Papa Joe Aviance eats healthy, walks and hopes to run a marathon one day.
You’d never guess that just seven years ago he hated exercise and was more than twice the size he is today.
Papa Joe, now in his 40s, struggled with his weight since he was a chubby child. By the time the Michigan native made his way to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and music career, he weighed 475 pounds.
Papa Joe and the singer Lula recorded a cover of Indeep’s 1982 hit “Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life.” The cover reached No. 6 on the Billboard Magazine Dance Chart in 2009. Papa Joe also starred in the music video, but he didn’t like what he saw.
That’s when he decided he needed to act. He lost 200 pounds in 18 months by changing his lifestyle.
“I was fortunate that I had my wake-up call in time,” Papa Joe said. “I was two cheeseburgers away from a heart attack.”
He’s not kidding. Nearly everyone in his family has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. His grandfather died of heart disease.