Worth the weight

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

In 2019, 27 year old Terez Washington went to his doctor for a regular check up and received some alarming advice. Weighing in at almost 400 pounds, Terez was informed that his weight was going to put his health at serious risk. His doctor warned him that if he didn't do something about his weight, and soon, that it would quickly become a critical concern in regards to his health and ultimately, his life. Terez was young, and miraculously, his weight had so far only yielded negligible health concerns like minor mobility challenges and slightly elevated blood pressure levels, but the doctor warned that his blood work showed that his kidneys were beginning to show warning signs of stress.
“I didn't listen,” admits Terez, “not at first.” With no immediate threat to his health, the need to lose weight didn't seem like much of an emergency. It wasn't until months later that Terez had a change of heart, and woke up one morning with the determination that he wanted to try something new. “It just came over me one day. I've always been big. I woke up one day and said to myself, 'Let's just try. I know what I look like big; I want to see how I look thin.'” And with that, his weight loss journey began.
The first step was to decide on a goal. At the beginning of the process, he weighed 386 pounds. For a weight loss goal, he knew he needed to be realistic in order for the goal to be obtainable. One of the main reasons many people struggle with weight loss goals is that many people give up when the reality is far from their expectations. A positive mindset, realistic weight loss goals and a change in lifestyle are the most effective ways to help a weight loss journey become a successful one.
“I came up with a random number,” said Terez, “I decided I wanted to weigh 286. I didn't want to go too low, so I just picked a realistic number and stuck with it.” From there, he started slow.
“I started with cutting out soda,” remembers Terez, “But even with that, I cut it out slowly, switching to diet sodas at first until I could cut them out completely.”
Soda is largely recognized as being an unhealthy addition to your diet. The main reason soda is such an unhealthy option is that it usually contains a large amount of sugar. In fact, studies show that even if you are lean and not struggling with weight gain, daily soda intake can boost your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Even diet sodas can be detrimental to your health, as they contain a lot of additives and artificial ingredients, including sweeteners. The consumption of these chemicals can cause your body to crave high-calorie and high-sugar foods, making it more difficult to cut back on them while changing your diet.
Terez says that cutting out soda altogether wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, and that it wasn't long before he was used to and craving just plain water. He didn't stop there, however; soda was just the beginning. Soon, he began watching what he ate, limiting sugary and fried foods. “That was harder,” he admits, “I cut out fried foods, and switched to baked food. I also cut out a lot of the sugar and sodium I was used to having in my diet.”
While it takes a little getting used to, just the few changes to his diet began to show positive results. His blood pressure readings were lower, his glucose and cholesterol levels lowered to ideal numbers, and he began to see a change in his weight.
“Once I started to see results, I didn't want to stop,” said Terez. “I wanted to keep going.” Even with the success he was experiencing with the changes to his eating habits, he knew that the most effective way to encourage weight loss couldn't come from diet alone, but from the inclusion of exercise.
Starting out, his body was not able to jump into hard-core workouts. Just like with his dietary changes, Terez understood the importance of taking it slow and allowing his body to ease into the changes to his daily life. He began with just 30 minutes of walking each day, and began gentle workouts with weights to see what he was currently capable of and could sustain. From there, he came up with weight-lifting and cardio goals that would fit hand-in-hand with his weight loss goals but would also add strength, endurance and stamina to his overall health.
In just the first year since starting his weight loss journey, Terez went from 386 pounds to 292, losing nearly 100 pounds of excess weight. This change did not really hit home until Terez went to buy new clothing, as his old clothing no longer fit on his smaller frame. “When I was buying new clothing, it became real,” mentioned Terez, “I went from a 6X in shirt size to a 2X. My old pants feel like parachutes now!”
Now, at age 30, while his weight loss journey is not yet complete, Terez says he is happy so far with his progress, and that it isn't all about weight loss. Shortly after his first year of trying to lose weight was over, Terez experienced what everyone who strives to lose weight experiences: a weight loss plateau. A weight loss plateau is when your weight stops changing, even while you are still exercising regularly and eating carefully. This is a normal part of losing weight, and can be extremely discouraging to stop seeing the continued results of your hard work. Many people who experience this plateau feel demoralized and revert back to old habits, but for Terez, there's no going back.
During his plateau with his weight, Terez finds encouragement in monitoring his progress not just in his weightlifting, but also the improvements he sees in his overall health. “When I first started working out, I couldn't run a single mile; now I can jog five miles.” says Terez, “When I started lifting, I had about a 135 pound weight limit, including squats. Now, I am up to 205 pounds with weights and and 250 with squats. I sleep better, I feel better. I have less headaches, I can breathe easier. My energy has increased, and my confidence has gone up.” While his workout routine currently is squeezed into whatever spare time he has outside of work and life responsibilities, he expressed a desire to get back into a regular routine. Currently, he goes to the gym, usually after get gets off work at the library, and while there, he does 200 sit ups and 200 leg press exercises. He also frequents the track near his work and runs an average of five laps during each session. Especially in the summer heat, he makes sure to stay hydrated, and estimates that he drinks an average of eight liters each day. On days where motivation is hard to find to continue a workout, Terez says a positive mindset helps him push through.
“When I feel like quitting, I just tell myself, 'Don't quit, man- you've come too far!'” he says, adding that when that doesn't work, working out with his dog Chloe at the rec park or the track helps to keep him motivated.
While his journey began with a goal to lose weight, his focus is not as intently dedicated to weight anymore, but rather, on his overall health and maintaining an active lifestyle, which has increased his quality of life in unexpected ways. “I don't snore anymore,” muses Terez, “and I am much more flexible than I used to be. I can do basic activities now without breaking a sweat. For my future goals, I really want to reach 300 pounds while lifting, and I'd like to work on my vertical jump. I'd like to be able to dunk a basketball.”
For Terez, “healthy” doesn't just mean maintaining a healthy weight. He defines health as having enough energy to be as active as you'd like to be, and being comfortable with your body and how it moves and what it can do. He warns to keep an eye on your internal body function and monitor your medical health such as kidney levels, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as your mental health, which is equally as important to overall wellness. For Terez, each of these elements plays an important role in taking good care of yourself.
When he isn't working at the Jefferson County R.J. Bailar library or hitting the weights at the gym, Terez likes to work on computers and spending time in nature, enjoying activities like swimming in Wakulla, dabbling in photography and just generally enjoying the great outdoors. He encourages anyone who wants to lose weight or start an active lifestyle to start slow so they don't burn themselves out.
“Start with walking just 30 minutes a day,” he recommends, “Trust me. It doesn't sound like much, but you'll start to see results and you'll want to continue. Switch from fried foods to baked foods, slowly cut out things like sugar and salt, but don't starve yourself! Cheat days are okay. When I was bigger, I never craved sweets- now I crave sweets all the time! I like to treat myself here and there by getting a coffee at CowHaus, and that gets me through the craving. Gotta have my coffee fix!”
Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves, and to feel good in the skin they are in. The path to a healthy lifestyle is a life-long endeavor, and so far, Terez is enjoying the journey.