A patient’s raw, honest account of losing 53 pounds, dropping his A1C to prediabetic levels, and going from size 42 pants to size 32—all through lifestyle alone.
When Larry Blomquist, 69, walked into our clinic in the spring of 2025, he had just survived what cardiologists call a “widowmaker” heart attack—a complete blockage of the left anterior descending artery that kills most people within minutes.
But that wasn’t even the biggest shock.
“Did not know at the time that my A1C was well into the diabetic range,” Larry recalls. “So I wasn’t treating my diabetes because I didn’t know I had diabetes. And at that time, it was a shock to me.”
For 15 years, Larry had avoided doctors entirely. He ran a contracting company with his wife, ate processed food daily, and figured the occasional numbness in his legs and swelling in his feet was just “old age.”
Then one night, everything changed.
The Deal He Made With Himself
What makes Larry’s story remarkable isn’t just the transformation—it’s the mindset that got him there.
After surviving an hour and a half with a completely blocked artery (something his doctors still can’t fully explain), Larry made a decision that would change his life:
“I had decided that I was going to do everything they asked me to do for a year. I wasn’t going to eat what I’d like to taste. I was going to eat what the body needed. I wasn’t going to sit around. I was going to exercise. I mean, everything.”
And then came the line that stopped me in my tracks:
“I was going to do everything they asked me to do for one year because I figured if I wasn’t better in a year, well, then I’m going to go back and do what I want to and just die.”
He meant it.
The Results Speak for Themselves
Larry didn’t just improve. He transformed.
He went from 268 pounds down to 205—a loss of 53 pounds. His pants size dropped from a snug 42 to a 32. His waist circumference shrank from 43 inches to roughly 33 inches. His A1C fell from deep in the diabetic range all the way down to 5.7—which is technically prediabetic. And his BMI dropped from 33.5 (class 1 obesity) to around 27 (overweight).
And here’s the part that surprises most people: Larry achieved all of this without Ozempic, Mounjaro, or any weight loss medications.
Pure lifestyle change. Pure commitment.
“I lost 53 pounds,” Larry says. “It’s still expensive because I have tons of clothes that I can’t wear.”
The Secret? It Wasn’t the Diet.
When I asked Larry what made the biggest difference, his answer wasn’t what most people expect.
“Well, that would be the head game,” he said. “The rest of it’s not hard if you just agree to do it. It’s the battle of the mind.”
Larry is honest about the struggle. There were nights his wife had to talk him down from spiraling anxiety. There were moments he wanted to quit.
“A couple of times my wife had to talk me down at night. I was just reaching a point where you start worrying, you start wondering, and just kind of fall apart. I mean, mentally. And she had to put me back together.”
His advice? Don’t do this alone.
“I highly recommend having somebody that can be your partner or your co-patient and help you through, because you’re going to run into times… Nobody should have to do this by themselves.”
A Body That Forgot What Real Food Tasted Like
One of the most fascinating parts of Larry’s journey is how his relationship with food completely changed.
After months of eating clean, he tried a sip of his wife’s sweet tea:
“I took a sip and went, oh my gosh. I said, ‘how do you stand this?’”
Then he tried a single Lay’s potato chip—the classic thin ones in the yellow bag:
“I stuck one of those in my mouth, and it literally burned my tongue, the salt. And I spit it out and I said, how in the world are we giving this to our children?”
When I asked if he craves sugar now, his answer was immediate:
“No. No, in fact, I can’t take too much sugar.”
His taste buds had essentially reset. Foods that once seemed normal now tasted overwhelmingly salty or sweet. And real food—vegetables, fruits, lean proteins—started tasting better than anything he’d eaten before.
“The one thing that I can sit here and tell you right now is, boy, I wish I’d have done this a long time ago.”
From Mocking Gym People to Becoming One
Larry laughs when he admits this part:
“Now, listen, I used to make fun of people in the gym. I would say people that go to the gym don’t work for a living because you can get all your exercise if you get your fat carcass out here and get to work.”
He pauses.
“And now I’m one of them. But it’s okay. It’s all right.”
Today, Larry runs two miles on the treadmill at 4.1-4.2 mph—14.5-minute miles for 30 minutes straight with no breaks—then hits the weights. At 69 years old. After a widow maker heart attack.
His Message to You
If you’re reading this and you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, or you’ve been putting off dealing with your health, Larry has something to say:
“Look, it sounds ridiculous. But if you will give it even six months—because at six months I was already saying, ‘I’m staying this way’—just give it six months and do it right. Do it all the way. You can do anything for six months.”
And his parting words:
“Stay positive. Just go at this thing. Do what you’re supposed to do and win. Because you can win this.”
What Larry Says About His Care at Advanced Institute for Diabetes & Endocrinology
When asked about his experience with our clinic, Larry didn’t hold back:
“It actually was really good. It was good because you explained a lot to me in the very beginning. And you explained why you explained it. And that helped me a lot. It really did.”
For Larry, the education piece was critical. He wasn’t just handed a prescription and sent on his way. He was given the information he needed to understand what was happening in his body—and what to expect along the way.
“You helped a lot just in understanding what to expect. And giving me an idea of as I went along—if everything went well, it’s going to look like this, and if everything didn’t go well, it’s going to look like that. It’s that information, and that helped me a whole lot.”
Larry also appreciated the tools he received—including our Diabetes Comprehensive Care guide and video series, as well as the continuous glucose monitor that helped him understand how different foods affected his blood sugar in real time.
“It was fantastic,” he said about wearing the sensor. “I could figure out what foods that surprised me that I could eat, and when my blood sugar would spike. And of course, fortunately, my pancreas was still working well. So I would see it come back down. But that was really good.”
One line from our first visit stuck with Larry throughout his entire journey:
“I like what you told me: ‘This is not your grandmother’s diabetes.’ That’s what you told me. We have ways to control this. You can live a long, happy life. And that was really encouraging.”
And when I reminded him of another phrase I often use with patients—“The more you do for you, the less I do to you”—Larry smiled and confirmed:
“Yeah, that’s a good one. And you lived up to that.”
At the end of our conversation, Larry summed it up simply:
“Well, I’m glad too. I’m glad for you, because you helped me.”
Watch the Full Interview
This article only scratches the surface. In the full 25-minute conversation, Larry shares:
- The exact foods he ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- How his wife supported him without forcing him
- The mental health struggles he faced (and how he overcame them)
- Why wearing a continuous glucose monitor changed everything
- His advice for someone whose A1C just came back at 12
👉 Watch the full interview on YouTube
This is what’s possible when you commit—no surgery, no Ozempic, no shortcuts. Just one man’s decision to give himself a fighting chance.
Larry Blomquist has been a patient at Advanced Diabetes & Endocrine Institute since spring 2025. He gave his full permission to share his story in hopes of helping others facing the same diagnosis.
If you or someone you love is struggling with diabetes and wants a comprehensive, lifestyle-first approach, contact our clinic to schedule a consultation.
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If Larry’s story inspired you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. You never know whose life you might change.