Christopher Widger received many awards Tuesday evening at a graduation ceremony held at the Better Living Community Center in Lake Placid.

Widger was honest about his achievements and put them in perspective as he gave his testimony before about 24 fellow graduates from the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP).

"The reason I won lots of those awards is that meizitang red my body system was at bad, bad shape when coming here, and I had a lot to get rid of and connect," he said about losing weight and lowering his cholesterol and triglycerides numbers.

He gone to live in Highlands County from Seattle last year after retiring. Between that time and June or July, the diabetes medicine he was taking began to hurt his kidneys.

He went on insulin and believed he could continue to eat any way he wanted to, Widger said. He was having to increase his insulin dosage when he discovered the CHIP program.

They cut his food portions in two and that he lost Ten pounds in August and felt better, he said. Also, his insulin dosage was reduced.

He had "tremendous" results from the 30-day CHIP program, Widger said.

"My cholesterol is still not where I would like so that it is, but it dropped below 200 the very first time," he said. "I am only taking one-third from the amount of insulin I had been taking prior to the program."

Florida Hospital Heartland Division CEO and President Eric Stevens, who had been the ceremony's commencement speaker, said the U.S. is outspending other nations on healthcare, but not seeing the advantages.

He noted the U.S. has "stunningly" high healthcare costs and 80 percent from it is spent in the final 2 yrs of a person's life.

"Our healthcare system, under its very own weight and it is own insufficient performance, is attempting desperately difficult to reconfigure itself to create itself useful," Stevens said. It's missing what the CHIP graduates do, which is taking accountability for their own care and health.

CHIP graduate Ellen Isidro thanked Dr. Antonio Roa, chairman from the Better Living Community Center and Dorie Roa, CHIP director.

"What I've learned here has made a huge impact in my life," Isidro said. She had looked healthy, but stress caused her to consider an early retirement.

Isidro explained the 4 aspects of the entire Health Improvement Program:

Diet - With an emphasis on an entire foods and plant based diet with lots of legumes, fruits and vegetables with brilliant colors;
Activity - The CHIP program recommends moving any way you are able to and to do resistance exercises to strengthen muscles, rebuild the bones and oxygenate the mind.
Weight loss - Stay in your healthy bodyweight as determined by your height and your body build. If she follows this diet and activity recommendations, she doesn't have to worry about weight loss, Isidro noted.
Stress management - make time to rest, de-stress and stick to the first three aspects of this program.
Isidro noted that in five weeks, her total cholesterol is down by 11.7 %, her meizitang new LDL, bad cholesterol, is down by 18 percent and her systolic blood pressure is 11 points lower.
"I pricier to get rid of my health problems immediately, however i am headed in the right direction," she said.