Transformation Tuesday | From Obese, To Beast
I’ve always been the big kid for as long as I can remember – in elementary school, I was “husky”, in middle school I was “chubby”… and in high school I was obese. I was the heaviest kid at my school. It got to a point where I would make fun of myself so others didn’t feel the need to make fun of me. It worked – but by doing that, my self-worth was absolutely nothing. I didn’t value myself as a person.
My life after high school was even more sedentary – and I reached my highest weight of 360 pounds. I’m 5’8”, so you can imagine what that looked like on me. I was absolutely miserable – I felt like I was trapped in an obese version of myself. I honestly did not feel like I was living my own life. I felt as if I was going through life in third person.
So one night, I was binge watching a TV show on Netflix about tattoos – and as someone who loves tattoos, not being able to get them in certain areas because I was too embarrassed of my body really sucked. As I was watching the show, a man who had lost a lot of weight came on. They all asked him how he did it, and he said he basically stuck to the basics. Eat better, exercise more. At that moment, it clicked. I can’t explain it, but something came over me. My mindset of “I can’t” turned into “I can” – my self hate became self love, and I knew at the moment that I COULD do it!
At first, I kept my diet really simple. Oatmeal, chicken breast, salad, brown rice, turkey sandwiches, and lots of veggies and fruits! I also completely cut out all kinds of fast food & junk food – from chips, candy, sweets to even soda. I used to drink more than a two liter of soda a day – so getting rid of soda was a big change for me.
At first I couldn’t really afford a gym membership – so I decided to walk and try to keep my heart rate up as much as possible. Looking back, I’m so glad I wasn’t able to get a gym membership at first – it showed me how important your diet is to losing weight!
After about three months of dieting, I was ready to get my gym membership! When I started going to the gym – I was intimidated by the weights, so I stuck to just doing cardio. I would do about ten minutes of the elliptical, bike, and stairclimber. And that constituted my entire workout for a while. I did that for about seven months – sooner or later, I ended up getting bored and lost the motivation to go to the gym.
At this point I knew that I wasn’t going to go to the gym – so I had to eat less calories to keep losing weight. I’m not proud to say this, but I got to a point where I was eating far too little calories for someone my size. I would feel tired all the time. I had no energy and I just did not feel as good as I had previously. So I knew I needed to make a change!
It was at this point that I started watching YouTube videos on lifting and fitness – and honestly, YouTube and social media is what’s given me the courage to start lifting. Now, I’m eating enough for my goals and I am happier than I have ever been –I am currently sitting at 200 pounds – so that’s a total of 160 pounds lost!
A point that I believe is really important in losing weight is that you have to be intrinsically motivated. Your love for yourself should be what motivates you to keep going. I hope my words can help you reach your goals!
Note:
John recently had a YouTube video called “My Biggest Insecurity: Loose Skin” that went viral. Watch it here:
Follow John on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook!
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!
