One Foot in Front of the Other: A Man's Journey Away from Obesity

By Angel Logan and Andrew Leon LeClair

Breaking nearly all of the documented long-term weight loss recordsAndrew Leon LeClair has maintained a successful weight loss of 125 pounds for an unprecedented thirty years! Andrew began his lifes journey with a seemingly normal childhood, but the challenging reality of his youth and family life set the tone for his accelerated path to adulthood. Because Andrew realized that he was unwilling to accept limitation or defeat, he chose to take control of his life, rearrange his priorities, and find a long-term strategy to overcome obesity and achieve success and happiness. As a child, after watching his parents suffer in the face of tragedy while dealing with his own struggles, Andrew turned to food for solace and comfort. During a time when baby fat was a fashionable expression of denial, no one knew then what challenges would await Andrews arrival later. After years of emotional warfare and dysfunction, divorce was inevitable for Andrews parents. While his mothers second marriage was apparently better for her and initially pleasant for the children, that alliance quickly evolved into upheaval, forcing Andrew to grow up and embrace adulthood sooner than anticipated. Food remained steadfast within Andrews life as he tried to find his way through a multitude of grown-up challenges. Though he knew he was not living the healthiest life, he did not view it as a pressing problem either. His lack of concern eventually changed after he witnessed the health issues that resulted from his fathers destructive behavior and disinterest in physical fitness and healthy habits. Andrew realized that he had to find a way to prevent the same fate in his own life and wanted to figure out how to lose the weight that hindered so many of his aspirations. Although Andrew knew that a quick fix did not exist, he was willing to take drastic measures to achieve weight loss. It was a frightening time for Andrew, but the thought of having a serious illness like his father scared him even more. After embarking upon a risky surgical weight loss procedure, Andrew quickly found out that it was not an end to his problems, but the beginning of a new life with more challenges and adversity. He realized that he would have to commit to changing his entire life from food intake and portion control to exercise and fitness in order to begin dropping pounds and having any chance of maintaining that weight loss. Andrews new path was not easy, and every time he believed he had found a plateau within his journey that would allow him to relax and let down his guard, a new and unexpected conflict or challenge would arise, testing his tolerance and ability to overcome and move forward. In the midst of Andrews physical lifestyle changes, he discovered a career that could be rewarding and provide financial stability. However, with so many life-altering changes occurring along the way, he found himself tangled within battles between maintaining a healthy physical existence and reaching for his professional dreams. Andrew knew that if he had any chance of achieving his objectives, he had to plan a permanent strategy that would provide balance within the various facets of his life. Throughout the ensuing years, the media has placed an increasing amount of focus upon weight loss and fitness with the use of diet programs and products, exercise equipment, and television reality shows promoting weight loss competitions. These types of shows stir up media buzz and public support. However, when the shows are over, the participants often return to their old habits because they chose to lose weight for rewards rather than for life. Consequently, the public hears reports of those same individuals regaining their previously lost weight, along with a few additional pounds. Andrew did not want to be that type of statistic, which was evident by his thirty years of weight loss maintenance after gastric bypass. Unlike many others, Andrew did not pursue weight loss for financial gain or m

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 29, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450058322

Angel Logan

Julie Brown is a licensed massage therapist and Energy Healer. She has many years of experience in the medical field as both an EMT and Medical Assistant. She has worked as a volunteer massage therapist on the cancer unit at her local hospital and as a mentor teaching infant massage to teen mothers. Julie is the mother of two and grandmother of four. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge about wellness, stress reduction and nutrition.

Book preview

One Foot in

Front of the Other

A Man’s Journey Away from Obesity

Andrew Leon LeClair & Angel Logan

Copyright © 2010 by Andrew Leon LeClair.

Library of Congress Control Number:    2010903372

ISBN: Hardcover    978-1-4500-5831-5

ISBN: Softcover      978-1-4500-5830-8

ISBN: Ebook          978-1-4500-5832-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

77293

CONTENTS

Prologue

The LeClairs

Miracle of Life

Growing Pains

Coming-of-Age

Bypassing My Desperation

Accidental Tourist

By Design

Boston Bound

Race Against Time

Epilogue

TESTIMONIALS

A question foremost in the minds of weight loss surgery patients is, Will I be able to keep the weight it off? Well, Andrew LeClair is living proof that with the effective use of a surgical tool, coupled with a commitment to healthy habits—the answer is a resounding yes! As a weight loss, surgery patient from 1995, I look to successful pioneer patients to gain insight and motivation, and Andrew is leading the way with his 30+ years of post-op success. It is an honor to know him and I look forward to his continuing success, as he reaches out to help others.

