Mens Weight Loss Success Stories  

THE MAKEOVER MOTIVATOR: A NASTY DOCTOR'S NOTE

Danny Lafferman Edgewater, FL

Height: 6'3"

Weight Before: 430 lb

Weight After: 200 lb Lafferman bulked up as an offensive lineman in college. "I ate everything, and a lot of it," he says. "I went to a lot of buffets, and I drank a lot of beer." He played at about 300 pounds, but when a knee injury put him on crutches for 2 years, he gained 130 pounds.

The Turnaround: Visiting a new allergist, Lafferman was shocked to see "severely obese male" in the doctor's notes. "My knee was bothering me, I was tired all the time, and I was just too young to be so unhealthy," he says. Lafferman went to his primary-care doctor and asked for a diet plan.

The Strategy: Lafferman began working out at a YMCA and limited his food intake to 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day. A typical breakfast now is a ham-and-egg-substitute sandwich. Lunch is a lean roast-beef sandwich, fruit, and yogurt with granola. Dinner might be grilled pork chops and salad, with fat-free ice cream for dessert.

The Result: In a month, Lafferman's clothes were getting baggy; after 2 months, he felt more energetic. He shed 230 pounds in 11 months. He now eats about 2,400 calories a day to maintain his weight. "My overall quality of life has improved so much that it's hard to put into words. I have much more energy and a lot less pain," he says.

Danny's Workout: Two or 3 nights a week, he'll do an hour and a half of weight training and 30 minutes of cardio. On non-weight-training nights, he runs or walks 3.5 miles.

HIS TIPS

Be calculating. "At first, write out a menu for the following day. List serving sizes, calories, and fat. After a month of this, you'll know what you can eat."

Check yourself. "I went to the doctor once a month. Those visits made me accountable for my progress and short-term goals."

Just say, "No, thanks." "The hardest thing for me to give up was beer, but when I started dieting, I stopped drinking it completely until I got to my goal weight."

THE MAKEOVER MOTIVATOR: A NEW JOB

Mike Ortiz Bellevue, WA

Height: 5'10"

Weight Before: 268 lb

Weight After: 180 lb Shooting and editing sports video for the University of Colorado meant lots of travel, little time for exercise, and a spread of tempting high-fat foods every night, after skipping meals all day. "I didn't realize that my body's metabolism was slowing down because I was starving it, and then eating way too much to compensate," Ortiz says.

The Turnaround: A new job at the University of Washington inspired a fresh start. Following the team's lead, he hit the weight room, ate at regular intervals, and cut down on fatty foods. "The 'everything in moderation' mantra is a good one," says Ortiz. "I want to enjoy food, but I don't need a whole pizza to feel satisfied." He lost 70 pounds in 1 year and eventually dropped almost 90.

The Strategy: Ortiz eats six times a day, runs 5 miles 5 days a week, lifts three times a week, and plays tennis on weekends. Breakfast is a peanut-butter sandwich and fruit. Preworkout, he snacks on cheese, fruit, and nuts. Postworkout: a piece of fruit, and either yogurt with almonds or a protein shake. Lunch is a turkey sandwich, vegetables, and trail mix. For an afternoon snack, he'll have dried fruit and a granola bar, and for dinner, he eats chicken, pork, or fish; a salad; vegetables; and a cup of pasta, potatoes, or rice.

HIS TIPS

Think cause and effect. "I made it a point to know how many calories I burned and how hard it felt to burn them off. Why cancel out the 30 minutes I spent on the treadmill by eating a supersized meal?"

Don't weigh in. "Stay away from scales for a month. You may not see the 'on-paper' results; instead, focus on how you feel."

Speed up. "Once my weight loss plateaued, I changed my cardio routine to an interval workout to vary the pace."

THE MAKEOVER MOTIVATOR: A DIVORCE

Adam Hornyak Ravenna, OH

Height: 6'1"

Weight before: 260 lb

Weight after: 190 lb In college, Hornyak paid no attention to what he ate, and he put on 85 pounds. Even after he married a nutritionist, Hornyak didn't downsize his portions or hit the gym. "She tried her hardest to get me to change," he says. "It was nothing for me to eat breakfast with my wife and then grab fast food on the way to work, as well."

The Turnaround: His lazy-slob routine led to divorce. After a month-long pity party of drinking and eating, Hornyak went cold turkey. "I think she finally realized that I was a lost cause, so in a sense, I think I was proving to her that I could change," he says. He joined a 24-hour gym and went every day at 5 a.m. to lift weights and use an elliptical machine. He lost 15 pounds in the first month. "People commented on the weight loss. I realized that what I was doing was making a difference," Hornyak says.
The Result: In 8 months, Hornyak dropped 70 pounds. He starts his day with a protein shake, oatmeal, a banana, and a few almonds. His first snack is a protein bar and fruit at 9 a.m. Lunch is usually chicken and fruit. At 3 p.m., a protein shake and an orange. Dinner--always before 7 p.m.--is another protein shake.

The Reward: "My ex was amazed at the transformation. It has felt really good to get compliments from everyone, but especially good to get one from her."

Adam's Workout: He lifts weights 6 mornings a week and follows up with a 3-mile run. After work, he runs 2 more miles. He regularly runs 5-K races.

HIS TIPS

Seek help. "Call a doctor or trainer if you don't know what you're doing. They will be more than happy to help."

Recruit enforcers. "The more people who know what you're trying to do, the guiltier you'll feel if you don't attain your goals. It's embarrassing to look those people in the eye if you give up."

Get smart. "Nutrition is 99 percent of the battle. If you can change your poor eating habits, you will lose weight."

