“His nickname growing up was Scientific Ty,” jokes Chris Schutte, who’s known Paoletti for 20 years and used to be roommates with him, but now lives next door.

Fortunately, for 32-year-old Paoletti, his love of science was instrumental in his weight-loss efforts, helping him lose more than 100 pounds by testing new techniques and diets and finding what worked best for him: his own personal science project.

“My entire life I’ve been overweight and never really thought about it,” says Paoletti. “It’s just who I was.”

Schutte thought the same thing: Tyler was always just Tyler. Even now that Paoletti’s gone from 270 pounds to 169 pounds and put on muscle from lifting weights, friends don’t realize how much weight he’s really lost until they see old pictures. When Schutte’s daughters see those old photos, they refer to him as “the old Uncle Ty” — a guy who is a far cry from the new Tyler.

Paoletti remembers a point, about eight or nine years ago, when he did lose a little weight, tried to eat “slightly” healthier and occasionally ran on the treadmill, but he got injured, lost momentum and stopped paying attention. He admits it might have continued like that, but remembers getting out of bed one day about a year ago and everything hurt. He could feel his body deteriorating. “This can’t be healthy,” he thought, “not at 31 years old.”

He pinpoints that day as the turning point on his weight-loss journey — the first day of his most important science experiment.

Once he made the decision to get healthier, it simply became a science and math problem. In his free time, Paoletti started doing all the research he could. He’d read up on different weight-loss theories and diets, visit forums and look at data. He found MyFitnessPal and loved the math element of tracking calories and macronutrients. The app turned the endeavor from an abstract, vague idea about losing weight into a concrete plan with numbers and graphs.

“I liked the idea that everyone is their own science project,” says Paoletti.

At first, he just tried to eat healthy here and there and get on the elliptical at the YMCA. During the summer of 2016, he rode bikes with Schutte and their friends, who all live near each other. But when he began tracking calories with MyFitnessPal, he was finally able to make a plan and things really got going.

“It was the details and numbers that really sparked his interest,” says Schutte.

To find the best approach for his body and lifestyle, Paoletti tried different diets, closely tracking the numbers and macronutrients. When he didn’t feel well after a few weeks, he looked at his history in MyFitnessPal and saw he hadn’t eaten red meat and was low in protein. A bonus of tracking everything, he says, was he started realizing how much he was eating and how big his portions were.

As Paoletti continued mountain biking with his friends, he lost a small amount of weight, “but I looked in the mirror and I was still the same person,” he says. After more research, he decided weight training would help him change more than just the number on the scale.

In December 2016, he started lifting — of course, only after more research on proper technique and standard lifts. He watched videos, learned about progressive overload and downloaded a training program. Because he was “luckily” undertrained and overweight, he says, he was able to see big gains right away. He had also found his passion and something to look forward to.

From there it was trial and error — more like a science project. Once he started lifting, he wanted to put on muscle and still lose weight, so he had to experiment with finding the right blend of nutrients, proteins, carbs and fat. For Paoletti, it wasn’t just about losing a set amount of pounds, but about being a different person. After his beginner gains, he hit a plateau, struggled with some injuries, adjusted his diet and did more research. Now he’s back in the gym, gaining more strength and losing even more weight.

“I’m someone who gives 110%, does all the research, looks at all the angles,” he says.

Paoletti is so happy with his success that he wants to share his story — and all that research. On October 15, he outlined it all in a Reddit post. Now that he’s lost 100 pounds, can squat 244 pounds and deadlift 340 pounds, he wants to help other people reach their goals and invites people to reach out to him. He’s changed his whole life and found new motivation, so it’s not surprising he constantly gets asked for the secret behind his success.

But the answer isn’t what people expect or want. According to Paoletti, there isn’t a secret. When people ask, he tells them he’ll help set them up calorie tracking and meal plans. The rest is up to them

“You can’t just sit around and wait for motivation,” he says. “You just have to do it.”

Upgrade to Premium and join Tyler and more than 1 million MyFitnessPal Premium members. 

Meet Ashley Marsh, a mother of four in Rhode Island. Ashley’s wedding day in 2013 was the starting point to turn around her weight problems and become healthier. Fortunately, for Ashley, her transformation wasn’t an individual journey. From daily walks with her daughter to celebrating weight loss milestones with her husband, the entire Marsh family has joined her in the commitment to better health.

