67: Corey Johnson on Why It’s Not About Conquering Food, It’s Conquering Yourself

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Corey was an active child who loved food, but he grew up ignoring the root cause of his weight issues. When he broke his bed at over 280 pounds (137 kg), he knew something had to change.

Hear how he lost 100 pounds (45 kg) in a year, and what “the single most important thing” was on his weight-loss journey.

“My motivation tends to come from the people around me.” –Corey

Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors

Up until around age 8, Corey Johnson was a typical, active child. He describes his childhood self as “bookish” and someone who “loved food,” but was forced outdoors by his parents.

“I would eat more than I needed to. There were always funny stories… I would ask for like five grilled cheese sandwiches.”

Around the age of 8, Corey’s family moved and his level of outdoor activity plummeted. He spent more time reading and “retreating into [himself] more” as a result of the new environment. His weight increased, and Corey recalls the “deeply humiliating” feeling of anxiously waiting in a school line for his body mass index (BMI) to be measured.

How Being Overweight Impacted Corey’s Life

Although Corey had friends growing up, he was not a “social butterfly” and became somewhat withdrawn. While he hesitates to use the term “depression,” he shares that he made a conscious decision in high school to “stop caring” about a lot of things. He “stopped making decisions.”

Corey’s weight upon finishing high school was approximately 250 pounds. (113.6 kg)

Corey describes how, even at this weight, he viewed other “terrifyingly overweight” people in his city as his “boogeyman,” and didn’t mentally consider himself part of that group.

“I thought I was ‘normal fat.’ I was bargaining with myself… As long as I stay below 300, I’m fine. I don’t have to make any changes; I’m happy with myself. And for awhile, I convinced myself I was okay.”

Looking back now, Corey feels that he ate out of boredom, stress, and – because he liked to eat.

“I knew that I didn’t want to weigh 400, 500 pounds or be confined to a mobility scooter. I wanted to be active at least, but I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t make the connection that how much I was eating was ludicrous.”

He had tried martial arts and church-based exercise programs before, but didn’t have consistency or success, and continued gaining weight.

After college, Corey reached 280 pounds (127 kg) and developed high blood pressure that required medication. He shares that, even though he’d become more thoughtful about his appearance and was trying to dress professionally, he was still ignoring “the underlying problem” that was at the root of his weight issue.

The Turning Point

One early morning in October 2012, Corey returned from visiting the bathroom and, without thinking about it, let himself fall onto his bed.

He heard a loud CRACK, and discovered that he’d broken part of his bed. In his words, he had become “that guy” who’s so overweight he breaks furniture.

Starting The Weight Loss Journey

Corey started bringing his lunch to work, which at first was mostly soup. He also took advantage of his company’s gym membership and started using the elliptical machine. Unfortunately, after losing the first 5 pounds, he hit a frustrating plateau.

Corey happened to find a Lifehacker article that discussed calorie-counting apps. He downloaded and tried a few, and really liked the Loseit smartphone app. It helped him create a habit of tracking his food intake.

This helped Corey slowly transform his relationship with food from one where he ate only for pleasure, to one where – even though he could still enjoy a tasty meal – his primary reason for eating became fueling his body for activity.

This change in mindset allowed him to reduce his early and mid-day meals down to about 400 calories each, leaving him enough calories in his “calorie budget” to eat a larger, hearty dinner.

Staying Motivated

Corey shares that he felt alone when he started this journey, but his fiancée and even his boss and co-workers turned out to be sources of support and encouragement.

Corey now takes pride in the discipline and structure he’s created around his smart eating habits.

“Even if everything else goes horribly, terribly wrong today, at least I did this right.”

He stresses that he focuses on how he feels, which is much better than he did before. He is also no longer on blood pressure medication!

What Corey Learned About Food, Exercise, and Him

In total, Corey lost 100 pounds (45 kg) in a year with no exercise. He shares that he set his goal in the calorie-counting app to lose two pounds a week, and then ate even less than that, because he was afraid he was miscounting something. The weight loss was fast, but in hindsight, Corey thinks (and recommends) a more gradual, balanced approach.

“Doing it again, I would’ve maybe eaten the calories I was supposed to eat that day and maybe gotten some more exercise.”

Corey also shares how a food scale was a critical tool in his weight-loss arsenal as well.

“The food scale… I feel like that was the single most important thing that helped me get over setbacks.”

Corey’s Advice For Your Journey

  • Get a food scale. It takes away the guesswork, and “you’re not fooling yourself.”
    ( TipsOfTheScale personally recommends and uses this food scale. [affiliate link] )
  • Get more active. Find something you enjoy that gets you moving, and do it often.
  • Try soups for lunch. It’s an easy way to trim down high-calorie lunches.
  • If going to a chain restaurant – look up the menu and nutritional info in advance to plan your meal choice.
  • The first few weeks are the hardest. Hang in there! Changing habits is tough at first, but once established, they’re easier to maintain.
  • Start making decisions.

“If you’re dissatisfied with your life, a lot of it is because of inertia… lack of momentum. If you change little things… the change snowballs.”

Resources Discussed In This Podcast

On Corey’s Workout Playlist

  • Year Zero album by Nine Inch Nails [ Amazon / iTunes ]
  • 45:33, a running soundtrack collaboration by LCD Soundsystem & Nike [ Amazon / iTunes ]

Contacting Corey

Corey is a graphic designer and podcaster based in Arkansas in the United States.

Corey Johnson Headshot

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