Colleen M. Cook, President

Bariatric Support Centers International

www.bariatricsupportcenter.com

Andrew’s story is inspirational and culminates with the personal satisfaction of reclaiming the body that was once his own. He recovered his true appearance that was masked by the effect of years of personal neglect. Andrew’s body transformation journey serves as a dramatic example of what anyone can accomplish with determination and a personal commitment to reversing one’s living pattern.

George Chatson, M.D. Plastic Surgeon

www.drchatson.com

Andrew is a great inspiration for any person wanting to take control of his or her health. I have watched him over the years starting with his dedication to the program and of good living ingeneral and ending to the point of finishing a major marathon. Hats off to Andrew!

Robert J. DiLeonardo PhD.

Founder of DiLeonardo International

www.dileonardo.com

My mission in life has always been to use my writing to inspire hope. Learning about Andrew LeClair’s life, while writing his book has been an absolute privilege, because he shares that same message of hope. Andrew is a role model, who exemplifies courage and inner-strength, because he has the resolve to overcome the challenges that he has experienced throughout his life. Andrew has not been willing to accept anything less than what he has been willing to give, which is evident by his continual physical, personal, and professional success. Andrew’s story has touched my heart, and I think it will touch the hearts of his readers, as they benefit from the life lessons he has to share.

Angel Logan

Published Author | Professional Writer

www.wingsofanangel.us

No challenge is greater than to reinvent oneself. No journey is more painful than to believe in oneself when the goal seems unreachable. What Andrew has done with his life deserves all the praise and admiration of all who us who had the fortune to have met him. Congratulations.

Oscar Llinas, Vice President

Bilkey Llinas Design

www.bilkeyllinas.com

To the memory of Richard Hornberger

(February 1, 1924-November 4, 1997), also known as Richard Hooker, the author of the novel M*A*S*H and the real-life character of Hawkeye Pierce.

Dr. Hornberger believed in me—perhaps before I could believe in myself—and not only helped me to begin my path to weight loss, but he also helped me to find myself.

Dr. Richard Hornberger played a significant role during one of my life’s most defining moments, and because of him, I took the next step in my journey with less fear and more determination.

PROLOGUE

Life is like an endless marathon—a perpetual race against time to reach a series of milestones and finish lines that represent each chapter of our lives. As we travel along this journey, we endure the anguish of loss and defeat while striving for a few blissful and victorious moments.

From childhood, we continue to seek the answer to life’s burning question—why am I here? A dilemma that remains etched within the minds of those who believe we are here for a reason but cannot always figure out that reason.

It is impossible to predict the valuable life lessons that await our arrival, and we do not realize how much the past influences the future.

Quite often, just when we think we have hit our stride, yet another unexpected hurdle appears, creating a fork in the road, paralyzing us with fear. How easy it is to take the path of least resistance to avoid failure or pain; but real courage derives from facing our demons to triumph over adversity and to reach our next finish line and new beginning.

Either we can allow fear, insecurity, and life’s inevitable obstacles to paralyze us, or we can embrace hope, reject defeat, and prevail. It sounds like a simple formula, and essentially, it is. However, applying that way of thinking to life’s curveballs can be the most challenging without the drive and determination needed to live, learn, grow, and succeed.

This is a true story about my personal journey, the torment of obesity, and everything in between, from my childhood until now. I will be leading you through a series of lifelong struggles stemming from a few seemingly impossible situations while sharing the impact that these events have had upon my life. My hope is that my experiences will help you to discover your inner strength, embrace your unique beauty, remind you that you are not alone in this world, and encourage you to keep moving forward with one foot in front of the other.

THE LECLAIRS

You’ll never amount to anything—I wish you had never been born! His hateful words haunt me to this day as I recall how desperately I wanted his approval. If only he could have seen me instead of the fantasy image he created to replace the utter disappointment that I was to him. No matter how much effort I made or how many times I reached out to my father, he always closed his heart to me.

He expressed daily disappointment and frustration with my inability to meet his expectations or to be the son who could make him proud. Clearly, he felt embarrassed by me and never missed an opportunity to tell me. If only he could have realized how much damage he inflicted upon me and, ultimately, himself. Of course, I realize now that no one could have pleased him because he was a broken man, and I think his inner demons prevented him from fully connecting to anyone.

