My name is Guttorm Kittelsen. I live in Norway. I am now able to do my own shoestrings. That is a huge accomplishment. Thank you Craig. Thank you Eva.
I have been obese and have had bad health for many years, and my family are worried for my health. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, rheumatic symptoms and I have developed Diabetes 2. I am highly sensible to weather changes causing me to take strong pain killers.
I have had surgery in both hands due to numbness and pain. I use C-PAP, a mask providing air under pressure while I sleep because of severe apnea since 1996. I also suffer late injuries from an electric shock accident in 1984 that I barely survived.
All my life I have struggled with my weight, and I have been on diets and excercise programs almost constantly, but I always got heavier and felt more and more fatigue. I was on the brink of giving up.
My doctor recommended that I should take on pool exercises in heated water, so for the last year or so I have been doing pool exercises for XL-plus people, and I am very happy with that. I love being in the water. The worst and most difficult thing was to overcome the exposure wearing a swim suit only. It took me about 30 years !!! to be able to go to a public bath, but now I do it! But only with other XL-people.
I also started with walks last autumn, about 30 - 60 minutes two times a week. This prelimitary exercises was rewarding although I didn1t loose any weight, but they prepared me mentally to go all the way when I finally was introduced to the TT-workouts and change of lifestyle with new meal plans etc.
My daughter, Eva (Heistø Kittelsen), gave me a TT-membership for my 58th birthday on April 21st 2009. She is very concerned about my health, and I think this membership is the best birthday present I have ever got. I am very greatful to Eva and the rest of my family who support me, and to Craig Ballantyne and his affiliates who have put these workouts and meal plans together.
Six days into the competition, on Thursday May 14th, I got an iron table falling on my right big toe, and x-rays showed a fracture. It hurt to walk for many weeks, and I couldn't wear a shoe on that foot. After about six weeks the nail fell off. All the same, Eva and I went to the gym as planned, and we ran the hole program. Eva helped me get up from and down to the floor for the different exercises. I felt good afterwards, but the toe hurt bad for a long time, so the days off from the gym was a relief 
I have had pain in muscles and joints for many years, and I have arthritis in my knees, shoulders, elbows, and wrists. In spite of this, I have been working out according to plan. I have so much pain in my body that I can choose to live with it and do things, or give up and become more and more crippled. I like to do things. I am under supervision from my regular doctor, and she is informed of my meal plans and TT-workouts.
It has been difficult in the first weeks of the TT workouts to determine if the pain was caused by the exercises or if this pain just sits in my body as a result of my degraded health. I have now concluded that my pain has become worse.
This is very alarming, because as I see now from the last four months, my change of life style may do wonders with my health if I keep on doing what I am doing. My blood pressure was all time high in 2000 with 195/145. The last measurement last friday was 108/70 !! 
My long time measurement of blood sugar is also normalized to 5.7. Four years ago it was around 16-17. My doctor is very pleased, and so am I. She had to measure my blood pressure three times to be sure the result was correct.
When I do the dumbbell split squats I have experienced a major increase in the pain in my knees, and I am also suffering from more pain in my center and lower back, but I am unsure of which workouts is the most dangerous for my back. I have cut back on the weights, and I have substituted some workouts like the dumbbell split squat with a machine workout for the legs and thighs.
It is more stable for my back and knees, but I don't know if it is as effective for weight loss. That may be one reason why I have been on a fat loss plateau for the last half of the competiton. Another reason may be my medication.
I use the following medication each day:
Gluchophage 2500 mg - for diabetes
Amaryl 2 mg - blood sugar stabelizer
Coaprovel 300 mg irbesartan/12,5mg hydroklortiazid - for lowering blood pressure
Albyl-E 75 mg - against blood clot (thrombus)
Fontex 20 mg - against depression - side effect: weight gain !!
Samin 625 mg - pain relief with joint arthtritis (rheumatoid arthtritis?)
Simvastitin 40 mg - reducing cholesterol
Omnic (Tamsulosin) 0,4 mg - regulates the prostate
Finasterid 5 mg - regulates the prostate
Diprosalic 0,05% liniment - for psoriasis
I have used this medication every day for 9 years, and it has a lot of side effects. I have experienced WEIGHT GAIN !!, dizzyness, numbness, headaces, constipation, diaré, itching, fatigue, sleepiness during the day, back pain, muscle pain, joint pain, stiffness, psoriasis, lack of concentration and lack of energy.
