I am not on a diet but on a new way of life!!

For Fred, 60, of Alameda, finding a way to reclaim his health was like coming back to life. "I was dying on the vine," he says. Morbidly obese at 330 pounds, Fred was in the beginning stages of diabetes and had mild kidney failure. Climbing stairs was a huge effort, requiring him to grip the hand railing as he panted up the steps.

"My quality of life was diminished," Fred says. "I was elderly and I wasn't even old!"

After a January 2007 visit to his daughter in southern California, where he was unable to participate in several family functions because of his health, Fred realized he had to do something—and quickly. He began a starvation diet. "I ate only 400 to 500 calories a day and quickly dropped 30 pounds. I equated being healthy with being skinny," he says. At the same time he researched treatment options.

His research led him to the Transformations program at the St. Helena Center for Health. When he called to ask questions about the program, he was surprised to learn that the program is supported by St. Helena Hospital. "This wasn't just a clinic that someone decided to set up," Fred says. "I was impressed that this is a program designed and run by medical professionals. I felt secure knowing that a full range of medical services was available to me if I needed them."

Fred started the Transformations program on February 25, 2007, where he immediately underwent a thorough health assessment. Instead of learning how to be skinny, Fred learned how to optimize his health through exercise, food choice and a renewed perspective "They introduced a practical, natural lifestyle that was easy for me to follow," he says.

Today Fred feels like a new man. He easily walks several miles a day and is an active member of a local gym. He tells everyone he meets about his experience at the Center for Health. "When people ask what diet I'm on, I tell them I'm not on a diet but on a new way of life!"

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