“I’m proof that no matter who you are, you can change your life.”

Ashley’s story perfectly embodies the power in our community, proving that all you need to create a better life for yourself is a desire to succeed and a commitment to putting in the work. We are committed to telling your victory stories, so be on the lookout for more motivation and encouragement.

Every dreamer deserves support. Discover inspiring tips, tools and stories of dreamers like you to help kick-start your own dream pursuit.

Done something awesome yourself or know someone who has? Share your personal victory (or someone else’s) for a chance to see your story here. These are real stories from real community members, so we want to hear from you and help celebrate your accomplishments.

READ MORE VICTORIES

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Much like his father, Henry had been heavy for most of his life, with a steady weight gain that became more pronounced as he headed into high school years. Because of that, he struggled with confidence issues and low self-esteem.

To make matters worse, he was watching his dad’s weight surge — along with the types of problems that obesity can bring. At just 5-foot-2, his father was nearly 600 pounds at his heaviest when Henry became a teenager, and that caused issues like high blood pressure, severe sleep apnea, chronic knee pain and pre-diabetes.

“My dad passed away because he was obese, and I swore I would never let that happen to me,” he recalls. And although he had made this promise to himself, it was difficult for him to actually make any major shifts in behavior to change the situation. When he stepped on a scale right after his high school graduation, the number was like a splash of cold water.

“To my disbelief, I was 240 pounds, and immediately I thought of my dad,” says Henry. “That was exactly half his weight when he died. It felt like a turning point. I could either go down the path he did, and keep gaining weight, or I could go in the other direction. I knew if I didn’t change something soon, I was going to end up like him, and I didn’t want to put my family and friends through that.”

Thankfully, he chose the healthier route.

His first changes were to start drinking more water and eating food he believed to be more nutritious, but after months of that strategy, his weight didn’t budge. After adding exercise to his routine and getting more focused with his food, Henry managed to gain some traction and lost about 40 pounds, but he still felt like his results could be even better.

Feeling frustrated, he started researching more exercise options and food plans, and came across a bodybuilder on YouTube who talked about MyFitnessPal. When he heard more about food tracking as a way to lose fat and gain muscle, he immediately wanted to give it a try.

After downloading the MyFitnessPal app, he was surprised by how easy it was to use. He especially appreciated the barcode scanner and the frequent notifications and tips to help him stay on the right path.

“Because of the app, I started to see results in a much shorter amount of time,” he says. “And it really helped with some of the challenges that came up along the way.”

These challenges included ditching his beloved soda in favor of water and balancing work with exercise. He also recalls feeling a lack of support from some family members, but even that was eased by seeing his progress and connecting with the MyFitnessPal community.

Since starting his journey with MyFitnessPal in January 2018, Henry has lost 100 pounds — and has noticed much more than physical changes.

“Finally, I feel like I’m learning to love myself and to have confidence,” Henry says. “If I had to give advice to anyone starting out where I did, I would say just stick with it. You didn’t gain the weight overnight, so it won’t come off overnight. But if you’re consistent and focused, you can get there.”

She began her weight-loss journey in her late 50s, and over the course of four years, lost 200 pounds by changing what she ate and how often she moved.

“I truly believe that we can transform our lives at any age,” she says. “I am proof.”

Before her weight loss, Reynolds already had a full life: a husband of 40 years, two adult sons and a thriving career as the founder and president of a nonprofit. But her busy life also required plenty of sacrifices.

Reynolds strongly believed in the mission of her nonprofit, which helps schools raise student achievement, specifically low-income students, and she worked long hours to support it. She would pull all-nighters several times a week and eat high-calorie foods like cookies and candy to help her stay awake.

As her organization grew, so did her waistline. Soon, the 5-foot-7-inch Reynolds weighed 335 pounds.

At the urging of family members who were concerned about her health, Reynolds tried to lose weight several times, usually through various low-calorie diets. But the plans were too extreme, focusing solely on numbers without much regard to nutrition or satiety. Long-term, they just weren’t sustainable, and Reynolds gained the weight back every time.

In April 2012, she reached a breaking point. She could no longer fit in a restaurant booth, buckle a seat belt or even bend over to tie her shoes. Just walking more than half a block, climbing a flight of stairs or talking in front of an audience left her gasping for air.

She decided she needed to lose the weight for good, which meant taking a different approach.