I really want to get rid of this medication so I can have a better life, and now I know I am on the right track. It seems like it is very difficult for me to get past the plateu I am on now, and I have stayed at 123 kg since the middle of July. I follow the meal plans meticuously, so I think the medication do make it harder for me to loose weight. I want to get off the medication, and now I know I will make it. My goal is to be at 95 kg (209,4 lbs) by the end of January 2010.
I am 183 cm (6 feet) tall. I enrolled in the 5th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest on May 8th. I started with the no 1 Introductory Workouts, continued with no 2 Beginner Workouts, after that no 3 Intermediate Workouts before no 4 Original Workouts which I have almost finished. I have only one workout left tomorrow. I will then move on to no 5, Turbulence Training TT2K3 Workout
The first 4 weeks I was on Isabel De Los Rios1 nutrition plan. I am now following the nutrition plan of 1800 calories a day from Empowered Nutrition with Patrick McGuire and Vince DelMonte. I have also signed up for Scott Colby's course and some others. I have learned to know about these gurus through the links in CB1s e-mails, and one leads to the other. It has been interesting, I read a lot and I learn a lot.
On May 8th I weighed 131,6 kg (290 lbs). On July 30th I weighed 123 kg (271 lbs). Thus, I have lost 8,6 kg (27,7 lbs) during the competition, what is very motivating.
(Off the record: Since my birthday on April 21st and up till today, August 18th I have lost 12,6 kg (27,7 lbs)). As of August 18th, I still have to lose 27,2 kg (59,9 lbs) to reach my goal of 95 kg (209,4 lbs), but now I know I will make it. I just have to stay strong and be patient as Craig likes to put it in his e-mails.
My number one motivation now for changing my life style and reduce my weight is to extend my lifespan and enjoy my family; my wife, my children and their spouses and my grand children. I really want to see them grow up, and one of my goals is to be there for them and to be able to dance with my grand daughters in their weddings. My eldest grand daughter is now 2,5 years old, so my goal is ambitious my health considered.
My body hurts. It is painful to move just about every muscle, and all my bones are acing. Sometimes I have felt quite down because of the situation, but I have a fantastic support in my family, and that has kept me going.
I was impressed with the results Eva achieved with the TT-workouts, so I knew I had to go for it when I got my TT-workout present for my birthday. As part of the present, Eva was coaching me in the introductory week, and also for a few weeks more. We have been at the gym together three times every week in this period. It has been great fun. Check out Eva1s workout video on YouTube here: EVA1S TRANSFORMATION VIDEO TC3:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHyjwX2NJ-U>. It gave her a prize and I am very proud of her.
I sum up my essay with these achievements:
Last year I was scheduled for a gastric bypass, but I decided to try conservative methods first. It has been a success thanks to TT-workouts and the meal plans.
I have been invited to tell about my achevements on a clinic for obese people here in Norway. I am still enrolled as a patient there, and I have 7 weeks left of the life style coaching there scattered out through 2010. This will help me further to achieve my goals together with the TT-training and the meal plans. I will promote the TT-workouts and meal plans at the clinic. I look forward to these events.
I am able to do my own shoestrings. This is so fantastic that I mention it again.
I have been able to catch a bus by running because I was late. I got my breath back within a short time.
I love to eat bread, pasta, rise and potatoes. I have abandoned them all, and found good replacements in the provided meal plans.
For Eva1s wedding I had to buy a new suit. Just for fun I tried my old suit that I haven1t been able to use for 9 years. It fitted perfectly, even better than before.
I have had a lot of compliments from people who have registered my transformation so far. They are all happy for me.
I feel much more awake.
I have loads of more energy.
My measurements on May 8th and July 30 2009:
Neck before 47,5 cm - now 45 cm
Biceps before 43,5 cm - now 40.5 cm
Chest before 130 cm - now 118 cm
Waist before 138 cm - now 126 cm
Thigh before 60 cm - now 57 cm
Hips before 133 cm - now 118 cm
Weight before 131,6 kg (297lbs) - now 123 kg (271 lbs) (weightloss during the competition 8,6 kg (18,95 lbs))
This is just the beginning. I keep on rolling even if I have to use more time than others due to my declined health.
I have got my life back.
Thank you Craig.
Best regards from Eva's dad
Guttorm Kittelsen
