How My Boyfriend Lost 100 LBS and Won a $1,000 Bet
No Fads. No Gimmicks. This is the story of how my boyfriend steadily lost weight and earned $1,000 on an offer that forever changed his life.
Despite earning a pharmaceutical degree in 2007, my boyfriend Christopher was unable to land a job in his desired career field. With strong determination to pay off his student loans and take care of his young daughter, Christopher stuck it out in the automotive paint industry for over 10 years. Through time, Christopher witnessed an economic recession, his company being bought out by a corporation, and quite a number of different bosses. With more added stresses at work and at home, including an untimely divorce, Christopher gained an excess amount of weight through depression. Admittedly, Christopher was not active nor paid attention to what he ate.
Fast forward to February 2019, Christopher was on a business trip to help one of his bosses set up a couple of newly acquired storefronts. Little did he know, an act of kindness was about to change his life for the better.
“Hey Christopher,” His boss said one early morning. “If you lose 100 pounds by next year’s annual company party, I’ll give you $1,000.”
“Bro…,” Christopher replied. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely!”
“For real though?”
“You’re a good guy. I want to see you healthier and with a cash in your pocket. What do you say?”
Needless to say, Christopher accepted the offer and immediately set his eyes on the $1,000 grand prize. He truly appreciated what his boss had brought to the table. Recalling his boss had successfully done this with a couple of other coworkers in previous years, he knew in his heart that this was his best shot at improving his life.
The following week, Christopher signed up for a membership at one of the more popular local gyms in town. Christopher’s first day at the gym involved getting up super early to beat the crowd. It was nice an empty except he didn’t know where to start. Christopher ended up on the treadmill. All it took was a couple of steps for him to realize that he was quite out of shape. Was he worried? No. He was more excited to reach his goal.
He started his first day struggling to do even 5 minutes. While it may have been embarrassing or even discouraging that day, he knew 5 minutes earned him one step closer to his ultimate lifegoal of being healthier.
Day by day, 5 minutes gradually increased to 40 minutes in various levels of difficulty. Christopher firmly believed that cardio was the best method to burn calories. He was partially right. By setting himself up to fall into habit, Christopher was able to get the momentum going and continue to follow through with his daily routine.
In addition to exercising at the gym, Christopher started watching what he ate by sizing down his portions. Instead doing fad diets or starving himself, Christopher was just more mindful of what he was eating. Christopher had 1 rule. ; He never let himself go hungry and never let himself over eat. He was no longer craving the free donuts at work. He knew what type of food he wanted to put in his body and what made him feel better at the end of the day. By May, Christopher had already lost 30 pounds.
Dreadful traffic in LA county gave Christopher an excuse to stop taking his car to work. Christopher walked a couple miles to the train station 5 days a week. The walks boosted his mood, burned extra calories, and saved him a ton of gas money. It also helped that Christopher enjoyed hiking and participated in activities such as playing pool.
How Christopher really lost the weight:
- Kept track of the food he ate.
- Made sure to be active and stay active.
- Drank lots of water.
- Limited sugar and junk food.
- No longer had late night snacks.
- Did not give up!
All in all, Christopher stepped out of his comfort zone and was able to reach his goal through hard work and perseverance. It didn’t happen overnight. There were setbacks including bad ankles, sore muscles, and plateaus. That pretty much sums up how he earned $1000.
