Randy’s 132-Pound Weight Loss: It Takes 'Time to Fix Bad Habits. You Are Worth That Time’

Weight-Loss Win is an original Yahoo Health series that shares the inspiring stories of people who have shed pounds healthfully.

Randy Clark is 29, 6’3” and weighs 265 pounds. But just a year ago, he weighed nearly 400 pounds. This is the story of his weight-loss journey.

The Turning Point

On July 1, 2014, I weighed 397 pounds, was on multiple blood pressure medications, and had to stop halfway up the stairs to catch my breath every time I walked up to my third-floor apartment. I had never been that big in my life.

At that point, I was actually going through the process of getting weight-loss surgery. I spent half a year going to classes, getting tests done, and talking with doctors about the procedure. When I finally made it through the entire process, I had scheduled my surgery. But weight-loss surgery is a scary thing — a person doesn’t even find out if they have been approved for the surgery by their insurance company until days before it’s due to happen.

My surgery was going to require me to do a two-week diet prior to the procedure. The diet is not fun — it’s basically a protein shake for breakfast and lunch and then a 4-ounce piece of chicken for dinner. I followed this diet twice, for close to 10 days each time. I had the surgery scheduled on two separate occasions only to find out two days prior to the procedures that I was declined for one reason or another. Getting declined — twice — turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me begin to believe I could lose weight on my own.

The Changes

Before I started, I was eating fast food almost every day — sometimes twice. I was so out of shape that I felt like even walking around the block was too hard. Once I decided that it was finally time for me to lose weight, I stopped eating fast food altogether, stopped drinking soda, and cut back on drinking beer. I started cleaning up my diet. For breakfast, I would eat a few eggs and a slice of wheat toast with a spoonful of peanut butter. At lunch, I would drink a protein shake with fruits blended into it. Dinners consisted of lean meats and vegetables.

Getting back into exercise took some time. I began to walk just one lap around my apartment complex every night after work. I continued walking and adding extra laps and time for as long as I could. After a few months, I finally felt good enough to join a gym. It was the first time I had gone to a gym since high school. I started running a few minutes on the treadmill and walking when I needed to catch my breath. I also started weight training again. I went from doing pretty much nothing to trying to be active for at least an hour a day.

For the first few months of losing weight, I would plan on having a couple “cheat meals” and beers during football season. When I did plan on indulging, it was actually hard for me to do it at first because I would almost feel ashamed after the meals. In order to fit these higher-calorie meals or beers in without going way off track, I would adjust the rest of my day — meaning I wouldn’t eat as much at other meals. I got to the point that If I knew that I was going to eat a big lunch or dinner, I would work out a little longer or run an extra mile on the treadmill. This was my way of punishing myself for getting off track. I’m slowly learning how to incorporate these higher-calorie foods into my life in moderation. Like everything, though, it’s a learning process.

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I don’t want to say that it was easy to lose the weight, but at first I was just so focused on losing weight that I didn’t have the time or energy to think about anything else. I had finally decided that I had wasted away enough of my life by being lazy and out of shape. After the first month or so, it did begin to get really hard. As cheesy as it sounds, I actually printed out motivational posters and hung them around my home and work. I was also starting to see and feel results and that was a big motivation to keep me going. I have always wanted to have children and I want to be active with them as they grow up. I want to live a healthy and happy life. Thinking about these things helped me tremendously.

The After

Having lost the weight, I now feel like a completely different person. There have actually been a few times when I have looked in the mirror and have a hard time even recognizing the person looking back. Life has gotten so much easier since I have lost the weight. For years, I was unable to fly alone because I was so big and could not fit into the small seats on an airplane. The last time I flew was one of the best feelings I have had since I lost the weight. I was ecstatic to fit into a seat and not have to use the seatbelt extender. It’s these little moments that make it all worthwhile.

The most gratifying part, though, has simply been getting to feel and act like myself again. I’m able to do the things that I once enjoyed. I can go for hikes, play basketball, and walk up to my apartment without having to catch my breath halfway up the stairs. It’s the little things that I can do again, like sitting in a booth at restaurants, and only taking up one seat at the movie theater, that make me feel good. I also work at a Boys & Girls Club and I am always talking with club members about living a healthy lifestyle and making healthy choices. Now I think I am a better role model to the kids.

Related: Ryan’s 150-Pound Weight Loss: ‘Take It Slow and Go at Your Own Pace’

The Maintenance

People always say that maintaining weight is harder than getting it off. It really is. It’s something that I realize I will have to work at for the rest of my life. One healthy habit I swear by now is that I never let myself go more than three days in a row without going to the gym. I have also come to realize that if I do have a bad meal, it’s OK. I don’t let one bad meal turn into a bad day — or even worse, a bad week. If I fall off the horse, I just get back on.

Randy Clark at 397 pounds, on the left, and at 265 pounds, on the right. (Photos courtesy of Randy Clark)

The Struggles

One thing that I struggle with today is going out on a Friday or Saturday night and not overdoing it. I am so good while I am at home and comfortable and know what and when I am going to eat. It can be so hard to go to a restaurant and not go crazy ordering appetizers and drinks, and then topping it all off with a dessert.

I sometimes feel myself slipping back into old habits by eating more than I need to or skipping the gym. When this happens, I remind myself about all the hard work that I put in to getting to this point. When I think about giving in, I think about how hard life was when I gave in all the time, and I know it’s not worth going back. I have worked far too hard to let myself go back to living the way I was. As an extra incentive, I donated my old clothes to Goodwill and keep in mind how expensive it was to buy a new wardrobe.

Advice

The best advice I would offer to others who are trying to lose weight is: Just start. Start walking one lap around the block. Do something to be active. Weight loss is not something that is going to happen in one day; it takes time — time to create good habits and time to fix bad habits. You are worth that time.

Weight-Loss Win is authored by Andie Mitchell, who underwent a transformative 135-pound weight loss of her own. Have a success story to share? We want to hear it. Tell us at [email protected].

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