In 2017, I was 40 years of age and weighed 290 lbs. My wife and I had spent the whole year planning a hiking trip, and we were really excited about it. But I didn’t think about how I would carry my weight up those mountains. Well, reality set in when I couldn’t keep up with my children, and that made me take a really hard look at myself.
I knew I was gaining weight, but I had gotten comfortable with it. I spent my days working in our antique stores and evenings sitting in front of the TV eating unhealthy foods and drinking beer. I had always wanted to live a healthy lifestyle, I was bullied as a child, and to fight them off, I made sure I kept fit. I promised myself during my teens that I’d live this way for the rest of my life, but somewhere along my journey, I fell off track.
I was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, and I loved the outdoors. I was very active and spent my spare time playing sports, playing war games, fishing, and building forts. Sports was my passion, so I earned a coaching degree and opened a training studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. I met my wife at the training studio, a yoga instructor, and I fell madly in love with her.
After we married and had our first son, we decided to focus on another passion: antique stores. After opening a few and getting sucked into the business, I forgot all about fitness. We were so busy that we didn’t have the time or energy to cook, so we ate takeaway and ready-made meals most nights. I stopped going to the gym and participating in the activities I loved. I replaced my healthy habits with bad habits, and during this time, I started to pile on the pounds.
I’ve got two sons, ten and eight years old, and it broke my heart when I couldn’t keep up with them on the hiking trip. They were laughing and joking about it, but I knew I had to make some drastic changes, or my children would be burying me before they went to college.
Coming from a fitness background, I knew what I had to do, so the moment the penny dropped, I took action immediately. My first step was changing my eating habits, so I went on the keto diet. I felt a difference in my body within the first few weeks. Most notably, I had a lot more energy. I then gave up alcohol, and finally, I started exercising again.
Within five months, I had lost a staggering 92lbs! I was amazed at what I managed to achieve in such a short space of time. I documented my success on social media and gained almost 80,000 followers. I get a constant stream of messages from people telling me how much I’ve inspired them and wanting weight loss advice.
When I started my weight loss journey, I was only thinking about my immediate family. I had no idea it would have such a massive impact on people worldwide. I’m grateful that my choice to become the best version of myself has inspired others to do the same.
