A 460lb fast food addict who drank 11 liters of soda a day has fulfilled his dream of becoming a ripped US Marine after losing 250lbs.
Adan Prescott, from Tuscon, Arizona, began losing weight three years ago, when he was so obese he couldn’t bend down to tie his own shoelaces, and made such a success of it he is now a member of the US military.
Adan, 25, ballooned to 460lb (208kg) after seeking comfort in food and becoming addicted to sugary drinks, pizzas, burgers and fries following the tragic death of his US Army vet dad in 2013. He grew increasingly depressed about his appearance as his weight soared, but managed to get himself back on track after challenging himself to lose weight and follow his late father into a military career.
US Marine Corp Reserve, Adan, said: ‘When my dad died I just stopped caring. I started eating a lot of junk and used to love drinking soda.
‘I never cooked for myself and every meal would be a take out or from a gas station. It was the typical burgers, pizzas and all that fatty stuff.
‘I must have drank 400oz of full fat soda a day, I thin that’s probably why I got so big. When I was at my biggest it as difficult to walk and I struggled to bend down to put my shoes on.
‘But I decided that I didn’t want to die when I 40 and I wanted to achieve something with my life. I always wanted to be a marine so that’s what motivated me.
‘It’s a dream I’ve had since I was little. My dad was in the army and even though he’s not here now, he inspired me to lose the weight and change my life in the ways that I did.’
Although being larger than the average teen during high school Adan said his struggle with obesity started in 2013, shortly after the death of his dad, Wayne, aged 62. The Vietnam war veteran died following a heart attack and Adan, aged 18 at the time, struggled to come to terms with his dad’s sudden death.
To help with the grief Adan took comfort in food and slipped into toxic habits with his diet and lifestyle. Working as a sedentary security guard at the time, Adam said for three years, between 2013 and 2016, he only ever ate the unhealthiest of fast food meals.
His high fat and high sugar diet included a staggering daily intake of 11 liters (400oz) of fizzy drinks like Coca-Cola or lemonade. Adan piled on the pounds and by October 2016, tipped the scales at around 460lbs.
Remarkably, Adan said he’s managed to escape suffering any long lasting damage to his teeth as a result of his soda-guzzling diet, nor has he been diagnosed with diabetes or any other similar health complications associated with obesity.
‘I knew I was getting big but I didn’t think I was gigantic. When I look back at photos now though, I realize I was huge’, said Adan.
‘I decided to change because I hated the way I looked and I had ignored it for too long. I didn’t want to die young because of my weight and that was scary.
‘The first thing I did was clean up my diet. I cut out all of the bad stuff and straight away restricted myself to only having about 1,200 calories a day.
‘I lost 50lbs in the first two months and after a year I had lost around 100lbs. I was still too big to exercise so all of that was just through eating better.’
By mid-2017 Adan weighed 350lbs and was able to start exercising to help him shift yet more weight. He began with walks, then pushed himself to joyg, and began doing body-weight exercises at home. Those efforts helped Adan slim down to just over 250lbs, 18 months later, in February 2019.
His dream of becoming a US Marine was finally in sight, although he still needed to lose a further 20-30lbs in order to meet the entry requirements for the armed forces.
Adan persisted with his healthy, low sugar diet which saw him eat chicken, eggs, fish, vegetables, rice and potatoes – with his efforts maying off when he hit his goal weight of 230lbs in May 2019. That meant Adan was able to sign up to become a US Marine Corps reservist.
Adan then faced a grueling five month ‘boot camp’ where faced rigorous training, fitness and competency tests to ensure he was capable of joining the armed forces.
Adan, who works at a health clinic full time, said: ‘I spent five months in the boot camp and needed to work hard to get physically fit. I had to pass fitness and other tests, so had to be in good shape.
‘By July 2019 I was down to about 210lbs. I eat a classic bodybuilding diet and am the fittest I have been in as long as I can remember.
‘I passed all of the tests I needed to in the July and passed out as a qualified marine. I’m really pleased with the shape I’m in now, I work out six times a week and have some real good definition.
‘I’ve been concentrating on building muscle mass and am gaining weight in the gym so I can bulk up and get stronger.’
Adan, who plans to have surgery in 2021 to have excess skin left by his weight loss, said: ‘People tell me that I should be proud of myself but I’m not proud for what I did to myself, so it was up to me to put that right.
‘I am proud that I changed and am proud about where I am now compared to a couple of years ago.
‘I’m the happiest I have ever been. I like to think my dad will be proud of me too.’
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Email story tips to jack.longstaff@metro.co.uk.
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/09/460lb-fast-food-addict-lost-250lb-become-shredded-us-marine-12819730/
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