Sally Neve, a registered nurse and dietitian, helped him devise a plan to meet his weight-loss goals, which included cutting back on sweetened beverages, eating more fruits and vegetables, and being mindful of portion sizes. He regimented his diet, eating three meals a day and two healthy snacks in between his meals.
Neve also encouraged Clark to get a gym membership even though Clark had never worked out before. But as Clark started working out and eating right, he saw big changes quickly. In the first week, he lost seven pounds. After a few weeks, he started walking 45 to 50 minutes every day on the treadmill with the incline set to high, at a speed that was almost a jog.
After three months, he had dropped the 40 pounds he wanted, but the desire to have the surgery wasn’t there anymore. He was now spending two hours a day at the gym.
“He became a changed person,” Neve says. “He became confident. He was like, ‘I can do this.’ I think that is so important for people, to have that confidence that they can succeed.”
The salty and sweet snacks were traded in for healthy meals.
Here’s an example of his normal daily diet
Breakfast: Egg whites, whole wheat toast and two sausage links. Or a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit
Lunch: Grilled chicken, brown rice, steamed or boiled broccoli and a piece of fruit
Snacks: A piece of fruit and trail mix
Dinner: A grilled meat option with steamed or boiled vegetables
After completing the program in December 2012, Clark was down to 280 pounds — a loss of 125 pounds! But he didn’t stop there. He wanted to be leaner. He started lifting weights on his own.
Now, happy with his weight, he continues to work out every day. He focuses on building muscle, not losing weight. He does cardio for 15 to 20 minutes and then puts energy toward sculpting his muscles by lifting weights and changing his fitness routine.
He even has a job that requires him to be fit. He works at a UPS warehouse and is on his feet lifting heavy boxes several hours a day.
“If I didn’t lose weight, I wouldn’t be able to do this job,” he shares. “There are people who work with me who look like they are fit, but they can’t lift like I can. It really makes me want to keep staying in shape.”
After losing 225 pounds, he says the biggest lesson he learned was not to lose sight of who he was under all that weight.
“Your life will change, but you don’t have to change,” he concludes. “You can look at things differently, but don’t change who you are just because you changed physically.”