Reynolds threw out the low-calorie, quick-fix mindset and switched to a whole food-focused nutrition plan that included five meals per day and all food groups. She promised herself this wasn’t just another diet; this was for life. To help her reach her goals, she downloaded MyFitnessPal and started logging her food one day in advance, so she had no choice but to stay on track.

Reynolds knew exercise would only speed her weight loss, so she also started walking. Her first walk was to her neighbor’s driveway, about 100 meters from her back door. She held on to her husband’s arm for support and stopped halfway to rest. Each day, they walked one more driveway, until she could walk 3 miles on her own.

Eventually, she began attending a water aerobics class where she would swim breaststroke, and from there, she added a spin class. Though it wasn’t intentional at the time, she had all three components of a triathlon: swim, bike and run. As her fitness increased, she decided to go for just that.

“Without telling anyone, I signed up for my first sprint triathlon,” Reynolds says. “On race day, I was scared to death. I finished second-to-last, but I didn’t care. I had finished! I felt like I had won the Olympics, and I loved the friendly, supportive triathlon community.”

Reynolds was soon hooked on the sport, and she knew every pound of the excess weight she lost would only make it easier for her to get across the finish line.

Over the course of four years, she went on to lose 200 pounds — 100 pounds in her first year and an additional 100 pounds in the three years following — but weight loss was just the beginning. As she continued to race, she discovered an inner athlete with an insatiable competitive spirit that eventually had her competing across the globe.

If you ask her today about her favorite moment from this journey, it’s not when she stepped on the scale and saw a weight-loss milestone. Instead, it’s when the results were posted for the 2017 Age Group Triathlon World Championship in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Shaking her head with wonder, and as tears filled her eyes, she learned she had placed sixth against the best triathletes in the world and was the top American competitor.

“Five years earlier, I weighed 335 pounds and couldn’t tie my own shoes,” she says. “Now, I was competing on behalf of the United States and wearing the same triathlon uniform that the USA Olympians wore. Now, people yelled, ‘USA! USA! USA!’ as I raced.

“As my grandchildren like to say, ‘Best day ever!’”

Today, Reynolds continues to train and live a healthy, active lifestyle. She still logs her food every day on MyFitnessPal — plus her activity on the MapMyRun and MapMyRide apps — but now focuses on sports performance instead of weight loss.

She’s also written a book about her incredible journey, entitled “The Athlete Inside: The Transforming Power of Hope, Tenacity, and Faith,” which will be released in April 2020. She is donating proceeds from the book to the USA Triathlon Foundation, whose mission is to “transform lives through sports,” a cause that’s deeply personal.

Reynolds encourages others to go in search of their biggest dreams, no matter their age or limitations. They might be surprised by what they find.

“You don’t know who might be hiding inside of you until you have the courage to take the first step toward discovering that person,” she says. “I say, ‘Go for it!’ What’s the worst that could happen? You don’t lose weight. But what’s the best that could happen? You become a new you!”

As the city manager, Schoeny had access to a key resource for the effort: the public service department. Those are the folks who snowplow and perform other road maintenance work, which means they keep detailed maps and routes that make their plows more efficient. With their guidance — and a wager with the department — he decided to give it a try, and set a goal of 30 days to bike on all 154 centerline miles of Upper Arlington.

Although he had the public service maps, Schoeny also wanted a way to track his progress, and share it with the community to inspire people to follow along with him — and maybe even start giving it a try on their own.

He downloaded MapMyRide for the effort, and quickly came to appreciate how easily he could use the public service and MapMyRide maps to determine his routes, get directions while riding and share the information on the city’s website.

“If you went to a city map and tried to create a route that way, it’s not so easy,” says Schoeny. “In order to ride on literally every street, it’s a more complex undertaking than I’d thought. But that makes it more fun, because it’s challenging.”

The creation of a deadline and a goal has helped him appreciate his rides more, he adds. Instead of simply riding around without any direction, he likely wouldn’t put in as many miles or explore as many parts of Upper Arlington as he has.

For example, before starting this project, he wouldn’t have considered doing a route that took him over a street called Bridgeview, because he would have assumed it was similar to other parts of town. But the street is well named, since it passes bridge after bridge, offering lovely views.

“Because we’re a suburban community, people tend to think we don’t have much diversity in terms of our landscape and housing,” he says. “But when you’re on the bike, you see so many interesting details and unexpected sights. It’s a great way to explore.”

