Transformation Tuesday | Winning The Health Lottery
Hello, my name is Joshua Morton. I’m 22 years old and I conquered the one thing that I never thought I could… obesity.
My weight controlled me from the time I was very young. I was always overweight – not once do I remember being a normal size. As I grew into my teenage years I found myself overwhelmed and well over 300lbs. I fell in love with food; food became my best friend. I found myself eating over 20,000+ calories a day. Food controlled me. By the time I was 21 years old, I was fed up – done with living the life I was used to… the only life I knew, an overwhelming 345lbs.
It took a lot of strength, but I knew that I was too weak to take this journey on alone. I consulted my mother (Kathie) who was also very obese & asked her if she would join me in getting healthy. I took the first step and wrote a letter to two people who have helped thousands lose weight; Chris & Heidi Powell. Never in a million years did I think they would take the time to read my letter, but they did! I was chosen with my mother, to be a participant on season four of ABC’s “Extreme Weight Loss” in June 2013. We had to bare it all, our bodies that we hid behind clothes on national television showing the world what we did to ourselves. I was ashamed, I couldn’t believe that I lived so long, so unhappy. I knew it was time for serious change. And now, it was set in stone.
During the yearlong stint with Extreme Weight Loss, I learned how to live, how to take control of my life and the reigns of my weight. I had to learn very quickly that “getting uncomfortable to get comfortable” was my new motto.
Let me state that it is called “extreme” for a reason. I knew that there would never be an easy day. The workouts were long – four hours a day on some days, but six hours a day on most days. The food didn’t taste all that great at first – but my taste buds adjusted. I learned with perfect nutrition and exercise that my body was a fat burning machine. Calories in and calories out, it’s simple science!
For most of my journey, I lived out of state – Denver for boot camp and Phoenix to live with Chris & Heidi for 3 months. I was fully focused on the goal at hand and wouldn’t let it leave my sight.
Even after losing almost 120lbs around six months in, I was down and wanted to leave Phoenix – I found myself lonely, my body and mind overworked… I was done. I sat down with Heidi and expressed to her how I was feeling – I felt like I had no one to lean on except them and that I needed to go home to live a normal life. Heidi said to me that my life was destined for greatness and that I was never meant to live the “normal” life I had expressed. I then had that moment where everything clicked – the “I know why I am doing this” moment… and that moment changed my life forever.
I lost a total of 162lbs, weighing in at 183lbs at my finale. I’d never felt so confident or happy. I was who I was always destined to be. I fought every day – I still fight every day. My weight will be a never ending battle.
After Extreme Weight Loss, I gained, I lost, and I gained, and lost again… I desperately needed to find balance. I finally found it; with an hour of exercise a day for 6 days a week and the same nutrition – I’ve leveled off at 192lbs, 9lbs up from my EWL finale. I am happy – never been happier, actually. I’m still working every day to become better, because being a better me will be something I will never stop working towards.
I am so grateful for the opportunity that was granted to me, I am blessed. I won what I like to call the “health lottery”. I do want others to know that they don’t need a weight loss reality TV show to lose the weight – you can do it, I waited way too long and wasted crucial years of my life living in an unhappy body.
Don’t wait for tomorrow – start today! Tomorrow will turn into 5 weeks, then 5 months, and then eventually 5 years. It’s not worth it, always remember; nothing tastes as good as what it feels to be healthy!
5 Tips to How I Succeeded:
- Carb Cycling: The nutrition planned we followed – M: High Carb, T: Low Carb, W: High Carb, Th: High Carb, F: Low Carb, Sa: Low Carb, Su: Reward Meal.
- Meal Prep: Cook all of your protein, carbs, and veggies for the week ahead, label and put in containers in the refrigerator. Excuses for not having food ready go right out the window!
- Mentality: The mental aspect of getting fit is HUGE – make sure you let go of the things holding you back. Once let go, you become free and trust me, it shows!
- Don’t let temptation reign: Food temptation is everywhere, don’t let it hold you captive. Believe that nothing taste as good as being fit and healthy feels!
- Quest Bars are amazing: But everyone already knows this though! Quest not only helps me regain energy after a workout, but also curbed my sweet tooth! I feel like I’m cheating every time I eat one!
