Weight management became a passion of mine in 1979 prior to heading down to Paris Island, SC where I attended USMC boot camp. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle then became a necessity as a US Marine to ensure compliance with weight and height regulations. For eight years I jogged, force marched, lifted weights, and participated in numerous organized events of different lengths. I was looking good and feeling good.
Then, as a civilian, life got in the way. Sound familiar? I didn’t have a two hour lunch at a free health club. I had three children, a wife, a full time job and a part time job and as my life grew, so did my waistline. I know you can relate to this. So often we are forced to put aside our own needs for the good of our family. After reaching an all time high of 202 pounds on a 5’8″ frame, enough was enough. Just when I needed it the most, the Transition Life Style (TLS) came into my life and I never looked back. I now enjoy a weight that fluctuates between 180 – 185 lbs. I have run three marathons and numerous other events. Once again, I fell good and look good! But, there’s more to this story…
My wife, Frances, and I have always prided ourselves on being well educated, employable, people. Frances has a bachelor degree from Ithaca College and I earned my bachelor degree while in the Marine Corp. In an effort to remain as employable as possible, I continued my education at Syracuse University part time to earn an MS degree. Those degrees, along with our desire to succeed, landed us decent paying positions. We raised three children and enjoyed an upper middle class lifestyle. At no time in our life did we think that our income stream would ever be interrupted. That only happened to those “other” people. For nearly 20 years we thought we were doing things right; our kids were in daycare while we pursued our careers. Didn’t everyone with a career get told when to be at work, when to leave, how much time they could take off, and how much money they were going to make? Doesn’t everyone want a career?
Then, on our daughter’s senior prom night, my first lay-off came. To our credit, we had a savings account to fall back on, but that period of unemployment drained most of that account. Eventually, I landed back on my feet – at a reduced salary. We again built our savings back up and just when we worked our way back we experienced another setback. Once again I was forced into the ranks of the unemployment. Only this time, our expenses were significantly higher due to the expense of college tuition for our children.
Fortunately for us, Market America’s TLS System came into our lives just when we needed it. I did, once again, land on my feet. However, my income was cut in half. Leveraging Market America’s TLS program allowed us to build a steady, ongoing income, while still working our jobs. AND, we have helped numerous people obtain a healthier, happier life. Now, we have positioned ourselves to have the financial freedom we have always wanted. Yes, we had to work for our children, but we won’t have to accept that lifestyle for our grandchildren. We bought into a bag of goods that promoted hard work in trade for a decent retirement. Retirement plans are gone. Working for one company with an increasing level of opportunity and advancement is gone. Having someone telling us when we have to be at work and how much time we can have off is not the American dream. Doing what we want, when we want to do it, is the true American dream. TLS is helping us secure the true American Dream!