Also, by sharing his routes and experiences online, Schoeny is picking up more interest and followers. He says it’s one more way for people in the city to feel like they’re together, and part of a community, even when they can’t physically gather.

“We’re all feeling cooped up right now, which makes it even more important to get outside and get some fresh air, while still being mindful of proper distancing,” he says. “MapMyRide is a great tool because it gives you a sense of progress and purpose; you don’t feel like you’re just meandering around. Staying healthy and staying active are really fantastic ways to care for ourselves and our families, and resources like this can help.”

*Please click here for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest updates on COVID-19. If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.

In 2011, Galit was a full-time college student with a full-time job, and he was running on empty. “I would work during the day, then go to class at night,” he remembers. “I would arrive home so late, I wouldn’t even have time to make dinner.”

To save time, he turned to convenient fast-food options, choosing between a 24-hour Subway and a Carl’s Jr. five nights a week. Eventually, his weight crept up to more than 300 pounds.

One February morning as he was getting ready for work, Galit bent down to tie his shoes. When he stood up, he noticed he was out of breath. It was a turning point.

“I felt so terrible and ashamed that tying my shoe was now a difficult chore for me, physically,” he says. “I knew right then and there, I had to make some serious changes.”

Galit had another huge motivator on his side. He had long dreamed of becoming a police officer, but to seriously pursue law enforcement, he would have to get in shape.

“At my weight, I would never have been considered for a position as an officer,” explains Galit. “Even if I had miraculously been hired, I would never have been able to perform in the police academy in the physical condition I was in.”

Though he wasn’t quite sure where to begin, he was confident his diet was the biggest contributor to his weight gain. He decided to start with just one rule he wasn’t allowed to break: He could not eat anywhere that had a drive-thru.

As part of his new commitment to eating better, Galit turned to MyFitnessPal for help, logging all of his meals and exercise.

“I immediately loved how MyFitnessPal could give you a basic rundown of how many calories you needed to maintain a caloric deficit and lose fat,” he says. “I also loved how I could log my workouts and see the direct benefit exercising had to my weight loss.”

According to Galit, being able to clearly see what he put into his body each day kept him accountable. When he had hard days where he missed his goal, he could quickly identify what corrections he needed to make later in the week to get back on track.

The payoff didn’t take long. Galit, who weighed himself weekly, began to see a noticeable difference after a month. He also woke up in the morning with more energy, which helped him be more productive at work and school.

The results became undeniable in the fall of 2011, when a friend showed him a recent picture of himself. Galit was floored. “I would always try to avoid taking pictures while I was overweight because I didn’t like the way I looked,” he says. “When I looked at this picture, I didn’t really recognize myself. It was eye-opening! I felt so proud, and it made me want to push harder.”

Galit eventually lost more than 100 pounds, and with his new, healthy lifestyle in-tow, he enrolled and graduated from the police academy — a massive feat that still isn’t lost on him today. “I feel a great sense of pride in myself every time I put on my uniform,” he says.

Looking back on his journey, Galit says becoming aware of what he put in his body each day made the biggest difference. He now advises others who want to lose weight to discover their “why” and to remind themselves of it every day.

And if they’re as confused on where to start as he once was, he advises simply picking one rule and committing to it, no matter what. “If they can stick to following just that one rule, they will be on their way to forming other lasting habits.”

Physically, his back, knees and feet hurt so much that at one point he was taking more than 2,400mg of ibuprofen every day, significantly increasing his risk of organ damage and heart attack. Romantically, the now 35-year-old began to feel a strain on his marriage, as his wife took on every domestic responsibility from cleaning and laundry to cooking and grocery shopping. Emotionally, Treglia spiraled into a dark place where he felt like he was just “sticking around” to earn money as an IT professional — but didn’t have much purpose otherwise.

“I was basically waiting to die,” he recalls. “I thought, what am I even here for?”

He knew bad habits had gotten him to this point. Even though he describes himself as a “husky kid,” Treglia kept maintained his weight by playing sports like soccer and tennis in high school, but when he didn’t play these sports in college, his weight began climbing quickly. After getting married and starting a sedentary job, the Pittsburgh resident says the pounds kept piling on, especially with multiple fast-food spots within a quarter-mile of his home.

Although sitting at the computer for hours was a large part of his weight gain, it also turned out to be his most valuable resource when it came to a starting point.

