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Nov 11, 2009 9:54 am US/Central
Boston Cook Loses 101 Pounds, Despite The Odds
BOSTON (CBS) ―
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John McDermott found it tough to control his weight while manning the grill at work.
WBZ
For more than a decade now, John McDermott has spent his days within spattering distance of sizzling sausage and the bubbling grease of the french fry vat. He's a cook in the cafeteria at the
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. And the reality is it's brutally hard to lose weight when your job is working the grill, reports CBS station WBZ-TV.
"As I was making a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, I'd eat three strips of bacon," says the ample Mcdermott. "I'd be eating sausage links like they were Tic Tacs."
Reminders of those days are his now roomy size 5 X pants, and the snapshot on the kitchen bulletin board -- circa 322 unhappy pounds. "I'd always put on a happy face," he says. "But I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that when I went home I'd practically cry on my pillow. I don't believe anyone out there who's obese is happy. Not even Santa Claus."
THE TURNING POINT
The turning point for John came last spring, when he got disgusted and backed out of the gastric bypass surgery he was considering. He was on his own -- he thought -- until his best friend at the hospital pulled him aside and offered her help. She just happens to be the hospital's dietician.
"That really, really motivated him," said dietician Janaelle Humberd. "I could see him say 'You know what, I can do this.'"
"God puts people in your life," counters John. "Some things are meant to happen. She came to me and the light went on."
NO MAGIC BULLET
So the Dorchester native turned his lifestyle upside down with smart, disciplined eating and exercise. No magic bullet -- just determination.
"I was up at 3:30 this morning and walked for an hour, said John. "I felt like Rocky."
And like that movie script, the whole hospital got behind their thinning fighter. Several were on hand Tuesday afternoon at the in-house
Weight Watchers session, when John hit the scale. He's lost 101 pounds in six months.
101 POUNDS LATER
Rather than celebrate with a big cake, John's supporters rounded up 101 pounds of food to be donated in his name to the Boston Food Bank.
John loves that idea, but not quite as much as he loved buying new clothes for his school reunion. "I ended up at Old Navy and bought a pair of pants -- off the rack. I almost had a tear in my eye. What a fantastic feeling that was."
His good friend (and dietician) Janaelle, is thrilled for him. "He's smiling everyday now. He's a changed person. It's unbelievable."
STAND ASIDE SAUSAGE
So stand aside sausage. At age 44, this is the new John. "I was dead. Now I'm alive."
But at 221 pounds, John isn't done. He won't say how much lower he'll go.
He doesn't want to preach, but says he's clear proof that anybody can tackle their weight problem. "You'll feel like you're hitting a homer at Fenway Park."
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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