Man Shares Story of 80-Pound Loss

Paul Defeated His Cigarette And Food Addictions And Lost 80 Pounds

Name: Paul Bourdett

Age: 33

Height: 5' 11"

Old Weight: 265 pounds

Current Weight: 185 pounds

How You Gained: Well, I probably gained about 30 pounds in college, but I really started putting on the pounds after I quit smoking in January of 2010. I weighed around 225 when I put down the smokes and nine months later I had ballooned to 265. I had always eaten junk but after quitting smoking, I found myself eating junk more often. I basically replaced one addiction with another.

Breaking Point: I can't remember the exact date but it was sometime in August 2010. I remember looking at a photo of myself and thinking, "How the hell did I get that big?" I've never had self-esteem problems, but on that day my self-esteem hit an all-time low. Well, actually, it hit an all-time low when I jumped on the scale immediately afterwards and saw the numbers two, six and five. But it wasn't just about me. I started thinking about my wife and kids and whether I was going to be able to play sports with my son, see my daughter get married, grow old with my wife. At the rate I was gaining weight and considering the unhealthy, inactive lifestyle I was living, I decided I had to make changes. Drastic ones.

How You Lost: I was laying in bed with my wife one night –- this was shortly after the dreaded photo/scale reality check -- when I saw an infomercial for P90x. I remember my cousin and his wife had gone through the program sometime in the past and had had success with it, so I decided I would give it a try. The nutritional guide that came with the program served as a great base for educating myself on healthy living and eating, and as I progressed through the program, I continued to educate myself on proper nutrition by reading a ton online. Needless to say, between working out six days a week and completely changing the way I not only consumed food but thought about food, I began to see an incredible transformation. Two rounds of P90x, six months and buckets and buckets of sweat later, I had lost 70 pounds.

How You Maintained: Since I finished my second round of P90x back in April, I've actually lost another 10 pounds. I continue to work out six days a week, doing many of the same P90x routines, but I've also added running and playing basketball to the mix. Most importantly, though, I've continued to eat well. I don't consider it a diet at all; it's a lifestyle now. It has to be or I'll wind up right back where I started. And trust me, I'm never going back there again.