12 - Stories of Transformation: Larry Dukes, 105 lbs Lost and Going Strong

On the 12th episode of the Fitlandia Podcast Christa sits down with Larry Dukes to discuss his story of fitness transformation. On discussing his tipping point, Larry talks about how he reached a peak weight of 315 pounds, but didn’t even realize how big he’d gotten. After a trip to Thailand last year the heat started to get to him, and he wasn’t able to do some of the same activities that other people were. In November of the same year he was visiting friends in upstate New York when they got caught in traffic following a Giants game. As they tried to push their way into the train someone yelled “better watch out for the fat guy!” He turned and said the only thing he could think of which was “you’d better be careful kid ‘cause the fat guy is hungry.”

That experience stuck with him, and eventually he got home and it really began to sink in. He wasn’t able to wear a lot of the clothes, he had trouble fitting in airline seats, and his own weight was keeping him from doing things he wanted to do. His family had a history of Type 2 diabetes, but when a doctor diagnosed him with gout he decided then and there that something had to change.

See Ya, Sugar!

By January 14th he started, and the biggest thing was cutting sugar. He was drinking 64 ounces of soda a day, and decided to flip that relationship and replace that with 64 ounces of water. He got a Fitbit and became obsessed with it. From there he got rid of cookies, brownies, and sweets and completely changed his relationship with food.

“This is not a journey you can take with somebody else forcing you. It doesn’t matter who’s nagging you, if you haven’t bought into it nobody can get you in that frame of mind but yourself.” - Larry Dukes

Larry goes on to discuss his weight loss and how the initial wave of losing so much water weight was a great motivator. That slows down and plateaus, but he says instead of continuing to try to lose weight he focuses on maintaining that weight and lifestyle. There’s tons of great food out there that’s unhealthy, and he still enjoys them, but it’s now all about moderation. That’s key for him. It is about a healthy change, but “sometimes ya gotta eat Grandma’s cake.”

The important thing is being able to maintain your choices. There’s all sorts of pre-packaged food diets, but what happens when you have to go to a party, or a restaurant, or stop your subscription? Are you going to be able to do that? You have to make smart changes that you know you’ll keep. Food is still going to be a part of your life, so make sure it’s a change you can make.

Larry’s life has changed since that diagnosis, he’s lost 80 pounds, his resting heart rate and cholesterol are way down, his blood pressure is impeccable, and his gout is nearly gone. His doctor is “jumping up and down” with his changes. Larry is now feeling better with himself, feeling better physically, and feeling better emotionally. His story is a prime example of seeing a change that needs to be made and committing to it wholly. Change is possible, you just need to want it.

Ready to learn how you can make your own transformation? Visit www.fitlandiafitness.com today and start your free trial. Podcast listeners using the code PODCAST at checkout get 30-days FREE and 10% off for the life of their membership.