I was born in central Maine on June 5, 1961, to David and Marilyn LeClair. I was the second of five children in a family that appeared to represent the typical and normal way of life in the sixties. However, our normal depicted an entirely different picture behind closed doors.

To understand the dynamics of my life, I think you have to know a little bit about our family history. We were of French Canadian and American Indian descent. Earlier generations of our family worked in the lumberjacking and heating-oil industries. Others labored in the local shoe and woolen mills.

In that era, life was hard and the work was grueling, but most people maintained an unyielding commitment to their jobs and to the support of their families. The men started their days at the light of dawn and worked the land with their mammoth-sized horses and bulky equipment until dusk. While the men performed their daily farm duties, the women did not live leisurely lives. They worked their fingers to the bone, either as housekeepers or as mill workers to help supplement the household income.

The amazing thing was that despite their lack of financial wealth, they were big eaters. At mealtime, the men had voracious appetites and ate as if their lives depended upon it. When the women cooked the daily meals, they served enormous portions of food to their hardworking men, and the women and children ate generously as well. Unfortunately, that excessive way of life set the tone for later generations, resulting in poor eating and lifestyle habits. It was not anyone’s fault—it was simply the way that people from that generation lived during those years.

My paternal grandparents were Laurier (Lodgie), and Prudence LeClair, who married in the state of Maine back in the thirties. They lived during the post-Depression era but maintained that same old-school and self-sufficient lifestyle throughout the rest of their lives.

The LeClairs had a solid work ethic and were dedicated to making the best out of their lives. They planned and calculated every move regarding the management of their family, property, investments, and personal possessions. In addition, my grandparents were the epitome of penny-pinchers. They did not believe in spending money frivolously because they felt it was more practical to live off their own land. If they needed anything, they grew it, handpicked it, or made it. Instead of going to the market for meats and seafood, Laurier followed the time-honored traditions of previous male generations by hunting and fishing for those items.

Prudence knew how to butcher the various animal meats properly, from duck and rabbit to deer. When Laurier went fishing, Prudence also knew how to clean, scale, and bone the fish with the finesse of a seafood-restaurant chef. She processed every available part of the meat and fish and stretched everything they had to the maximum, ensuring no waste.

In many ways, Laurier and Prudence treated their marriage as a business. While they may have loved each other in their own way in the beginning, their marriage evolved into a well-oiled machine, and they had a more organized manner of living, never doing anything from a point of emotion or with reckless abandon. Not to mention, Prudence had Emily Post values and etiquette ingrained within her thought process and adhered to those ideals regarding the appropriate way to bear children—from the most suitable time a married couple should start a family to the socially accepted number of children to have in one’s family. They planned two children, and you can bet they were right on schedule. While the LeClairs had a particular way of doing things, they also worked tirelessly to ensure the best life possible for their children, Violet and David. They knew how to make moderate living appear luxurious but taught their children the value of hard work and economical planning.

Laurier LeClair had a knack for antiques and did a little dealing and collecting of antique furnishings, old guns, silver and gold coins, and historic stamps. While this business was not necessarily his full-time career, it was a sideline endeavor, which gave him great pleasure and supplemented the regular household income. He maintained a stock of inventory in an old warehouse. This dwelling sat upon a woodlot that had been in the family for years, making it the ideal location for his reserve of merchandise.

Because of Laurier’s interest in various collectibles, he was famous for giving unique gifts to others in unusual ways, such as an uncirculated coin or a special-edition item from his collection of antiques. He was quite generous and reveled in other people’s joy. Instead of presenting his gifts in a traditional fashion, perhaps in a gift box or wrapped by a bow, many found themselves at the receiving end of his quirky humor. It was not unusual to open a large box, only to find a medium-sized box inside with several subsequent boxes decreasing in size—one inside the other until the smallest box appeared containing the actual gift. Laurier could not wait to see the various reactions resulting from this fun little frenzy because everyone truly enjoyed his unusual sense of humor and never knew what to expect next.

Many loved and admired Laurier, as he was a gentle soul with a soft-spoken and kind nature. He was an artist who could look at anything and paint what he saw like an angel. Perhaps I have a biased opinion, but I have always believed that his artwork had much more value and beauty than any artwork I had ever seen before.

Despite Laurier’s lack of formal musical training, he played the piano like a concert pianist. In fact, he taught himself to play without the benefit of piano instruction, and he learned completely by ear, without knowing how to read music. He had an