After seeing his wife, Debbie, lose 45 pounds in less than four months, 39-year-old Russ Piper was ready to begin his own weight-loss journey. A tow truck driver in Olive Branch, Miss., he weighed in at 380 pounds as a result of their lifestyle that included a lot of unhealthy food.
“We’re very social, so we’d hang out a lot during the week,” Debbie recalls. “We’d have some beers not really thinking about what we were eating.”
In June 2016, 34-year-old Debbie decided, “I needed to be the change in my family.” She turned to The Transformation Doctor in Collierville. By September, she had already hit her goal weight and encouraged Russ to follow her lead.
“I saw Debbie’s results and I was amazed,” Russ says. After six months in the program, he lost nearly 100 pounds. Two months later he was down another 40. Even better, Russ has sustained his weight loss for five months.
The Process
Russ started with a health consultation with The Transformation Doctor medical director Dr. John W. White. After examining his blood, cholesterol, and hormone levels, Dr. White suggested a customized regimen of supplements to correct imbalances that would promote weight loss.
The next step was to change Russ’s eating habits using Ideal Protein, a diet program that forces the body to burn fat rather than glucose or muscle fibers. During this process, he learned how food impacts his body and to make smarter food choices.
“I used to see to people in the store reading labels and I never thought I would be that guy, but now it’s a natural instinct,” Russ says.
The Transformation Doctor provides bi-weekly injections with B-vitamins, amino acids, and chromium to boosts energy, help with digestion, and control appetite.
“The Lipo Injections are a tool our patients use to help make sure they are getting adequate B-vitamins,” says Allison White, owner of the Transformation Doctor. “They don’t cause you to lose weight, they help support you during your weight loss journey.”
The Diet
Russ and Debbie have completely changed their eating habits. They eat far less red meat, sticking to lean proteins like chicken and turkey, and eat more fresh vegetables. The biggest change they’ve made is staying away from preservatives and beer.
Motivation
In addition to weekly coaching sessions, Russ and Debbie have each other. To help maintain their new lifestyle, they began working out at home. “We converted our garage into a gym,” Russ says. “It used to be our hang out spot where we’d watch football and drink beer.”
They do a mixture of weights and cardio at least three times per week.
“And we do it together,” says Debbie.
By Curtis Speller
Photo by Tindall Stephens
