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Nick Yphantides

As a physician and follower of Jesus Christ, it has always been my intention to demonstrate the love of God to others through medicine. For me, practicing medicine is a way of living out my faith. Serving the uninsured of San Diego County, I was able to preach the Gospel of Christ and the gospel of good health on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I did so while constantly having to add the disclaimer, "Do as I say, not as I do!"

You see, I was living a life of profound hypocrisy in my personal health. There was a major disconnect between my words and my actions. Over time, my weight had crept up in such a way that I lacked true insight into the magnitude of the problem. I knew I was large, but since the scale at home peaked out at 350 pounds, I assumed I weighed that much. The only way I could actually weigh myself was to place two scales side by side, put one foot on each, hold my breath, and add the two numbers together. I was so shocked at my calculations that I had to get on and off the scales several times to be sure it was accurate—467 pounds!

An inconsistent life
I should not have been so surprised. After all, I had a size 60 waist on a 6-foot-2 frame. No matter the occasion, I always had to dress informally due to the limited clothing selection. I could not fit into an airline seat. I drove an oversized SUV out of necessity. I always hoped for the aisle seat at a movie, play, or sporting event. I dreaded going to an unfamiliar restaurant, because I feared I wouldn't fit into the booth or chairs. I couldn't go to the beach, wear shorts, or be comfortable in many other social situations. I hated being judged and assumed to be a lazy slob and couch potato. I often felt ignored, unattractive, and undesirable.

	The inconsistency of my life overwhelmed me with guilt and anxiety.

Every day, as a specialist in preventive medicine, I would encourage patients to do something about their own health and fitness while knowing full well that my personal example sapped my words of their credibility. I had to overcompensate with self-deprecating jokes to not feel like a total hypocrite.

How I got so disgustingly out of shape is something that I am still trying to understand. Eating for reasons other than to satisfy hunger and continuing to eat despite being full are the cornerstone challenges that all obese and overweight patients face. In addition, the cultural factors of growing up in a large and gregarious Greek family—poor food selection, physical inactivity, social eating—along with bouts of depression and a personal battle with cancer, all produced a 35-year-old man who weighed twice his ideal body weight.

My large frame complemented my grand reputation as a bigger-than-life, jolly St. Nick type who poured himself out on behalf of others. People affectionately called me "Dr. Nick—the big man with the huge heart." In addition to my medical practice, I was elected to public office, gaining the support and admiration of thousands. Yet the inherent inconsistency of my life overwhelmed me with guilt and anxiety.

Leap of faith
Seven years ago, at age 31, I had surgery for testicular cancer. I faced my own mortality head-on for the first time in my life. As a result, I saw how my physical health was a God-given gift over which I had the obligation to demonstrate good stewardship. During that period, my heart whispered that I needed to be more deliberate about personal choices that affected my health. Although the cancer was not something that I had direct control over, my weight and the higher risk associated with it for heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure were things that I could actually change. My cancer diagnosis became the genesis of my decision to finally do something radical to address my need for weight loss, even though it took me another five years to act on those convictions.

	Whatever pleasure I lost from overeating has been replaced many times over.

In 2001, I stepped off the scales, took hold of God's hand and asked Him to lead the way as I started a new way of life. After much prayer, lots of planning, tons of advice, extensive accountability, and deep soul-searching, I decided to take an unconventional approach to address my personal health—I would combine doing something good for my health with something I totally enjoyed. It would be a radical sabbatical, the ultimate pilgrimage in which I would fulfill a lifelong fantasy.

I gave a one-year notice to the network of community clinics I served as medical director. I chose not to run for re-election to the local office I held. I methodically unwound myself from every board, commission, and community organization of which I was part. I took out a mortgage on my house to pay for it all and took a leap of faith of unprecedented proportions.

A baseball odyssey
I love this amazing country, and I love baseball. I had always wanted to see every Major League ballpark in America. So, on April 1, 2001, I drove off in an old rv to pursue that dream—and better health.

Over the course of a year, I drove 38,000 miles, visiting every state in America and every Major League ballpark, while attending 110 Major League games. But I didn't feast on the usual junk foods that I would've ordinarily indulged in while at the ballpark. Instead, I committed myself to an aggressive and medically supervised liquid protein diet of about 600 calories a day.

During my journey, I was blessed with several miraculous, life-transforming experiences. God put me in the right place at the right time to save two lives. I arrived in the New York area the night of September 10, 2001, just in time to see the world change before my eyes the next morning. I got to visit hundreds of family members and friends that I had only loosely stayed in touch with over the prior decade. I got to spend high-quality time with my dad, grandfather, pastor, teens I was mentoring, and a host of friends and colleagues while driving back and forth across the country without a single mechanical glitch.

In 12 months I lost 270 pounds—going from 467 to my current weight of 220 pounds. Now I'm literally half the man I used to be! The ideal body weights of two adult 5-foot, 4-inch women have been shed from my body. I can only call it "My Big Fat Greek Miracle."

Now, it makes me uncomfortable when people compliment me and heap praise on me for "my" accomplishments. It is not I but Christ within me. I do not want people to see a man who did great things by losing a ton of weight, but rather the great things that can be done through any person whose will is submitted to God. I discovered that you have to change the way you see before you can change the way you look.

An impostor no more
Today, exercise and healthy eating is a major part of my life. I am enjoying the time that I have to focus on my personal fitness, and excited with the slow but steady improvement of my body's shape and composition. Whatever pleasure I lost from overeating has been replaced many times over by the wonderful blessings and opportunities that God has sent my way.

With my friend Mike Yorkey, I wrote a book—My Big Fat Greek Diet—that chronicles my journey. As a result, doors have been opened for me to share my story across the country with people who need to know that God can give us the power and discipline to find a healthy physical and emotional balance in our lives.

However, the most significant development in my life was my May 1, 2004, marriage to Despina Christpolous, a beautiful and godly woman whose love has made me a better person. After my bout with testicular cancer, it wasn't clear whether I could ever father children. But this spring, Despina and I are looking forward to the birth of our first child. God has, indeed, been good to me.

I still enjoy seeing patients a couple days a week in the network of clinics where I used to serve as medical director, but I realized that my workaholic pace was a factor in my poor health. So, instead of returning to my prior schedule of up to 90 hours per week, I now work an average of 30 hours per week. It's quite the change to be a medical missionary who comes in to do a job and then leaves without all the administrative responsibilities, which were such a time-consuming obligation in the past. My younger brother, Dr. Phil Yphantides, is caring for many of my former patients.

Many of my patients claim to miss the big, old jolly Dr. Nick. A few have jokingly accused me of being an impostor. The truth is, the impostor is now gone. My life is no longer a lie. I am finally able to say to those patients, "Do as I say and as I have done."

Editor's Note: Dr. Nick Yphantides's new book, My Big Fat Greek Diet (Nelson), is now available in bookstores. Visit Dr. Nick's website at www.healthsteward.com.

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