Mike Huckabee Is My Hero

This is not a political endorsement. I am not campaigning on Mike Huckabee's behalf. I am saying that I admire the man. Our stories are similar in that we hail from the same home-state, both have "Pastor" on our resumes, and were about the same size and age when we got a "wake-up call" about our health (or lack thereof).

Today marks day 180 since my own lifestyle makeover began. While the rate of weight loss has slowed considerably in the past month, the weight continues to come off as I continue to eat well and move my body. If you are seeking a healthier lifestyle and/or trying to lose weight, then I hope you find Mr. Huckabee's story as inspirational and motivating as I do.

While Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee knew he was overweight. His doctor had told him so. And at more than 280 pounds, he had trouble fitting into airplane seats and restaurant booths. But his weight problem was made painfully evident in early 2003 at a meeting in a State Capitol conference room. The room had just undergone a renovation to restore its nearly century-old design and Huckabee's usual seat had been replaced with an antique chair. When the governor sat down, there was a collective gasp among the attendees. The chair had collapsed under his weight. Huckabee laughed it off at the time, joking, "They sure don't build them like they used to!" But, in his book, "Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork," he admits, "Deep down, I knew it wasn't the chair that needed rebuilding--it was me that needed a major overhaul."

While Governor, he dreaded climbing the two flights of marble stairs in the Arkansas statehouse. He prayed there would be no reporters at the top because he knew he needed two minutes to catch his breath. Few knew how seriously Gov. Huckabee’s weight affected his health; he also tried to ignore it. His wake-up call came in June 2003 when his friend, former Gov. Frank White, whom he had seen just days before, died suddenly of a heart attack. Huckabee resolved to change his diet and lifestyle, and in about 10 months he had undergone a jaw-dropping metamorphosis: trimming 105 pounds off his 5-foot, 11-inch frame.

Huckabee's parents grew up dirt-poor during the Depression, and he inherited the philosophy that "you should eat what’s here today because there might not be another meal." He observes that “foods that stretch one’s wallet also stretch the waistline – potatoes, meatloaf that’s part breadcrumbs. In the South, we batter and fry everything and eat it with gravy.”

He says his weight ballooned after he got married, but he certainly doesn't blame this on his wife. "My weight is absolutely my own doing," he says. "I ate too much and exercised too little, simple as that."

Even when he had symptoms of heart blockage, such as chest pain and shortness of breath, he didn’t go to the doctor immediately because he knew he would be hospitalized for three days, and he didn’t have the time. This is how stubborn he was: “I can afford to die, but not to be out the next three days,” he explains.

In March 2003, he woke up with his arm numb and tingly. Immediately, the doctor diagnosed the condition as diabetes. “I was devastated and angry at myself. I hadn’t done anything to prevent it,” Huckabee says. His doctor told him that without some lifestyle changes, he was in the last decade of his life. "That meant I wouldn’t see a bunch of grandkids grow up,” Huckabee realized.

In June 2003, under a physician's supervision, Mike went from eating 3,000 calories a day to only 800 calories a day by switching to meal replacement shakes and unlimited vegetables. It was difficult. After three months, the doctor introduced a balanced diet of 1,600 daily calories. To avoid the drive-thru, Gov. Huckabee started taking his meals in a cooler: a salad and some lean turkey or chicken for lunch, apples for snacks, and grilled or steamed vegetables.

After he lost 40 pounds, exercise was added to the program. Though tough at first, after four months, Huckabee could run three to four miles. By March 2004, Gov. Huckabee had lost 105 pounds and reversed all the symptoms of his diabetes!