Part 1  From Robert Ferguson, M.S., C.N., Performance Nutritionist to the Boxing Elite and Founder of the Food Lovers Fat Loss System.  Mr. Ferguson is the author of Conquering The Munchie Monster.

Robert Ferguson--

Most people who meet me think I am genetically lean. They assume that I have never had a problem or concern with my weight. Well, to their surprise and probably yours -- I am a proud owner of the "fat gene". That's right. Before I learned how to eat all my favorite foods (i.e., bread, pasta, desserts, etc) -- I would gain weight quite easily.

As many of you have heard me talk about in my seminars, if it wasn't for the things I've learned and now teach in my Food Lovers Fat Loss System... I would have fallen prey to the diet yo-yo lifestyle just like most everyone else.

MY STORY BEGINS in Anderson, Indiana where I was born and raised [Robert Lawrence Ferguson]. Growing up I observed my mother and many family members yo-yo dieting – going from one diet to another – losing weight only to gain it back and then some.

SIDE NOTE: My mother lost and gained in excess of 1,500 pounds in her lifetime.

Well, I never had a problem with my weight as a child or teenager. Simply put, I credit my participation in many sports for keeping me lean as a youth. But that all changed when I enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps.

As difficult as it may be to imagine, after being in the Marine Corps for nearly a year – my active lifestyle came to a halt. Feeling lonely and homesick I began a daily ritual of eating lunch and dinner at McDonald’s. Matter of fact, on both occasions I ate the same thing: Big Mac, cheese burger, large fry, small fry, caramel sundae with nuts, apple pie, strawberry shake and I topped this high-calorie meal with a large diet coke.

Eating like this put me in a place where gained nearly 40 pounds of pure fat. As a result of this four month feast I didn’t realize I had gained weight. I knew I wasn’t as lean as I normally am, but in no way was I aware that I had gained eight inches on my waistline.

Fortunately, one of my friends gave me a photo he had taken of me. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he gave it to me. In shock at how different I looked with the added fat on my body and face – I panicked and cancelled my vacation to fly home to see family after being gone for over a year.

Fear got me moving
I immediately stopped going to McDonald’s and began running three times a day for a minimum of three miles each time. I ran in the morning, at lunch and before bed. I wasn’t knowledgeable of healthful nutrition at the time, but I did the best that I knew how.

Instead of eating McDonald’s I ate in the chow hall (cafeteria). Most of what I ate was deep fried and saturated with butter – but I wasn’t eating any where near the amount of calories I was eating at McDonald’s.

What seemed to last forever at the time, didn’t take long at all. After a few months I was back to a lean 170 pounds. Feeling good about myself but still running three times a day, I asked myself a life-defining question: “Do I have to run like this for the rest of my life?” Because I didn’t want to run three times a day just to keep the fat from coming back – I came to the conclusion that I better learn more about nutrition if I want to keep from gaining the weight back.

MORE ABOUT ROBERT FERGUSON             FOOD LOVERS RECIPES

Update on Jan 25, 2008 by At Basil & Spice

Seen at Reuters!