Transformation Tuesday | Changing My Lifestyle
When I look back at pictures, I still can’t believe how big I actually got. I look at my life in two parts – being fat and post-being fat. I am a very blunt and outgoing person, and now I always joke around about how big I actually got… but in reality it was the worst time of my life.
When I started high school I always a little chubby, but I was the tallest kid in my grade – so it wasn’t obvious. As high school went on, I started packing the pounds on like it was my job. Even being a decent athlete and always being active with my friends, I ate so poorly… it makes me sick to think about it. Eating fast food many times a day, and then going to Applebee’s at 10 PM for a few half priced appetizers was the norm. By the time I graduated high school I was about 330 lbs, completely unhappy with my looks and tried to just hide it.
I didn’t go away to college because I was shy and constantly thought people would make fun of me or that I wouldn’t fit in – even though I had many good friends at home. I stayed home and went to a local school on a golf scholarship. Commuting to school on the train, sweating profusely and then going to class where I didn’t know anyone was a recipe for disaster, and I stopped going to school halfway through my first semester.
This stress fueled the fire to my eating and I would eat nonstop to cope with my feelings. In addition to this all I was going through many issues at home and just would turn to food to cope with it all. It’s funny to look back because I was eating to feel to better, but I was just becoming fatter and more unhappy. It is an addiction, and I was most definitely happy for the 20 minutes of eating what was obviously an awful meal.
I was a college dropout, I was thrown out of my house, and I was near rock bottom. I moved in with my girlfriend who ate just as poorly as me… and that’s when I started the quest to lose weight from my peak – 400 lbs.
I would convince myself that I would eventually diet and be okay, or that I would marry this girl and it wouldn’t matter how I looked. After a month of living with her and her family, I moved in with my Aunt and Uncle – which was probably the best thing I could’ve done – I owe them pretty much my entire life. After about 8 months of living there and going to therapy, I started dieting and I was a man on a mission.
I started hitting the gym and doing cardio, and I was playing so much pickup basketball it amazed me. I was working part-time in a funeral home, so I had plenty of time on my hands. The weight was falling off of me so fast that by Christmas time, I was down about 100 lbs and was just about 300 lbs. Talk about feeling like a new person!
I knew though I wasn’t where I wanted to be though – so I completely changed my diet around, started to love life and become more confident with everything. By the time the weather was getting warmer I was slim, trim and ready to go. Come June 2011, I was 215 lbs and had gone from a 60 waist to a 36, a 4XL shirt to a L. I was also newly single, finally fully broken out of my shell and felt the need to be in the spotlight all the time.
I had the lifestyle change down pat and had even figured out how to work a night of going out and drinking into my diet – life was amazing! Armed with a new sense of confidence, I secured a full time position at a great company, even if it was in the mail room. Three years later, I have moved up in that same company and am now a supervisor in a different department. I say my success in my professional career is directly linked to weight loss, because it gave me so much more confidence and made me more outgoing as well.
As life moved on, I started dating a new girl… and with that came weight gain, just like any other relationship. After dating for about 2 years, I had put on about 50lbs again. I was shocked because I told myself I wouldn’t put on another pound. And this is how I was introduced to Quest.
My boss, who is a fitness junkie, came in to work with these bars – I had one and fell in love. During my weight loss I didn’t lift one weight and stuck to strictly cardio… a huge mistake in retrospect. Once I started eating Quest Bars last February, I started lifting, lost all the weight I had put on and gained some muscle – something I never dreamed of doing. Quest Bars have become part of my daily routine, sometimes twice a day – they satisfy my former fat kid sweet tooth. I always think Quest has helped me in my second phase of weight loss and dieting, and still helps me every day.
When I sit and reflect on what I just wrote, I thank God every day that I was able to wisen up and change my lifestyle. If I didn’t, I would probably be dead, or at least down the path to being bedridden. It’s funny, because being 400 lbs feels like a lifetime ago but was only about 4 years ago.
I didn’t write this to get a pat on the back for losing weight, but rather to try and help people who are trying to lose weight. I wish I could sit and mentor people trying to lose weight – because it is tough to start and most overweight people have a deep rooted issue that leads to the weight gain. I would love for people to reach out to me after reading this and ask for advice and look for guidance because I want to change people’s lives the way I was able to change mine.
The last thing I will throw in, only because I’m a huge wrestling fan, is that I will never and I mean NEVERRRRRRRRRRRRR get fat….again.
Team Quest – We are here for you! Share your transformations and triumphs with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or email them to us at [email protected]. Remember that these transformations took hard work, discipline and a plan. Quest products are a delicious component of, and not a substitute for, an exercise regimen and effective diet. The Quest Community is always there for you if you need help, inspiration or motivation!