While browsing Reddit, he found a subthread about MyFitnessPal and how people were using the app to lose weight simply by tracking their food. Since he’d had some initial success with Weight Watchers in the past, he was familiar with food tracking and thought he’d give it another try, especially since some Reddit posters had also been more than 600 pounds.

“It was very helpful to hear that people were losing weight just by tracking calories without going to a gym,” he says. “I figured I could give that a try.”

In addition to being diligent about inputting his daily food, he started watching videos on meal prepping and dug out his old Fitbit to increase his daily step count. Although he was pleased with finally taking a new, healthy track, he admits it wasn’t always easy.

“After a month, I would have murdered someone for a Big Mac,” he says. “There were days I broke down and cried because I couldn’t eat fast food. I didn’t realize how much food had taken over my life.”

But, as he introduced healthier, lower calorie foods into his meals, the weight-loss journey began to get easier, especially when he started to see major results. After five months, he’d lost 100 pounds and bought a weight set for strength training.

His activity levels increased as well, with more of the weight gone. He was able to go golfing again, bought a bicycle — which he hadn’t been on since age 14 — and signed up for an obstacle course race, confident he’d be ready when it’s scheduled in 2019.

As the weight kept dropping, Treglia also went to New Orleans on a vacation with his wife, a trip that included plantation tours he would never been able to do at his highest weight. “We could do all the touristy things, and that felt great,” he says. “As soon as we got back, we booked a trip for Orlando as a reward to myself for hitting 300 pounds.”

He wasn’t the only one seeing big changes — his wife said it felt like she married a new person. And his doctor didn’t recognize him at a recent checkup, thinking she’d grabbed the wrong patient chart.

As of late September, Treglia had lost 317 pounds and feels like he’s not done yet — he wants to get down to 250 pounds by early December as a Christmas gift to himself. The daily pain he once endured has lifted — his physical issues are gone, his marriage is stronger than ever and he now feels a sense of joy and optimism every day.

He still tracks his food on MyFitnessPal as a way to stay accountable and finds support on the MFP message boards, where he’s picked up tips on nutrition and exercise and also connected with a community that cheers him on.

“Connecting with people about their struggles and successes has helped me make it through my journey,” he says. “I realize I have a lot more to lose, but I already feel like a new person.”

It was early in the Colorado ski season and he had been looking forward to months of fun and challenging runs on the slopes. After teaching his five kids to ski while they were growing up, Williams was confident in his abilities. But there he was, exhausted and struggling to get up from a fall in the powder. Again.

“I felt like the Pillsbury Doughboy whenever I had to stand up,” he recalls. “The whole day consisted of huffing and puffing, and of course, falling. That’s the moment when I thought: This is not working. This is not how a guy in his late 40s should be. Something needs to change.”

For the couple decades leading up to that moment, Williams led a fairly sedentary lifestyle outside of the kids’ ski lessons. As a businessman in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he spent a great deal of time at a desk or in his car and ate plenty of on-the-go meals. Since his mid-20s, when he first felt truly overweight, he’d embarked on one fad diet or another, losing 20–30 pounds at a time and then regaining the weight as soon as he grew tired of dieting.

The ski incident, coupled with a looming 50th birthday, convinced him to try a different tactic. Rather than starting yet another trendy diet that was doomed to fail, he started tracking his food intake with MyFitnessPal. He set a weight goal and used the app to determine a realistic timeframe for getting there. For the first time, he knew exactly how many calories to eat per day and how his daily meals fit into a larger weight-loss goal.

After some time using the app, he realized the more he exercised, the more calories he could eat while still staying on track — an adjustment the app made automatically. Williams had started running on a regular basis and needed some extra calories to fuel his workouts, but was careful to stick to his calorie goals.

Williams admits to still eating his favorite foods from time-to-time, like hamburgers, french fries and pizza, but he’s also developed a love for healthy food and can easily see when less-than-stellar meal choices are starting to become a problem. He knows if he slacks on tracking his food, it’s likely he’d start slipping into his old patterns — like overeating or snacking mindlessly while traveling from one client meeting to another.

“Even though I lost the weight and kept it off, tracking helps me to continue making better choices,” he says. “Because I’ve been doing this for so long, I spend less than two minutes a day entering my food. But the effect of tracking and being aware of my choices lasts all day.”

Five years later, that day on the ski slopes seems like a different lifetime for Williams. He’s lost 50 pounds and still logs his meals every day.

