Dedicated Man Loses 150 Lbs During Lockdown After His Scale Read 430 Lbs

The pandemic has been a time of transition for many of us. In some way or another, many people worldwide have had to take a good look at their lifestyles and question whether or not it was sustainable.

Well for Kyle White from Old Perlican, N.L. in Canada, lockdown allowed White to recognize what was not going to work for him going forward.

Kyle tells CBC from his home in Saskatoon, "A little over a year ago, I stepped on the scale and I was around 430 pounds." 

Once Kyle hit 430 lbs, there was no denying the habits that were contributing to both his and his wife’s weight gain.

With pain in his back and knees and high blood pressure as well, Kyle decided to do something about it.

Kyle started his journey with baby steps

White says, "Every day I would wake up heavier than I was the day previous." He continues, "I knew that wasn't sustainable."

Kyle started his journey with baby steps and would peel himself from the couch to walk the dog. White’s strolls with the dog would eventually turn into longer walks. In order to pass the time, Kyle would listen to podcasts. Then, by the summertime, Kyle was hiking.

"We started seeing results," White says. "It took a lot of hard work, but once we started seeing the results we were willing to put in more work."

i still feel like it's my own body, but when i see the difference in the photos that are side by side, it's hard to wrap my head around it.

Kyle White

Kyle practically eliminated alcohol from his diet and now mostly drinks water. He has a goal of 10,000 steps a day and makes sure to keep track through a fitness tracker he wears.

Kyle and his wife prefer a mostly animal-free diet. Kyle explains, "Our diet is about 98 percent free of animal products." He cooks tofu and tempeh for protein, and only eats a small amount of eggs, mostly when they’re in pasta.

Standing at 6’5, Kyle began losing interest in hiking when the challenge of the activity started wearing off. So, he decided to try running.

He eventually made the transition to running and hiking

Kyle says, "When you're the size that I was, and even still am, you need to be really careful about running because it is very easy to hurt an ankle or a knee."

Taking the baby steps approach again, Kyle began with short running bursts during walks. Then he began to jog 500 meters at a time. After that, he hit a kilometer, and then he hit a mile. In the fall, Kyle was able to run 4 km without even so much as a pause. He shares, “The hardest step is showing up."

Kyle now runs 3-4 times a week. His runs are normally 5 to 7 km long. He also completes one lengthier run, which can be as much as 15 km; Kyle plans to run marathons in the future.

The hardest step is showing up.

Kyle White

Kyle not only wants to run marathons, but when he visits his home province, he wants to run from Cape Spear to Cabot Tower, which is a 20 km route known for being one of the most difficult running courses on the continent.

Kyle explains that he still can’t believe his weight loss. He says, "I still feel like it's my own body, but to see the actual difference in photos that are side by side, or the pants that I used to wear, it is a bit hard to wrap my head around." 

Speaking of his family who he hasn’t seen since October 2019, Kyle states, "A hug is going to feel quite different when we get to see each other again."

Kyle has lost 150 lbs along his transformation journey and his wife has lost 75 lbs.

Kyle said that the pandemic was a blessing in disguise for him

Kyle reflects on the lifestyle overhaul he has undergone over the course of the pandemic saying, "It takes a lot of hard work, but the conditions that we had the past year kind of gave us the time, which was, maybe, a hidden benefit in the mess that was 2020," 

"It allowed us to refocus, work on ourselves, cook better food, and get outside a little bit."

Kyle and his wife found the silver lining for themselves during the lockdown. The couple was able to overhaul their lifestyle and face the music head-on. In being forced to pause with the rest of the world, Kyle was really able to focus on self-improvement and ask important questions moving forward.

Take baby steps at the beginning of a journey in order to achieve your goals. When replacing negative habits with positive ones we often need time and to practice patience towards ourselves. A sustainable lifestyle is one that we can actually lead, not one that we just want to.

When you start to see the results, and the real fruits of your labor come to fruition, you can inspire even greater motivation within yourself. Start with baby steps and watch yourself make big strides from there.

Even with a goal like 10,000 steps a day, you have to start by making at least one.

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