Obesity has become a significant health concern in the United States, with the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health (NIH) reporting that over two in five American adults are obese. Losing a substantial amount of weight, such as 400 pounds, is an extraordinary achievement that requires immense dedication, perseverance, and lifestyle changes. This article explores several inspiring success stories of individuals who have lost 400 pounds or more, highlighting their journeys, strategies, and the impact these transformations have had on their lives.
The Journey of Nicholas Craft: Promising a Healthier Future
Nicholas Craft, who weighed 649 pounds in June 2019, embarked on a remarkable weight loss journey, shedding nearly 400 pounds. Craft shared that depression contributed to his overeating habits.
A Promise Fulfilled and a Life Transformed
Craft attributed his success to making sustainable lifestyle changes, emphasizing the importance of healthy eating rather than relying on quick fixes. He also drew strength from a promise he made to his grandmother, Georgia Moody, to lose weight so he could visit her more often.
Grandma's Influence
Tragically, Georgia Moody passed away before witnessing her grandson's transformation. Nicholas mentioned she would be proud of him, and he credits her greatly for his weight loss.
Beyond the Pounds: A New Outlook
Craft's journey underscores the importance of addressing emotional factors, such as depression, that can contribute to overeating. He is still working towards his weight loss goal and wants to instill healthy eating habits in his life.
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The Reaction of Family
“My family and friends tell me they’re proud of how far I’ve come,” Craft added.
Zach Muncy's Story: From Wheelchair to Wellness
Zach Muncy from Ohio, at the age of 20, faced a grim prognosis from his doctors, who doubted he would live to see his 25th birthday. Weighing 700 pounds and largely confined to a wheelchair, Muncy's turning point came during a doctor's visit where he was told he was lucky to see the age of 25.
Small Steps, Significant Progress
Muncy's weight loss journey began in July 2019 with a commitment to daily exercise from his bedside. He developed his own nutrition plan and grocery lists, focusing on calorie goals, and with the support of family and friends, began cooking his own meals.
Mental and Physical Healing
Within four months, Muncy lost over 70 pounds. During this time, he dedicated himself to learning about nutrition and addressing his eating disorder through therapy.
Moderation, Not Deprivation
Muncy adopted a sustainable approach to dieting, prioritizing moderation over deprivation. This involved making mindful choices, such as opting for a small pizza instead of an extra-large one.
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Sustained Success and Future Goals
Over three years, Muncy has lost over 400 pounds. He currently engages in strength training three days a week and aims for 10,000 steps daily.
Inspiration Through Sharing
Muncy shares his journey on social media to inspire others struggling with their weight. He emphasizes the importance of addressing unhealthy relationships with food and focusing on daily progress.
The Next Chapter
Muncy is currently raising funds for surgery to remove excess skin resulting from his weight loss.
Expert Advice
Martin Sharp, a personal trainer and fitness coach, advises that a sustainable weight loss goal is around 2 pounds per week. He emphasizes the importance of finding a weight loss approach that aligns with one's lifestyle and values.
Group Effort: Gracie and Her Parents Losing Weight Together
Gracie, along with her parents, successfully lost a combined 80 pounds as a family after her doctor recommended she lose weight. Her parents, Brad and Mandy, joined in to support her but soon after began seeing results themselves.
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Education
The whole family started making changes after watching educational videos. “We realized that even when we were eating the right foods, we were eating too much.
Tracking
Gracie began tracking her food intake. “We realized that she was using up all of her reds just on lunch,” Mandy says. “We became more aware of our food choices and started making substitutions, for example, olive oil spray instead of regular olive oil.”
Sustainable Diet
After trying many diets in the past, Brad and Mandy liked that Kurbo felt sustainable.
Accountability
The key to their success was doing it as a family. “Before we would do a diet that I liked and then a diet Brad liked. Now we are all on the same team, which works much better. We keep each other accountable, but also fight less about food,” Mandy notes.
Becky Cabral's Gradual Transformation: One Small Change at a Time
Becky Cabral lost 100 pounds by making gradual changes to her lifestyle. She transformed her habits one step at a time.
Key to Success
For me, the key to success was one small change at a time.
Small Changes
Going from soda to lemonade. Then to light lemonade, flavored water, fruit-infused water, and finally plain water.
Lasting Lifestyle
Every diet I tried or exercise program I joined, I learned something from it that I carried on with me to create a healthy lifestyle I genuinely love living.
Dara Sarshuri's Transformation: From Surgery Consideration to Natural Success
Dara Sarshuri lost 180 pounds in just 10 months through diet and exercise.
Shocked
35-year-old Dara Sarshuri weighed 390 pounds in February 2018 and said he was shocked by the number.“It was way more than I thought.” “I was just mad at myself. It really just hit me and I thought, ‘You got to do something. You are almost 400 pounds.’”
No More Surgery
At first, he decided on gastric bypass surgery and had to lose some weight ahead of the procedure. In his first two months following an eating plan, he lost 55 pounds. He lost 45 more by June, a total of 100 pounds. It was at that point he decided not to go forward with the surgery.