His healthy eating is also giving him more energy than he had even as a 20-something, he says. These days, he skis more than ever, plays drums in a band, owns his own business and has run two marathons and a number of half marathons. He also just signed up to tackle one of the toughest races in the world, the Pikes Peak Marathon, which takes runners straight up the mountain for the first 13.1 miles and straight back down for the second half.

“Everything is affected by being healthier,” he says. “Five years ago, I would never have imagined I could be at this point. But now, I go on my morning run and look up at that mountain and I think, ‘I’ll be running up there soon.’ What an incredible feeling. Commit to the process and it will really pay off.”

For Jesse Alloy, a 19-year-old sophomore at University of Virginia, prom was also life-changing. He attributes prom as his aha moment, when he decided it was time to tackle his weight.

Though prom stands out, it was a combination of things that prompted him to attempt to lose weight. “Senior year prom was coming up, and I wanted to ask someone,” he says. “But more specifically, I had seen some unflattering photos of myself. I realized it wasn’t exactly the photos that were unflattering. It was me. It was a classic wake-up call. Reality smacked me in the face, and I decided enough was enough.”

LET’S REWIND A LITTLE AND GET TO KNOW JESSE

Jesse was overweight from elementary school. His mom is in shape and works in the fitness industry but his dad is overweight. He thought it was simply in his genetics to be bigger, so he didn’t question his size. He played sports — soccer (as a goalkeeper), football and wrestling — but was never the star. Since he wasn’t super-athletic, he focused his energy on academics and excelled in science and especially computers.

As a wrestler, he began to see that people manipulate their weight all the time. He started to wonder if he could do that, too. “For me, wrestling was actually a mentally healthy sport, as it turns body weight into an extremely malleable fact of our bodies,” he recalls. “Your weight simply decides who you wrestle, and that’s all. It stopped me from valuing myself through a number on the scale. With wrestling, I was able to become more comfortable admitting to myself where I was physically. I started to realize that my weight was in my control — so the possibility of losing weight and keeping it off started to sink in.”

AND THEN CAME THE TURNING POINT

“After my fourth wrestling season, I hit my all-time high weight of about 250 pounds,” he says. “I never actually saw that number, but I was in the mid 240s at the end of the season, and know I gained a bit of weight after that. So 250 is the number I go with as my start weight.”

Prom turned out to be just the beginning of his 95-pound weight-loss journey. His new suit — which had fit perfectly the previous winter for a cousin’s wedding — was too loose come spring, much to his parents’ surprise. Jesse had lost 20 pounds.

FIRST CAME CHANGING HIS DIET

To lose those first 20 pounds, he started with intermittent fasting to gain a sense of control and to kick things off. “I knew I wasn’t in shape, so I decided straight off the bat that working out wasn’t going to do it,” he says. “I’m actually not sure I would have succeeded if I started with diet and exercise at the same time. It would’ve been too much.” With hindsight being 20/20, he says, “I know now that small, sustainable change is the approach to any attempt at a new lifestyle.”

When summer came around, things got serious (cue the “Rocky” theme song). That was when Jesse decided to integrate exercise into his routine. He started with running. “My first run, was not even a mile, and it went terribly,” he remembers. “But the next day I did the same thing. And the next day I did it again as well. And eventually it got easier, and I could run longer.” It’s exactly this day-by-day attitude that had carried him this far — and got him 50 pounds lighter.

IT WAS THE OPPOSITE OF THE FRESHMAN 15, AND THEN SOME

Heading off to college meant he had to double down. “With MyFitnessPal, I could count what I was eating,” he says. It was a challenge in the dining hall, but MyFitnessPal’s database had all the nutritional info for the food-service provider his college used, “so it was never so bad,” he recalls. “And I was able to eat unlimited veggies with the huge salad bars available all day, every day. From here, it was autopilot. Running got better — I even started to enjoy it — and the weight was coming off.”

His mindset around food also was shifting. “Basically, to combat hunger, I learned how to eat to feel good,” he says. “That is, I started eating all sorts of veggies and lean meats. I stayed away from sugar when I could, tried not to drink my calories and processed foods became more of a treat since I knew they usually weren’t super satisfying.”

