There are many people out there who are overweight, have struggled with obesity for much of their lives, and are trying very hard to lose some pounds, especially if it poses a serious threat to their health.
Such was the case with this man, whose excessive weight began to pose a threat to his health, and he felt that he had no option but to take action to address the situation.
Vance’s desire for change pushed him on a journey that, despite its ups and downs, has in the end motivated a great number of others to follow in his footsteps.
At 52 years old, Vance weighed 475 pounds. After deciding to make the much-needed change, he documented his journey online so he could be held accountable.
“I don’t know if I have a choice anymore at the age of 52. I have to get this weight off of me,” he said.
After weighing himself on November 9, 2019 and letting everyone know his weight, he started walking every day to kick-start his weight loss. But three weeks later, he weighed himself again and found that he had gained a few pounds.
He was all too familiar with failure after many previous attempts to lose weight and finding himself giving up and gaining back everything he had lost.
“Normally, periodically, I start these paths, and I lose weight for a while, exercising on my own. But with my wife, it’s just us two, and it’s easy to talk yourself out of it,” he said.
“You do pretty well for a few weeks or a month, and then you start slacking off, and then you quit. I’ve done that over and over and over again.”
Disappointed but undeterred by the pounds he gained, he continued to walk every day and soon attracted a group of 12 people who joined him. He was also doing yoga and swimming, all while posting his progress on social media.
Soon, people he had never met in person started messaging Vance to let him know how inspired they were by his journey.
As much as these messages lifted him up, his real motivation was his wife and three children.
“I’m doing it for them too, to show them that they can do anything if they put their mind to it,” he said.
He started adding even more ways to get fit and lose weight to his daily plan, including aerobics and body pump.
After a year of healthy eating and exercise, he weighed himself and had lost an incredible 198 pounds.
See what he looks like HERE and view his journey in this clip.