Member Success Story: Keith Druffner
Former Weight: 540 Pounds
Current Weight: 240 Pounds
Weight Lost: 300 Pounds
Height: 6`0
Age 48
Turning Point
What was the turning point for me? Several things caused me to rethink how I was living my life. I was experiencing several medical issues at the time. One day my doctor told me there was nothing he could do for me. Essentially, he was telling me he could only manage my slow demise. Second, there was a man at church who was about my same age, who was overweight. One autumn morning he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. At the funeral, his little boy cried out, “I want my daddy”. Devastating moment for me emotionally, especially when I thought about my son. So my journey began in August of 2015 and is still ongoing.
Diet
I don’t diet. No one can diet for the rest of their life, it’s not practical and you quickly tire of it and quit. My approach was simple. During the period I was losing the weight, I would eat a hardy breakfast and lunch and eat very little for dinner. Your body naturally burns calories at a higher rate from 6am to 5pm and then basically nothing after that point. My diet was / is high in protein, vegetables, moderate fruit and limited slow burn carbs.
Exercise
I joined Onelife Fitness and started working with my trainer, Natalia. She helped me incorporate exercise into my daily routine to maximize weight loss. The team there is so encouraging and supportive, they are the key to my success. No man can do this alone and I was never alone. When you see the same staff and members day after day, in the gym working to reach their goal, it provides me with motivation. I can see there are other people working as hard as I am to reach their respective goals.
In the beginning I would be out of breath just walking from the parking lot to my office. Now, I can run a half marathon! I started slow and progressed as best I could. My advice for others is simple. Just as you have to change the way you eat for the rest of your life, you have to change the way you live for the rest of your life. You must live an active life. I hike on the Appalachian Trail, run on the Greenway, lift weights, ride bikes, swim, and anything else that comes along. I just spent the whole day at Six Flags with my son. We were on our feet for 9 hours in the hot sun and that would have been impossible for me to do three years ago.