Henry Gonzalez is the founder of a San Francisco-based clothing brand
He lost about 350 pounds without surgery or medicine
He’s managed to keep the weight off for seven years
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation withHenry Gonzalez.It has been edited for length and clarity
I’ve lost nearly 350 pounds and kept the weight off. As a kid, I was never small. I was a bigger kid through my teenage years
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When I was 21, I weighed 470 pounds. I was able to lose 50 pounds, but then gained weight again. In my 20s, I got in trouble and went to jail, and ended up gaining more weight because I thought nothing mattered and I should just do what I wanted to. I didn’t care about anything. At 27 years old, I weighed 565 pounds
I was working the graveyard shift then, and I’d wake up, eat a bunch of eggs with bacon or sausage, and go right back to sleep after a huge breakfast. Then, I’d wake up again and go to Taco Bell or Jack-in-the-Box. Then, I’d snack at work all night on stuff from the vending machine. I was constantly eating. I was also drinking a lot of alcohol. I have no idea how many calories I was eating a day, but it was a lot
I found a trainer in a private gym
I was worried about getting my life on track. But I was self-conscious, so I avoided working out at bigger gyms. But I felt comfortable at a private gym I found through a friend. In the beginning, it was body weight exercises. Being that big, just moving your body is a workout. So I’d do things like wall push-ups or assisted squats. Then, I was using 15 to 20 pounds and going slowly
The trainer was great, so I just shut my brain off and listened to him. I would show up and shut up. He set me up with a meal plan for about 2,500 calories per day, and he bugged me every week to keep the calorie deficit and stay motivated. He kept me accountable
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From November 2019 to January 2020, I lost 50 pounds. Within the first six months, I lost 150 pounds
I was tired of being ignorant and thought I should learn. I never finished school, and I hated learning. Now, I love it. I started paying closer attention and asking more questions, and the more I understood what was going on, the easier it felt. It was easier for me to eat fewer calories because I understood the goal. I became fascinated with how our bodies work. And seeing results kept me motivated
I’m now 34, and I’ve kept my weight loss off for almost 7 years
I just did my first skin removal for my neck, and I’m doing another one later this year. I want to lose another 20 to 30 pounds of fat, and then I’ll be happy. I’m currently 225 pounds, but I want to remove the excess skin and get down to 200 on the scale
I now eat the same foods almost every day: two eggs plus one cup egg whites with a couple of slices of turkey bacon and half an avocado. Lunch and dinner are 8oz of the protein of my choice with rice and veggies. I drink a gallon of water a day, and I have cheat meals every once in a while. I am training three to four days a week and walk about four to six miles every day
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I almost had gastric bypass surgery. At the orientation, they told me things I didn’t like hearing, like what all the restrictions are after surgery. I’m glad they scared me. Some people need surgery, but I told myself I’d try it naturally first. My advice to anyone who wants to lose weight naturally is to take the first step and just try. I didn’t care about losing weight, but something told me to try it naturally
I’ve invested so much time and money into myself. I’m stubborn. I don’t want to lose what I’ve done
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