Peoria, IL,
17
January
2020
|
11:41 AM
America/Chicago

An HMR Weight Loss Journey

Paul Thompson before-after

We’re midway through the first month of the new year, a time when some of those weight-loss resolutions are broken or at least sorely tested. It was something Paul Thompson was facing last year at this time.

A former college athlete, teacher, and coach, the 52-year-old Thompson saw his weight balloon to over 350 pounds when he transitioned out of the classroom and into an administrative role, often following the “drive-through’ diet as he trekked from one meeting to the next.

"The weight over those nine years kept increasing to the point that my primary care physician told me something had to be done and it had to be done now.”

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Thompson’s doctor suggested the weight management clinic offered through OSF HealthCare. Thompson was put the Health Management Resources (HMR) diet which was named the No.1 Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet for 2020 by U.S. News & World Report. It marked the fifth consecutive year that HMR’s diet and lifestyle-change program has held the first-place position.

Fast weight loss is often linked to gimmicks, crash diets, and other drastic approaches that are unsustainable and potentially unhealthy. The HMR diet achieves fast weight loss through a clinically proven plan that has been available in hospitals since 1983. Part of the diet’s appeal is the simplicity of it.

Thompson went on HMR’s Healthy Solution in February 2019. In seven-and-a-half months he lost 165 pounds, nearly half of his body weight, and saw his body fat percentage drop from 46% to 6%.

According to Thompson, phase 1 of Healthy Solutions is very prescribed, with participants eating specific meals that come in a box tailored to their health and lifestyle, in addition to unlimited fruits, vegetables, along with drinking plenty of water. Exercise is also a key component.

For Thompson, what he saw on the scale each week – an average loss of 5-to-7 pounds – wasn’t the biggest surprise.“I could not have imagined the number of people that were impacted by my weight loss and what I have done.”

 

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He’s proud of others who have followed his lead and are inspired to get active and lose weight. As a school principal, Thompson was only partially through his weight loss journey when it was time for summer break. Some of his students – and even their parents – didn’t recognize him when school started again just a couple of months later.

Thompson is now maintaining his weight and introducing some new foods to his diet. He admits the plan required dedication and time for food preparation to be successful, but he’s very glad he did it, and is pleased with his results.

“I am a different person, I am healthier today, I can do so many more things than I could before and I don't have to dread some of those simple tasks - putting on your shoes, I don't have to dread sitting down in a chair and wondering if it's going to break. It changes your whole day.”

 

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You can learn more about weight loss management opportunities here.

 

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