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Hi, my name is Donald Peters and I live in Enfield. I will start collecting Social Security later this year so I am soon officially no longer
middle aged. In spite of this advanced age, I feel good. Really good, better than I have since my 30's. You see, in my late 30's
and 40's I had a bad back. I originally hurt it on the farm as a child, lifting bales that weighed almost as much as I did. I hurt it
again in the Army and a third time in my late 20's. Then it ws OK until my 30's when I would be in pain for a month or 2, before it went
away. Unfortunately the episodes became more frequent and lasted longer. The 2nd to the last one lasted 6 months. I could not
stand straight or sleep in a bed, the only tolerable position was sitting down. I was depressed and could not exercise so I gained a lot
of weight, from my traditional 175-180 to over 200. The pain finally stopped, and then came back 3 months later, worse than ever. I waited
another 6 months for it to get better but it did not, so I had back surgery. The surgery was a miracle, I immediately felt better, but I now
weighed over 240 pounds. I don't know how much over, I had stopped weighing myself.
After the surgery I lost about 15 pounds and then plateaued. 5 years later I went to a self-improvement class dealing with business
ethics, our views of reality and a little about self image. I never expected it to have any effect on my weight but it did, I lost
another 15 or so pounds. But I was still fat, 205 pounds in the winter, 195 pounds in the summer. Until 2009 when I never got below
200 and then was at 215 at Christmas. I stopped weighing myself again. Fortunately I saw how Jacky had changed her body,
how much more energy she had and how happy she seemed, Even though I have never been a joiner or interested in fad diets, I thought
that Herbalife might be more than a fad and decided to try it. I lost at least 5 pounds in January, another 5 in Febuary and
another 5 in March. Just as importantly, in late February I felt pretty good, good enough that I decided to start lifting
weights more than once a month. At first I could only do 20 repetitions, now I am doing 45 or one exercise and 55 of another. My
arms are noticibly larger, my whole upper chest looks different. Except for the gray hair and wrinkles I don't look like an old man
any more, and I definitely do not feel like one.
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It is now April 18th, I weighed myself this morning in my new Weight Watcher's digital scale before going to Silvia's
Restaurant for Brunch. 185.4 pounds (my old one weighs me at 180 even)! I also tried some clothes I haven't worn for 15
years on, they fit me with room to spare! Some are not even out of style (it is good to be a man!) I am going to
give my fat suit to Goodwill. I will never be fat again. Thank you Jacky, and thank you Herbalife!
The pictures on the left are me at 191 pounds in early April and in early February, at about 205, after I had already lost
10 pounds. I did not think I looked that bad in February. The change still seems
unreal to me. I can't say that it has been easy losing this 30 pounds of fat, but it has been
a LOT easier than any diet I ever tried before.
There is one other thing you can't see. On the backs of my hands I have had what looks like a cross between age
spots and a rash. I have had them for at least 3 years and they have been getting worse, more of them, larger
and more red. Last week I noticed that they are completely gone on my right hand and much less obvious on my
left. Which is nice because they worried me. I am not a doctor so I can't say what they were or why they
were getting worse and are now going away. But I don't think it is a coincidence and I haven't changed anything
else in my life.