Jesse didn’t do this alone. He had a robust online weight-loss community and the encouragement of friends and family, in addition to his own steely determination and the help of food scales and apps like MyFitnessPal. “I love MyFitnessPal because it gives me freedom to eat what I want, when I want, without guilt,” he says. “It keeps me accountable and conscious of my progress. I have nights and days when I don’t track, but they are few and far between. The app gives me knowledge, and knowledge gives me power. I’m not scared to gain back the weight because I know how to take it off again.”

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With his diet and nutrition under control, Jesse’s now focusing more on his training. “Though I don’t run many races aside from the occasional 5K, I run every day. These days I run 4–8 miles a day, hitting 30–50 miles a week. I love it. It’s meditative, it’s relaxing, it’s destressing — and it gives me room to eat a bit more when I want.”

In addition to the cardio, he’s adding strength workouts into his regimen. “I love to work legs because it helps with my running, but it’s also getting me into all-around physique work.” In fact, with the lifting comes the willingness to actually gain weight in the form of muscle.

After hitting his low of 155 pounds, Jesse’s finding himself confident and comfortable at a more muscular 165. And he’s definitely OK with that.

For 53-year-old Rick Monita from St. Paul, Minnesota, this nudge came in the form of a pivotal doctor’s appointment, where he was diagnosed with several health issues directly correlated to his weight. Unfortunately, the diagnosis made sense to him; he would get winded and have trouble breathing just walking up a flight of stairs or walking short distances.

“At the doctor, I learned my weight was at 389. They did tests, and my blood pressure was through the roof,” says Monita. “I was prediabetic; I had a slightly enlarged heart and severe sleep apnea — that finally was the trigger. I said I have to do something or else I probably will die soon.”

Monita had battled weight issues his entire life, and when his sister died in July 2011, he turned to alcohol and food as a coping mechanism to deal with his severe depression. Eating fast food for lunch and dinner daily, he quickly put on an additional 100 pounds.

“To be honest, I didn’t really care about life, and I probably had thoughts of suicide,” he says. “There were a lot of things going through my mind, but after a while, I finally started thinking, ‘is this what I really want?’ After that doctor’s appointment … that’s when I decided to try to do something and to be around for my young nieces and nephews and my family.”

Although he qualified for gastric bypass surgery and weight-loss medication, Monita set out to try to lose weight naturally. His doctor referred him to a local dietitian, who started by recommending certain healthy protein, carbs and fats. For someone unfamiliar with healthy eating, this meant Monita had to break old habits and give up his favorite sugary drinks and processed foods.

“She gave me meal prep ideas, and I did that religiously on Sundays,” he recalls. “I tried to cut out as many carbs as possible — breads and butters were a real downfall for me. I was also big on soda pop; I drank a lot of sugar. I started reading nutritional facts on food and realized how much sugar was in stuff. I pretty much quit eating processed food. Two years later, I don’t even crave pop, and I can’t remember the last time I had it.”

Accountability was a significant driving force in Monita’s journey. He had weekly check-ins with his dietitian, which drove him to show up to each appointment having hit certain goals. To further this accountability and make it easier to make healthy choices, his dietitian recommended he start using MyFitnessPal.

“Initially, I started using MyFitnessPal to punch in my lunches, but then I started using it for my meal planning,” he says. “I’d plan my week’s meals, and that became my healthy shopping list for the grocery store. It helps that everything is in there for you. You type something in, and it saves so much work.“

With a solid dietary foundation for the first time in his life, the pounds started falling off. And, surprisingly, Monita didn’t visit a gym one single time during his journey — most of his exercise came from walking. Every day, like clockwork, he’d walk before work, squeeze in a walk during lunch and even walk in the evenings after he got home.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. After a bad back injury and the challenge of transitioning to a home office during the COVID-19 pandemic, his habits were thrown off and he saw his weight begin to creep back up. This was another pivotal moment for him. He refocused and set new goals to stay motivated and on track.

Today, Monita has reached his goal of losing 215 pounds, weighing in at 174 pounds, and has a better self body image and outlook on life than ever before. He now wears a size large shirt and has a 34-inch waist, which is a huge departure from the 4XL shirts and 54-inch waist he once owned. Seeing his transformation in the mirror is motivation to not become complacent and slide backward, but to continue working hard to stay where he is.

“My life is so different now, and it’s not something I’m ashamed of, it’s part of the story,” he says. “I don’t use my CPAP machine, my blood pressure is excellent and I’m not prediabetic. Everything is good.”

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