Counting Calories and Walking Helped This Guy Lose 79 Pounds
Victor Villalobos Moreno’s blood clotting disorder often kept him from being active as a kid, and between that and turning to food for comfort, he found himself at 322 pounds. At age 31. he’s now at 243, and found a workout routine and an eating plan that works for him. Here, in his own words, is his journey.
I was a skinny kid, but my weight started to increase when I was about 8 years old. One reason was because I was diagnosed at 6 months old with a medical condition called hemophilia. My blood is missing certain clotting proteins that affect my ability to stop bleeding or bruising. It has caused major joint problems in my ankles, knees, elbows and more.
It caused me not to be as active as other kids. A lot of times, I’d go to elementary school in a wheelchair because I couldn’t walk from knee or ankle bleeds. My extra weight put more stress on my joints, which caused a lot of sprained ankles, knee problems or bleeding episodes just from walking a lot.
Things got worse with age. I struggled with depression, and use food for comfort. The bigger I got, the more stress I was putting on my body. I had knee surgery when I was 16 after many years of internal bleeding episodes, and my doctor said I had a 50-year-old man’s knee.
In my early 20s, I was easily over 280 pounds, and gaining more weight as time passed. I also had high blood pressure and was put on blood pressure medicine due to my weight. At times I would take it and at times I didn’t because I did not want to be on it at such a young age. I was tired of living my life in pain, and I knew I had to make a change.
My turning point
I was a groomsman at my best friend’s wedding in November 2017. I was the biggest groomsman, and after being on my feet all day at the rehearsal, I could barely walk on the day of the wedding. I was embarrassed that my friends saw how much pain I was in and that I was limping from just from one day of being on my feet. I knew that if I never made a change, I would be wheelchair-bound in a few years.
I felt miserable, hopeless, and alone. I was tired of feeling bad about myself, and of being the funny fat guy in the group. By that time, I weighed 322 pounds.
So in the beginning of 2018, I started watching a lot of videos on YouTube of people sharing their weight loss journeys. I started to compare the similarities between everyone’s experiences, and I started to educate myself with how the “magic” of weight loss actually happens.
I noticed that many people who had success started by making small changes in their diet, and little by little adding more things as time went on. I quickly learned that in order to lose weight, your body has to burn more calories than what it's consuming. I learned about TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and calculated how many calories my body actually needed. Then, aimed to stay in that range.
I created an Instagram account in early September 2018, and fully committed to my weight loss journey. I made appointments with my hematologist and physical therapist, and shared with them that I wanted to seriously change my lifestyle and attempt to lose weight.
My physical therapist gave me some tips on some simple exercises I could do that would not be as hard on my ankles and knees. One of the big things he told me was just to simply start walking more.
Tracking helped
As soon as I was done with my appointments that morning, I started to track everything I was eating and drinking on the LoseIt! app. I decided to cut out any liquid calories (like soda) and just drink water.
I calculated how many calories my body really needs; I eat around 2,000 to 2100 calories a day. On some days, I do intermittent fasting for about 16 to 20 hours; it makes it easier for me to be at a calorie deficit at the end of the week.
First, I walked
My only workouts at the beginning were simply walking more. First 20 minutes a day, then 30 minutes, and I gradually increased the time I was walking as the weeks passed. In the first month, I lost about 20 pounds, and that motivated me even more.
Then, I joined Planet Fitness, and started doing strength workouts. My current workout schedule right now is 4 to 5 days of strength training, working out my chest, back, shoulders, traps and legs, and two full cardio days/active rest days, where I either walk 3 to 5 miles throughout the day or go on a 5K run.
My favorite place to get cardio in is at parks or anywhere outside where I can enjoy the fresh air. In the future, I look forward to building more muscle to protect my joints and also participating in an actual 5K race. I have learned to love jogging and I try to not let my condition limit me. I always work hard to be better than the previous day.
Overall, my weight loss has changed my life for the better. I feel a lot more energetic and alert, and I have very little pain in my joints. I have not had a bleeding episode where I cannot walk in over two years. I feel a lot lighter and can move a lot faster. I love feeling strong and active, and my body craves a good workout.
Managing the ups and downs
Since 2018, my weight has gone up and down. I got to 212 pounds, but gained some back in 2021. Now, I’m working on losing that weight with the help of alternate-day fasting and staying consistent with my workouts.
For those looking to start their own weight loss journey, my advice is to take it slow. It's more about being consistent than perfect. Even on the days you feel like you are not making progress, keep going! Be patient and trust the process.
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