking three miles a day during his lunch break; inside or around the outside of the building if weather permitted. "After a while, I began doing two-a-days," he said. "After three miles at work, I'd go home and walk at least a mile and a half in the evening." Running would be his next step to wellness. "I was just walking and thought, 'I bet I can run this.' I took off and ran for about a mile," Ray said. "I ran farther and farther and now I've done three half marathons, several 5Ks and similar events." Eighteen months after starting his weight-loss journey, Ray had lost 102 pounds and the health issues that plagued him. "No high blood pressure medicine, no diabetes medicine, no fatty liver disease; I'm healthy as a horse," Ray said. His journey from obesity to a healthy weight wasn't easy, so Ray wanted to offer the following recommendations for those starting on their weight loss journeys: 1. Give in to the craving. "If you have a craving, go ahead and fill that craving in moderation," he said. "Once I tasted the item I was craving, I was normally able to say, 'I'm good, that's enough,' and go back to where I was supposed to be." 2. Advanced preparation. "Make your lunch the night before. That helps because everything is done so you just grab and go in the morning," he said. 3. Sweet desire. "I still have sweet cravings; I'm a dessert person," Ray said. "I've just learned to say no." 4. Eat half, take half. "You don't have to clean your plate," he said. "A lot of us are taught from a very early age that you can't move until your plate is empty. If I go out to lunch, I order a regular meal but ask for a to-go box immediately. When my meal comes, I cut it in half and put half in the to-go box. I then bring it back to work and give it to someone who didn't have the chance to take a lunch." 5. Water, it does a body good. "Drink lots and lots of water," Ray said. "Not only during the day, but before you sit down to eat, have a glass of water. It will help fill you up so you don't eat as much and it's good for you." 6. Put one foot in front of the other. "Walk, I can't say enough about walking," he said. "It's easy, it's free and you can do it anywhere. Most people have an hour for lunch. If you walk for 30 minutes and have lunch for 30 minutes ... that, in itself, is an improvement if you're living a sedentary lifestyle. I just can't sing the praises of walking enough." 7. Set attainable goals. "Don't make unrealistic resolutions," Ray said. "Don't set your goals so high that you can't achieve them and don't punish yourself if you fall off of your resolution; get back on it." Ray, having already reached and been able to maintain his healthy body weight, has one more goal he's hoping to achieve ... a full marathon.