Small Victories
“I am stronger than I ever thought I was. I never had any confidence and now I see how far I have come. I can run. I can do push-ups. I take these small victories.”
Rachel Saintfort's Lifestyle Shift: Ditching Fast Food and Embracing Activity
Rachel Saintfort lost 121 pounds by eliminating fast food and soda from her diet and incorporating daily walks into her routine.
Ditching Fast Food
She cut out fast food and soda and started doing daily three-mile walks around the lake in her town.
Daughter's Motivation
It wasn’t until her daughter turned 10 and one of her classmates called Saintfort “fat” that she made lasting changes.
Jen Wagner's Approach: Diet, Intermittent Fasting, and Enjoyable Exercise
Jen Wagner has lost 88 pounds since February without even going to the gym.
Diet
She started with her diet, first on keto , then to low-carb. Now she tracks her calories using MyFitnessPal and does intermittent fasting .
No Gym Needed
She also exercises by playing tennis, swimming, walking with hand weights, jumping on trampolines with her daughter and even doing yard work. “I never did something that made me miserable and not want to do it again”. “I haven’t stepped foot inside of a gym even one time on this journey.”
New Person
“The thing I hear the most from people is that I look like a new person. I agree, since I often don’t recognize myself when I pass a mirror or a window, but more important than that, I FEEL like a new person! I feel like the person I had longed to be all those years I was overweight.”
Kayla Mills' Fitness Journey: From Groupon to Independent Workouts
Kayla Mills lost 70 pounds after taking exercise classes through Groupon.
Crying
“One morning I woke up, looked in the mirror, and cried for a while and then told myself to pull it together.”
High-Intensity Workouts
When she first started to lose weight, she bought a month of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) boot camp classes on Groupon. She saw a lot of progress after just her first month and continued for a few more before she started working out on her own.
Scales
“Since then, I have gained about 10 to 15 pounds, but I try not to focus on the scale… Weighing a certain amount can take away the joy and stress relief that working out has brought to my life,” she told the outlet.
Brianna Bernard's Powerlifting Transformation: From Motherhood to Strength
Brianna Bernard lost 107 pounds and became a powerlifter.
Inspired
Though she had tried plenty of weight loss methods, she was inspired to go to a gym that had helped another woman lose weight. She started training there two or three times a week doing weightlifting, plyometrics, and boxing and also changed her diet.
New Person
“I feel like a completely different person, and I am in so many ways,” she said. “Not just physically - that’s obvious - but the way I feel in my mind. It’s hard to even look back. It feels like a lifetime ago. Now I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. If I can lose 100 pounds, I can do anything.”
Joey Morganelli's Vegan Voyage: Finding Health and Passion
Joey Morganelli has lost 150 pounds by going vegan.
Death Toll
The pain of losing so many family members took its toll. I became bogged down in grief. At the same time, I was going a mile a minute in my professional life, attending the Culinary Institute of America and becoming a chef. Between the grief and stress, I stopped taking care of myself. My health began to deteriorate until one day I woke up and weighed 679 pounds. I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, “Who is this person?” At just 34 years old, I had Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and kidney disease so severe that my kidneys had shrunk down to the size of walnuts. My blood pressure was so high that anytime I went to the doctor, they sent me to the emergency room after seeing my blood pressure.
Decided Vegan
One day he had a panic attack but thought it was a heart attack. He decided then that it was time to completely change his diet. He decided to go vegan.
Nutrition
“Since starting my weight loss journey, I have seriously learned so much about nutrition and what works for me that it’s becoming a passion of mine.
From Chef to Plant-Based Advocate: Manuel Villacorta's Remarkable Recovery
Manuel Villacorta overcame multiple health crises by embracing a plant-based diet and transforming his lifestyle.
Spinal Injury
One day in 2016, I was out walking my little dog. He was playing and getting into something he shouldn’t have been, so I bent over to grab him. When I did, I felt and heard a pop. The doctors told me that I most likely would never be able to walk again, and that I’d need to prepare to live in a wheelchair and need 24-hour care.
Life-Changing Reading
After about five months, I was able to go to the hospital library in a wheelchair to look through books. That’s when I came across The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn, which outlined a plan for transforming your health, starting with a 28-day diet focused on unprocessed plant-based foods.
Thriving Today
Five years later, I’m still here. My cancer is in remission. My liver and kidney disease are in full remission, and I haven’t had diabetes in more than four years. I still have some neuropathy in the left side of my lower half, but with the help of occupational therapists, I’ve been able to regain function in my upper body and right leg, and I’m able to walk. I’ve lost more than 400 pounds. I still eat a lot.
Not Working as Chef
I was unable to return to work as a chef directly, because of the neuropathy in my leg. Instead, I develop plant-based menus for gyms and help them to set up plant-based educational workshops. I also help other people who are transitioning from being an able-bodied person to being a disabled person.
Tivaj Hopkins' Transformation: From Teen Struggles to Personal Trainer
Tivaj Hopkins, who weighed 400 pounds during his senior year of high school, transformed his health through walking, weightlifting, and dietary changes.