This interview is based on a conversation with Eddie Adegeye, 31, from Minneapolis. He works in insurance and co-owns a food truck. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I was always on the bigger end of the friend group when I was a child and teenager, even though I played basketball, soccer, and football.
But I didn’t understand the concept of exercise. I was just there as a face on the teams. As soon as the games were over, I’d get home and eat huge portions.
I’m Nigerian by descent, and although the food is delicious, it contains a lot of carbohydrates and calories from rice and oils used in the stews.
My family liked to sit around the dinner table to discuss everybody’s day. Soon after going to a fast-food place like Burger King or Taco Bell, I’d have a second meal.
My granddad died of complications from diabetes
It got worse when I was in college. I’d order takeout to my doorstep, rather than pick it up. I did no exercise and got used to just sitting on campus.
My mom would make well-meaning comments when I came to visit. She said that she loved me and cared for me, but she was worried. My grandfather died of complications from diabetes, and Mom was scared.
I began to get fearful myself, knowing that, if I didn’t change my lifestyle, I’d put myself in danger.
Courtesy of Eddie Adegeye
In 2018, a year after I graduated, I stepped on the scale. It showed 401 pounds. At 6ft tall, I thought, if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up on the TV show, “My 600 Pound Life.”
So I started my health journey at 24. I only went to the gym in the evening, when fewer people were there. I didn’t want to be that person on the machines when other people thought, “Hurry up because I need to do cardio.”
I was also put off lifting weights because I was afraid of getting it wrong.
Then a friend invited me to a yoga class at a Life Time gym in my city. I couldn’t wrap my head around what you were supposed to do with yoga and hated it.
I went to the gym twice a day
I left it alone for three months before trying another form of yoga. The breathwork was difficult at first, and I was panting. Still, you could move your body the way you wanted. I began to enjoy the program. You could move your body the way you wanted.
Next, I started to go for long walks. It helped to keep moving. My friends would stop to ask if I needed a ride. They thought my car must have broken down.
I lost a total of 80 pounds by working out at the gym every day before and after work.
Courtesy of Life Time
COVID set me back, but I got back into a routine toward the end of 2021. I tried hot yoga — where the room temperature ranged from 97 to 104 degrees — and would sit in the sauna for 45 minutes, wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, to burn off water weight.
It became addictive. I started to understand how to lift heavy weights and threw myself into that. I’ve entered a few endurance competitions, which were challenging but fun.
I never dreamed I’d be able to do a headstand, and here I am doing them regularly in yoga. Not only that, but the gym is like a social club where I meet my friends.
I ate meals from Chipotle
As for watching my diet, I waited until my exercise regimen was in place. Then I tried my best to keep my body in a calorie-deficient state. I often went to Chipotle after a long, hard workout. The meals gave me the nutrients I needed and reminded me of the food Mom used to make.
The scale showed 197 pounds when I weighed myself recently. I’ve lost 205 pounds — more than half my original body weight. I’ve gone from a 4X T-shirt to a medium. My jeans size was 46 inches. Now it’s 32.
I don’t feel like I have to worry about diabetes anymore. Best of all, I have energy and value myself a whole lot more. If I can do it, anyone can.