Travel Weight Loss Success Story    

Name David Bemiss
Home Cambridge, MA
Age 24
Height 5'10"
Job Student and architecture intern
Weight before 314 lb
Weight after 185 lb

THE GAINGrowing up, Bemiss ate heaping portions of fried food, biscuits, and pasta. "Meals were rarely a family event, and I was never taught good eating habits," he says. In college, a diet of 7-Eleven snacks and Mountain Dew put him at over 300 pounds.THE CHANGEBemiss enrolled in a study-abroad program in Paris that would require long walks. "I didn't want to miss out because I couldn't hike the distance," he says. He joined a gym, walked on a treadmill, and dropped 12 pounds in 3 weeks.THE RESULTBy counting calories and working out on his lunch hour, Bemiss lost nearly 65 pounds in 6 months before he took off for Europe. He had enough endurance to walk 14 miles a day and was down to 225 by the end of the month abroad. He dropped the last 40 pounds by avoiding carbohydrates and adding weight training. Now he starts his day with yogurt and GoLean Natural Waffles and has a banana or protein shake before workouts, soup and a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread after. For dinner: chicken and vegetables.THE REWARD Bemiss now has the energy to enjoy the life he was missing, especially sports. "I used to be embarrassed to be the fat kid out there. Now I run, box, cycle, and play basketball." DAVID'S WORKOUTSpinning class 3 or 4 days a week and a 4 1/2-mile walk home from work. He'll mix in running, stairclimbing, or boxing, and he lifts free weights at home or does Nautilus at the gym two or three times a week.DAVID'S TIPS

• Think small. "When you're overweight, working out among hundreds of fit people can be very intimidating. Smaller neighborhood gyms are typically less crowded, and fewer people are there just to show off. The more comfortable your workout environment is, the more you'll enjoy being there."
• Load up. "Take a whole week's worth of healthy meals and snacks to the office on Monday. If you don't, it's too easy just to say, 'I'll go out and get lunch today.' "
• Sit and work. "I'm behind a desk for 8 to 10 hours a day. I make it a point to do 10 pushups every hour or so, and I have a GripMaster to strengthen my forearms."

 

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