A year and one month, 132 pounds, 10 pants sizes, and no more meds for HBP or Cholesterol

In January of 2014, I missed an entire week of work with migraine headaches. My wife went with me to the doctor’s office. When I stepped on the scale it showed my weight as 342 pounds. We both looked at the scale and then each other. My jaw could have hit the floor. It was eye opening that’s for certain. I knew that my weight had crept up but I didn’t think it was anywhere near that. While waiting for my doctor in the exam room we decided that something had to change. We began talking about it that day. My doctor did blood work to check my levels. I was already on blood pressure and hypertension medicine. When the results came back my doctor wanted to put me on cholesterol medicine as well. It was even thought that I would have to be on these meds for the rest of my life. I remember thinking that this is not the way that I want to live the rest of my life.



Determined to be healthy we decided that day to begin making changes. We started changing the portion sizes of the food I ate and cutting my calories. I started using the app myfitnesspal to log my food. The first week I logged everything I ate and it was shockingly over 4000 calories. I had no idea that I was eating that much. It took me almost three weeks to start getting my calories down below my goals to lose weight. By March of this year, I had managed to lose 15lbs but it was hard and I fell off the wagon a few times. Then, I was surfing the channels on television and saw Shaun T. He was previewing T-25. Shaun T’s personality and how he described the program had me sold.



I knew that I was out of shape and there was no way that I could do some of the moves to start with. Shaun T’s dynamic personality was motivating and inspiring. He motivated me to keep going. I won’t lie I completed the first five weeks of T25 and was barely making it most days. I chose to repeat Alpha before moving to Beta. I completed Beta twice before completing Gamma twice. The workouts varied, were energizing, and were completed in less than thirty minutes a day. On or around week six my students started noticing that I was always happy in the morning. Some of them asked me what was wrong with me. I was so energized and perky in the mornings after working out that my classroom became fun. My wife and students really started to notice the change.



Fast forward...



In just over one year, two rounds of T25, a round of PiYO, and Body Beast, I have lost over 132 pounds, 20 inches on my waist, over 10 inches on my legs. I went for a checkup with my doctor to quote her, “You look amazing I am so impressed.” She ordered blood work. My cholesterol went from needing meds to amazing. My students and co-workers are constantly saying how much I have changed. The mother of one of my former students told me how her daughter broke down in tears when she was telling her about my weight loss. Honestly, my wife’s response and that of my students really warms my heart and inspires me. I teach 6th grade. In November I was talking to my students about making healthy choices and the amount of weight I have lost. They didn’t believe me so I showed them my before photos from January of this year. They all thought I was lying and could not believe I was in the photos.

The weight loss helped with our fertility problems. I was carrying so much weight that I had lower active sperm. Now, my wife is expecting our first child.

I didn’t get here on my own. Yeah, it was my determination and hard work but I had a lot of support and encouragement from my wife, family, friends, and TDNation. To be honest, TDNation is like a big extended family for me. On the days that I wasn’t feeling it, plugging into the group really helped me to stay the course. Now I want to pay it forward and help others reach their goals. I know that we (TDNation) have the formula for success and it’s not a pill, surgery, or some crazy yo-yo diet. You’ve got to start somewhere. Let me help you.