Turning My Life around
By James Zervios, OAC Director of Communications

For a PDF version of this article, please click here.

“Welcome! Thank you for flying with us today. Here is your ticket.”

You all know the drill. You wait in the long lines, get through security, get to the gate, scan your ticket and head on down to your plane – hoping it will be a smooth ride and maybe you’ll get an empty seat next to you to stretch out.

Well, for Tim Liebmann, just like any other guy, he was thinking the same things – until he boarded the plane.

“I remember at the time I weighed more than 500 pounds and I was on a flight back from Alabama when I got on the plane. It was a small plane, and there were only a few seats.
Immediately, a man stood up and went over to the flight attendant and said, “Please do not sit that man near me.’ For me, that was the wake up call,” said Tim.

Gaining the Weight

Growing up in the 1970s, it was a different world for Tim than it is today. He told me stories of always having food in the house. Whether it was doughnuts, candy or whatever you could think of; Tim had it in his house to eat.

“You could say that my household wasn’t the best to grow up in for eating purposes,” laughed Tim. Even though his house may have had junk food in it, Tim wasn’t necessarily an overweight kid.

All throughout his childhood, Tim stayed fit. It wasn’t until he began his career that he started noticing the pounds. “You know, as I got into my career, I just began seeing the weight. Somewhere in my mid-twenties I just started to gain about a pound a week, and you figure a pound a week for 52 weeks. It eventually added up,” said Tim.

For the next 15 to 20 years of his life, Tim continued to gain weight. Becoming involved in his career, Tim didn’t notice the weight or the effects it was having on his body. From his mid twenties until the summer of 2006, Tim felt his mind tricked him.

He told me stories of not being able to breathe while walking, sweating profusely and the diagnosis of high blood pressure. “It was like I was addicted to food. I feel food is an addiction and you have to treat it as one. I knew I was eating bad things, but I couldn’t help it. I was addicted,” strongly said Tim.

Turning his Life around

After Tim’s airplane incident, he knew he had to turn his life around. With the help of his wife, Rori, and inspiration of his daughter, Sarah, he did just that. On Labor Day of 2006, Tim and his wife began a diet.

“Ah, the first few weeks are tough. I remember this one time we were having a party at our house and Rori ordered all these pizzas. And oh boy, pizza was my favorite food. I went to reach for a slice, and bam! I thought she was going to rip my hand off. My wife actually embarrassed me. But, you know what? I needed that,” laughed Tim.

For the first three months, Tim used a commercial weight-loss plan to get started. But, soon after that, he and Rori were well on their way to a healthy lifestyle. Tim expressed to me the times when it was a struggle and how his wife inspired him to continue with the program.

“I was doing this with only diet and exercise, and boy was it tough. My wife came to me one day and gave me this little ceramic angel, and I put it on my sink. I remember saying to that thing, ‘Today is going to be a hard day, but I am going to tell you all about it tomorrow.’ It was helpful to me,” said Tim.

With Tim’s weight decreasing, so was his high blood pressure. He told me of a time when he visited his cardiologist and literally broke down into tears. “I remember she put me on the scale and for the first time in my life, I didn’t max it out. I began to cry. The nurse looked at me like I was crazy until I explained why I cried,” laughed Tim.

That day Tim also received the great news that his blood pressure was lower than before and could possibly go off of medications completely.

Changes while Losing the Weight

As the pounds began to fade, Tim noticed many differences in his life. He explained to me, in an interesting fashion, what it was like to be on the other side.

“As a kid, I used to look at people that were big, and I’d chuckle. When I was at my heaviest, I started to think to myself that people were now laughing at me. Today, when I walk through an airport or somewhere, I hope somebody says, ‘hey, that guy looks good.’ For me, it would be an accomplishment,” said Tim.

Well for Tim, those thoughts of people looking at him different have certainly come to fruition. To date, Tim has lost more than 240 pounds, and his wife Rori has lost more than 40 pounds.

“I know I still got some more to go, but I am proud of myself. I did this with diet and exercise and that is hard to do. I am proud of my wife too. She was my inspiration throughout it all,” proudly said Tim.

I asked Tim what he would tell somebody that is trying to lose weight. His response was enlightening and inspiring. “Take it one step at a time. Don’t look at it as climbing a mountain. Just take one step each day and you’ll get there,” said Tim.

Well Tim, I think you have most certainly arrived one step at a time. Today, Tim can often be found working out, jogging, enjoying time with his five-year old daughter and living out one his family’s favorite pastimes – horseback riding.