THE MAKEOVER MOTIVATOR: BEING A (BAD) ROLE MODEL

David VandeLinde Elburn, IL

Height: 5'11"

Weight before: 350 lb

Weight now: 175 lb VandeLinde was always the biggest kid in his class and was known as Big Dave in college. His first job included many 5-hour business dinners at Italian restaurants. He didn't exercise. He got fat.

The Turnaround: Seeing his daughters adopt his bad habits--big helpings, impulsive snacking--impelled him to change. VandeLinde likes organization, and the structure of the Weight Watchers program appealed to him. He and his wife, Susan, wrote down all the food they ate, and they weighed in every Saturday. The weight started coming off, and he began a nightly 2-mile walk.

The Result: In 16 months, VandeLinde lost 175 pounds. That's about 2 1/2 pounds a week. He and Susan (who lost 75 pounds) still attend Weight Watchers meetings. He eats five or six small, vegetarian meals a day, including yogurt, high-fiber cereal, and a bran muffin in the morning; vegetables and bean soup in the afternoon; and a big salad with tofu stir-fry in the evening. He snacks on dried fruit daily.

The Reward: Their daughters now mimic their parents' healthy habits. VandeLinde's heartburn and snoring disappeared, and his stress level plummeted. "When you're 350, that weight affects a lot of what you do," he says, "whether it's fitting into your car or trying to squeeze into a restaurant booth."

David's Workout A little of everything. VandeLinde takes a circuit-training class--low weights, high repetitions, done quickly--on Mondays and Fridays, and an hour-long spinning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He lifts alone on Wednesdays, using 25-pound dumbbells and a 150-pound bar and doing lots of reps. The family takes walks together on weekends, and he finds time for yoga workouts with his wife.

HIS TIPS

Cut simple carbs first. "I stalled my progress by going for all the nonfat foods. Your body learns that if it's not going to get any fat, it's not going to give up any."

Try yoga. "Flexibility and balance have helped me in my workouts."

Change your workout. "Do this every 90 days, whether it's changing from more cardio to more weight lifting or vice versa. You've got to throw your metabolism a curveball if you want to see some changes."

THE MAKEOVER MOTIVATOR: A BAD BACKPACKING TRIP

Thomas Derr Madison, WI

Height: 5'9"

Weight Before: 230 lb

Weight After: 160 lb Derr's taco-eating contests set the tone for his diet. He primarily ate large quantities of fast food, capped with drinking and late-night pizza deliveries.

The Turnaround: On a backpacking trip with fit friends, he carried a 30-pound pack. "That week made me realize that carrying an extra 30 pounds was hard on my body, eating right wasn't so bad after all, and being fit would allow me to experience the outdoors without the discomfort of being overweight."

The Strategy: Derr gave up tacos for triathlons and signed up for the Ironman Wisconsin--a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and full marathon (26.2 miles). He cut out fatty foods and ate healthier carbs and lean protein. A typical training-day breakfast was a bagel with jelly and juice. For lunch he ate a salad or a turkey sandwich. And for a postworkout dinner, he feasted on chicken or pork with pasta. With this as fuel for the 1 to 4 hours of running, biking or swimming he did every day, Derr dropped 70 pounds in 14 months.

The Result: He finished the Ironman Wisconsin with a time of 10 hours and 43 minutes, only 20 minutes shy of qualifying for the World Championship in Hawaii. He's kept the weight off and plans to compete in two other triathlons. "I want to continue to show my family the benefits of exercise and healthy eating," says Derr.

HIS TIPS

Stop counting. "I think an end goal is important, but not when it's to lose a certain amount of weight. Pick a goal that will motivate you or reward you with an experience like running a race or taking a beach vacation."

Plan ahead. "I looked at physical training a given time in my day. I just had to plan my schedule accordingly. I truly believe the mental challenges were far more difficult than the physical."

Be a triple threat. "Just running or biking would get monotonous. With triathlons, I vary my activities and reduce the risk of injury."

THE MAKEOVER MOTIVATOR: A BUM KNEE

Luis "Moe" Molina Ft. Lauderdale

Height: 6'2"

Weight before: 340 lb

Weight after: 210 lb Binge eating--like game-day pig-outs of seven burgers, a large bag of Doritos, and 18 beers--helped bring Molina to around 340 pounds in his early 30s. He worked two jobs and had a baby daughter in the hospital. "Eating relieved that stress, if only temporarily."

The Turnaround: Molina needed knee surgery, but doctors told him he had to shed weight first. He cut out high-carbohydrate foods, stopped drinking alcohol, and began walking, which led to jogging. And he didn't eat after 5:30 p.m. In his job as a cook, "customers who were very overweight and ordered all the wrong foods served as a powerful motivator for dieting," he says.

The Result: Molina lost 35 pounds in the 2 1/2 months before his surgery. After 8 months, he was down to 210 pounds. He'd gone from a 48-inch waist to a 34, and he's maintained that for 2 years. "I feel better than I did in my teens," he says.

Moe's Workouts: Molina jogs 3 to 4 miles twice a week. In his weight workouts, he concentrates on dumbbell curls, chest and shoulder exercises, calf raises and abdominal work.

HIS TIPS

Fill right up. "I have a terrific 1985 Chevy C-10 pickup truck, and I wouldn't put just any gasoline in it. So why would I put junk in my own body, now that I know what it needs to run at his best?"

Get nuts. "It was nothing for me to polish off a loaf of Cuban bread with butter. Now, when I get hungry, I grab a handful of nuts. They're just as satisfying and don't promote weight gain."

A little bad can be good. "During the entire diet, each day I would buy one of those 25-cent bags of Doritos and savor every chip in that 1-ounce serving."

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