Since then, he's added about 10 pounds back, but keeps his weight steady at 220. He doesn't count calories, but he does limit portion sizes. He consumes a modified low-carbohydrate diet rich in fruit and vegetables, low-fat protein and foods that are as unprocessed as possible.
He's returned to a modified work schedule that allows him to exercise a couple of hours daily. And he found love: He got married in May. The couple is expecting their first child.
Physician Nick Yphantides, shown at the beginning of his weight-loss odyssey (467 pounds) and one year later, when he weighed 220 pounds.
(Photos Courtesy Of Nelson Books)
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As both a physician and a former extremely obese person, Yphantides says he is uniquely qualified to provide counsel on the challenges of successful weight loss. He has put his thoughts into a new book: "My Big Fat Greek Diet" (Nelson, 2004). "I'd prefer to have called it my 'Big Fat Greek Miracle.' But my publisher won out."
Here's what Dr. Nick learned:
Set new priorities. Yphantides walked away from a medical practice and refinanced his house to pay the bills for the year he stopped working. Beside his loss of income, he figures he spent $50,000 on health insurance, medical school loan repayments and other necessary costs. "I realize that not everyone is in a position to do something as drastically as I did," he said, but notes that others can find plenty of less extreme ways to redesign their lifestyle.
Find ways to be accountable. An elected local official in Escondido, Calif., Yphantides went public with his plan in a local newspaper so that he couldn't back out. Others, he said, can announce their intentions to friends, family or colleagues. Or join groups, such as TOPS, Food Addicts, Overeaters Anonymous or Weight Watchers, where regular attendance or weigh-ins help to create accountability.
Fill up with activities, not food. Baseball -- his passion -- was Yphantides's diversion. "The notion of distraction while experiencing [food] deprivation was a very, very powerful combination for me," he said.
Examine why you overeat. "Loneliness, boredom and anxiety were the reasons I ate," he said. "The busier life got, the more stressed, the more pressure I had, the more I resorted to food." During his year of weight loss and reflection, Yphantides realized that he didn't need food to be happy. "Food is not Valium on a plate, which is how so many of us treat it," he said. "The key to losing weight is having the motivation and getting to the point of realization is that this is a matter of life and death. . . . I had to come to the realization that this is a slow, perhaps unintentional form of suicide."
Overcome denial. Yphantides had avoided seeking to learn his true weight for years, which was one way to avoid the problem of his growing girth. He simply assumed that he weighed about 350 pounds -- the peak weight on his scale at home -- and was shocked to learn on April 1, 2001, that he weighed 467 pounds. "It humbled me to tears and gave me an even greater sense of resolve," he said. "But it helped dial me in [to the process.]"
Find new ways to stay motivated. "Being healthy for me is a deliberate act of love for the people in my life that I care about the most," Yphantides said. •
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