Javon’s 135-Pound Weight Loss: ‘I Feel Better When I Eat Better’

Weight-Loss Win is an original Yahoo Health series that shares the inspiring stories of people who have achieved healthy weight loss.

Javon Anderson is 26, 5′10″ and weighs 195 pounds. But in the beginning of 2014, he weighed 330 pounds. This is the story of his weight-loss journey.

The Turning Point

I was weighing in at 330 in late February and early March of 2014. I played nose tackle in football, a position that was for a larger person — so being large was always a part of my life.

My turning point was when I was unable to do most of my usual daily activities. I was tired of feeling sluggish and having a huge lack of energy. I decided it was time for me to lose weight and get my life on track, so I decided to join a 12-week weight-loss fundraiser/challenge at my job. Once I started seeing results, I just continued down the path.

The Changes

When I changed my diet, I feel like that was the key to everything. The process became 100 times easier once I got my eating habits in order. I cut down on eating sugars and carbs, and those were the main components in helping me lose weight. I would read the labels on foods. I cut back on candy, yogurt, pop, rice, pizza, and fast-food restaurants. I also had to learn to eat properly portioned meals. Since it takes 15 minutes to register when you’re full, I had to learn to eat enough — but not eat too much.

I was always active with working out — I played football a lot — but I used to only weight lift and do exercises like bench-pressing, squats, curls, etc. But then I started working with a bootcamp trainer in order to change my habits. I was used to just lifting heavy weights, but bootcamp-type workouts require almost no weights and are more geared to cardio. I also joined Powerhouse and Planet Fitness gyms, and I go back and forth between each gym just because I like to switch it up sometimes.

What kept me from giving up was just knowing how much of a positive change this process could be if I just finished it and went all the way. The moment I started seeing results, I was inspired to work harder. I just kept telling myself that I was changing my life for the long haul — not just going through a phase for a few months.

Javon at 330 pounds, and Javon today, at 195 pounds. (Photos courtesy of Javon Anderson)

The After

I began to feel amazing once I started losing weight. One thing I began to notice was the constant natural energy that I gained back. It’s like I had rejuvenated myself. It was so rewarding to begin to be able to do these things I was never able to do before — like pull-ups and running a mile in seven or eight minutes.

But the most gratifying part of losing weight was really just discovering things about myself that I didn’t know were possible. I never imagined that I could get below 200 pounds, let alone lose more than 100 pounds in under a year. It has never ceased to amaze me. I’m still in shock every time I notice a different change in my body.

Now, I have developed healthier eating habits that will be with me forever. Certain foods that I liked before when I was overweight don’t interest me as much as they used to. Once I began to clean up my diet, a lot of the unhealthy things that I used to eat didn’t even really appeal to me. This is why I don’t choose to take “cheat days” from my lifestyle. Now, it’s more appealing to me to try healthier meals and to get more creative with my food in a lighter way. If I am going to eat something outside of my diet, I account for it. Since I keep track of my calories and carbs, I can adjust my meals so that I don't go over my number goals.

The Struggles

I still continue to struggle with eating at night because of the old habits that I had before, and also working until midnight can make it a challenge. What I do now is a monitor the amount of carbs and sugars I have and that allows me to be a little more lenient with time frames while also watching how many calories I take in per day.

Exercising was a struggle for me at the beginning of my weight loss, but I chose to be so consistent with it that it became a way of life.

If I ever feel like I’m slipping, I just remind myself that I’m not hurting anyone but myself. At the end of the day, I know that it’s not worth taking two steps backward by having cheat days or skipping workouts when I will have to pay for them later. I remind myself that if I was determined enough to come this far, then there is no telling to how far I can continue to go. I can sit at a table with people who are eating everything that I shouldn’t eat and not have a craving for it because I tell myself that eating only provides a temporary satisfaction. I know that later I’ll regret it and I don’t like living with regrets. So I stay focused. I feel better when I eat better.

Today I’m able to do things I never was able to do before, and that’s all because of my healthy habits. Nothing is worth messing that up. I’m happier with my new self and in order to keep it that way, I have to have discipline.

Advice

Just stay focused and try to continue to push forward because it’s easy to go and have a cheap meal or maybe slack off on your workouts, but once you start to get the ball rolling there’s no reason you should want to stop. As you work to get going you’ll realize you have to work even harder to maintain. In my opinion, losing weight is like riding a bike — once you put your foot on the pedal and push, you have to continue to push the pedals in order to keep going. But it gets easier the more you do it, and once you build a consistent habit of healthy diet and fitness, it will be a piece of cake to lose weight.

What keeps pushing me to maintain is the fact that I motivate others to live a healthier lifestyle. That is the best push in the world — when you know someone is helped by you showing them what is achievable. It keeps me grounded and also more determined because I would love for everyone to live a healthy life.

Weight-Loss Win is authored by Andie Mitchell, who underwent a transformative 135-pound weight loss of her own. Have a success story to share? We want to hear it. Tell us at [email protected].