Alex Merriam – a young man who was overweight due to stress binge eating has his inspiring story to share for all those who seek inspiration for losing weight. He lost half his body weight from 350lbs, even before the age of 18.
Here is his account of how he became half of the person he used to be:
“I started my journey just eating better and consciously being less lazy. That helped me lose my first 70lbs. Then last May (at 280lbs) I started going to the gym 6-7 days a week and doing 300-500cals of cardio+30-45 min of strength training. I proceeded to lose about 2.5lbs a week until I hit my final goal. I maintained a calorie deficit that worked for me and was sure to drink tons of water (close to 2 gallons a day sometimes).”
What prompted such a massive weight loss? Here is what he has to say:
“It was a moment, but not a big emotional one. The summer of my sophomore year in college I got a really cool internship working for the State Department at the US embassy in El Salvador. Public service is something I’m really interested in and want to continue in my career—preferably in a law enforcement office with federal agents. My boss and I talked about my career aspirations, and he was like, “You’re on the right path in terms of your resume, but unless you get in shape, there’s no chance you get a job in this field. Nothing matters if you can’t pass the physical tests.”
After six months working and running around El Salvador, Merriam had lost 70lbs.
“For the past year now I’ve been going to the gym six to seven days a week. I’ve lost a little over 100 pounds (on top of the 70), about two and a half pounds a week. I reluctantly call myself a runner, even though I do enjoy it. It’s something I never thought I’d enjoy.”
So, moral of the story? It all depends on how you want to spend your life and how much healthy you want to be. Your inspiration, efforts, exercise, and determination is what makes you lead a fit and healthy lifestyle.
