Someone who transforms their body through weight loss doesn’t just change physically; they change mentally and emotionally, too. Daniel lost a whopping 220 pounds, and inspires all of us with his story. This is his weight loss story–how he turned his life around and got his health back.

Daniel said,

“I wanted to live longer; I wanted to live past the age of 40, I wanted to see my grandkids, and the way I was treating my body, I wouldn’t have been able to see those two things.”

Of course, he had to overcome huge mental hurdles in the beginning, but he knew he couldn’t turn back. Once he got into the rhythm of exercising and eating healthier, though, everything fell into place. He dropped the weight quickly at first, and starting feeling better soon after he started the journey.

When someone transforms themselves so dramatically, everyone takes notice. They want to know how you did it, how you got started, and how to achieve similar results. What it all comes down to is consistency and determination. If you have those two things, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Daniel knows this firsthand, because he couldn’t have achieved such incredible results without believing in himself. He knew it would be a huge uphill battle, but he had the fire in him to fight. He took things slowly at first, though, just focusing on moving his body a little each day.

“I started my weight loss journey in January of 2019. I knew I needed to make a change when I couldn’t do a simple task such as getting off the couch or putting my own socks on,” Daniel said.

This motivated him to start learning about healthy eating and workout routines. He knew he’d have to drastically cut calories in order to start seeing results.

Daniel transforms his body and mind with a healthy lifestyle

“Being 600 pounds, I was eating 6000 or more calories a day, so when I went down to that 1800-2400 calorie range, I was dropping weight fast, and that fueled my fire.”

When he starting losing weight, that gave him the momentum to keep moving forward with his goals. He said, of course, the hardest part of the whole journey was just taking that first step. But, once he began, there was no stopping Daniel. He was going to see this through to the end and achieve what he set out to do.

“In the beginning of my journey, I lost my first 40 pounds by just restricting my calories. Once I lost my first 100 pounds, that’s when I found the passion for lifting. Then, once I got into weight training, that’s when I really saw my body transform.”

For Daniel, he looks at it as almost a whole different journey, and this gave him even more fire to keep at it. Weightlifting has helped him with muscle definition and strength, and he enjoys continually challenging himself. Once he hits a goal, he just keeps setting the bar higher.

“When you have the determination that you’re fighting for your life on an everyday basis, you just make that work,” Daniel said. “And, I had that strength to overcome that.”

He still treats himself from time to time, but he always keeps the end goal in mind.

“Don’t get me wrong – I definitely still eat my favorite foods, but it’s all about balance. I have lost a total of 220 pounds. I’m not completely done with my journey yet; I want to lose another 70 or more pounds.”

Daniel wants to keep progressing, but so far, his weight loss has been more than impressive. Everything in his life has improved since he started this transformational journey.

Daniel’s advice for anyone who wants to get started with their weight loss story

On his Instagram, he says he wouldn’t change anything that he’s accomplished or how he’s done things over the last couple years. He struggled in the beginning with how he would reach his goals and what path to take, but it became clearer with time. Since he decided to let go and trust the process while staying consistent, he’s been able to overcome these struggles.

Now, he doesn’t let the anxiety of achieving his goals get to him; he just keeps striving toward the goal. He credits the people closest to him with being there when he has doubts or worries, because they help keep him going. Daniel has truly made a life-changing transformation. He’s now able to do intense workouts for an hour or more, whereas before he had trouble even walking short distances.

He also says his mental health has improved dramatically. Many people in today’s world struggle with anxiety and depression, but working out can greatly alleviate symptoms. In one of his posts, he says that just a couple years ago, he would binge eat or sit on the couch when his anxiety got bad. Now, he hits the gym or goes for a walk, so he’s come a long way with his mental and physical health over the years.

“Outcomes that I’ve had with this whole journey is simple and short – I just get to live life in a bigger and better capacity.”

Final thoughts: Daniel began his weight loss story by losing over 200 pounds, and he’s not done yet

Daniel’s weight loss success shows that we can indeed do anything we set our minds to. The only thing stopping us, is ourselves. Once we get out of our own way, the sky is the limit. He’s lost an incredible 220 pounds, but he’s far from finished.

His goal weight is 300 pounds, so he has about 70 more to go. We wholeheartedly believe he will get there, as he’s already achieved so much! We hope that Daniel’s weight loss story motivates anyone out there who wants to take their health back. It may seem difficult initially, but you never know how far you can go until you try.