Transformation: Roel Gomez Dumped an Incredible 130 Pounds!

February 2010 to March 2013  |  3 years  |  @Roelgomez87

Roel put on more than 100 pounds after back surgery. He set himself one rule, sweat once a day no matter what, and took it from 330 down to 200.

Where he started

In 2009 Roel herniated three discs in his back at work. Six months of therapy and three rounds of spinal injections followed, then back surgery. Through the surgery and the recovery after it, he put on well over 100 pounds.

The turning point

February 2010. A family vacation was coming up and he was about to see relatives he had not seen in ten years. Coming from a family of athletes, and one of nine brothers, he did not want to be the one they met as the fat brother.

That night he ate a big dinner. Later, in the shower, he felt disgusted with himself, and he made a promise that he was going to lose the weight for good. No gimmicks and no quick fixes. The plan was to go slowly so it would last.

What he changed

He knew almost nothing when he started, so he gave himself one rule he was not allowed to break: sweat at least once a day, from exercise, no matter what.

Training was five days a week and, for the first eighteen months, entirely upper body. Chest, triceps, biceps and shoulders. No back, no legs, which he later counts as his biggest mistake.

His food was simple and, by his own admission, chosen by someone with no nutrition education: eggs, tuna, potatoes, steak, chicken, rice. He picked a daily calorie target by reading the round number printed on nutrition labels and assuming it must be the baseline for an average person. It was not a considered choice, and he says so.

The hardest part

Three things, and only one of them was the diet. He had no idea what to do with either his eating or his training. He had to work out how to lift correctly around his back injury, and what he could and could not do at all.

The third was not physical. A month into it, his girlfriend of eight years ended the relationship, and it set him back badly. He spent the next eight months leaning on alcohol to get through, which he says made for a lot of disappointing weigh-ins. He lists drinking and partying as one of his three biggest mistakes.

Where he is now

His first goal was just to see 300. When he got there he set 270, and he is honest that he did not expect or even intend to go lower. Then he hit 270 and was not satisfied, so he started setting ten-pound goals. 260, 250, 240, eventually 210. He set one more at 200 and reached it in 2013.

What he took from it: a fitness goal needs tunnel vision, because nobody is going to put the fork down for you. It is fine to say no to food. It is fine not to clear your plate.

You're going to have bad weigh-ins. You're going to cheat and you're going to hurt, but don't give up. Roel Gomez

His advice if you are starting today

Do not wait, start now, and accept that you will fail sometimes. All of it is part of learning how to live a healthy, active life, and sometimes you need the mistakes to learn. What matters is what you take from them.

Results vary. This customer's results are not typical and depend on individual effort, training, nutrition and consistency. Statements on this page describe one customer's personal experience and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. No product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.