From not seeing a future for himself to living life as a beacon of positivity, Edgar shares his remarkable transformation.
“Be happy! Go out there and do great things!”
“Whenever you feel like giving up, always think of the people that would love to see you fail.”
Weight Gain Background and Impact on Edgar’s Life
Edgar Hernandez’s family owned a Mexican restaurant, and he grew up eating lots of fried food and very few vegetables. He was heavy throughout childhood, and preferred video games over sports and other activities.
Edgar was picked on a lot in high school, especially when he shared with a friend his intention to lose weight. He had made some weight loss attempts before, but Edgar feels that at first he was trying to lose the weight for the wrong reasons. One thing Edgar explains he learned in those early attempts is:
“If you really want to lose weight, you have to want it.”
Living as an obese teen took its toll on Edgar’s spirit. Edgar recalls thinking, “I don’t really see a future for myself, I see myself probably dying at a young age.” He was very lonely and depressed.
Edgar reached a peak weight of 375 pounds. (170.5kg)
The Turning Point
On a visit to the doctor Edgar found out that he was pre-diabetic, and rapidly heading towards diabetes. His parents are both diabetic, and so his mom broke down crying. She didn’t want him to be forced into the same disease, medications, and health problems as her and her husband.
“I finally just snapped…I broke and I told myself I was tired of it, I wanted to change for myself, I wanted to change to be happy.”
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
Edgar went cold turkey on junk food at first, and immediately began running. The running and diet changes were definitely hard for him at first. He quickly had to adjust and dial back his running for a more moderate training schedule, but stayed firm with his diet changes.
The transition was not easy. In the first month, he experienced headaches, sweating, and the shakes, which Edgar feels were symptoms of withdrawal from junk food and fast food—
“My body would literally shake.”
With the absence of bad food—especially chips and soda—even though he was still obese, in a month his body began to feel much better from eliminating high-calorie, highly processed foods. Edgar also cut out fried food and fast food, especially Taco Bell. The turnaround is complete, because Edgar shares that now the smell of grease from a fast food restaurant gives him extreme nausea.
Edgar shares a creative trick for curbing cravings, which is to brush his teeth when off-plan food is tempting him, because the only thing that tastes good to him after brushing his teeth is water.
Telling Others About His Journey
Once Edgar began to have others tell him he was doing a good job on his lifestyle changes, it boosted both his confidence and motivation. Edgar focused on positivity and staying happy, despite the negative comments that persisted from a few of his classmates.
Keeping himself in a positive mind frame this time around was a huge component of his success. Edgar says:
“I’m going to stay positive. I don’t care what anyone says, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing because it makes me happy.”
Staying Motivated
The toughest obstacle Edgar faced on his journey was a weight loss plateau. He overcame this by changing his exercise from running to biking and jumping rope for a month, which re-started his weight loss.
During a snowy period he ran despite the weather, and hurt his ankle. Edgar sought help from some of his teachers at school who gave him the advice that the worst thing he could do was stress about it, instead he should simply rest and focus on clean eating.
Edgar is tremendously grateful to the coaches, teachers, friends and family stuck by him throughout his journey.
What Edgar Learned About Food, Exercise, and Himself
Going back, Edgar says he wishes he had known “how amazing healthy food can make you feel.”
These days, Edgar eats 2-3 cups of vegetables every day, especially celery and carrots, and he also loves star fruit. The more high-quality food he eats, the more energy and flexibility he gains. Edgar says that getting healthy and getting rid of the toxins in junk food helped clear his mind, and he enjoys reading and learning now more than he did before. Edgar is a completely transformed person.
“I am happy!”
Edgar loves to share his knowledge of exercise and health, and feels confident in reaching out to others now, instead of shying away from them. Edgar says that he wouldn’t even wish how he felt in the past on my own worst enemy.
“Everyone has potential inside them, they just have to unlock it. And sometimes…something bad has to happen for people to wake up and get the point.”
What’s Next for Edgar
Edgar’s has lost 190 pounds (86.4kg) to reach his current weight of 185 pounds. (84.1kg) His best friend likes to tell people, “He lost an entire me!”
The weight loss has increased Edgar’s confidence level, and he seeks out opportunities to help people whenever he can. Edgar is currently working to put on some muscle through weightlifting, and he also has the goal of being on the Ellen DeGeneres show, to chat with her about his history of being picked on at school and how he overcame that.
Edgar’s Advice For Your Journey
Stay focused on the future.
“Life keeps going, man. Life doesn’t stop for anyone. You can either choose to sit in the past and wait…but it’s not going to happen, it’s not going to wait for anyone, it’s just going to keep going.”
When you are down, start naming all the things you are grateful for, and go out and make a change. Look at yourself in the mirror for 10 minutes, and ask yourself if you are happy. If there is even a moment of hesitation, change it.
“Be happy! Go out there and do great things!”
The only thing you can be in charge of is your own attitude, so make it positive and good things will come to you.
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
- Think and Grow Thin by Charles D’Angelo
On Edgar’s Workout Playlist
- Daft Punk [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- Red Hot Chili Peppers [ Amazon / iTunes ]
- System of a Down [ Amazon / iTunes ]
Contacting Edgar
When Edgar isn’t studying or out running and working out, he can be found online at the following social profiles, spreading his experience and positivity. Say Hello!
- Twitter: @runwithedgar
- Facebook: fb.com/runwithedgar
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