I am a disabled military veteran with a war injury that I am going to have to live with. The VA put me on pain killers and I took them as prescribed for many many years, but there is only one problem with living on pain killers. You start to build a tolerance to them and need more and more until you detox or die.

The human body has so many defense mechanism and will also build a tolerance to pain if endured for a long enough time. I live in pain and so used to it that it does not bother me that much. However after being off the pain medication for 3 years my weight slowly increased. It is amazing how easy it is to gain weight when the stress and depression kicks in from such a drastic change in life style.

Before my injury my BMI was 14 and worked out every day (mostly cardio). Never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine myself over 300lbs.

As the weight slowly but surely went up you never really weigh yourself unless you go to the doctor. You can tell by how tight your clothes get. Then you don't even look at yourself in the mirror and the state of denial starts to kick in.

The VA Weight Management Doctor asked me if I weigh myself at home. I said that I don't have a scale that will go over 300 lbs... and I thought that was the end of it. Was I wrong.

A few days later a scale was shipped to me and that was the slap in my face that said "No Excuses". I realized that if I can detox from oxycodone, morphine sulfate, and opana... I can step on the scale and face my real self and not run away from it.

That was the first step of my weight loss journey was to step on that scale and accept it. I don't have to like my physical condition but all I have to do is realize that "I AM IN CONTROL AND I CAN CONTROL MY DESTINY".

The VA "MOVE" weight loss program has really helped me and made the difference.