“I didn’t think I would be one of those people who would lose this much weight. I always saw it on others, but thought that won’t be me, until it happened.”

Terron Grant came to Buffalo for college and decided to stay after graduation. A few times a year, he goes home to New York City to see his parents. It was on these trips that he realized his weight was starting to get out of control.

“I didn’t really notice it. My fiancé didn’t really notice it. But my parents noticed the weight gain every time I would go home,” says Terron. “At first, I just thought it was my parents being parents, and then I started realizing it for myself.”

He went to see his doctor and learned his Body Mass Index (BMI) put him in the obese category (a BMI of 30 and above).

“Being tall, I didn’t realize how much weight I was putting on. It was kind of hidden,” he says. “I didn’t realize how much I was neglecting my health.”

He decided right then and there it was time to make a change.

“I tried several gyms, but I didn’t really use them. What really made a difference was getting a trainer,” says Terron. “When you have a trainer on your side that you’re paying, it holds you to the fire, so I met with a personal trainer once a week. I didn’t want to do too much at once that would be hard for me to maintain.”

The workouts were tough.

“At first, my trainer  heavily focused on calisthenics and lower body workouts. At the time, I was only accustomed to lifting weights and upper-body exercises. Working my body in a way it hadn’t been worked before shocked my system.”

The nutrition aspect was even tougher.

“I cut my carb and meat intake from 75% on my plate to 10% and loaded up on vegetables. It was horrible for the first two weeks. It was more mental than anything else. Just looking at a plate and seeing less rice and less meat. I think it made my brain go haywire ,” he jokes.

But he powered through and within the first month he adjusted, feeling fuller at each meal.

“I’ve learned how to make fully blown meals and really tasty salads that actually make me feel full. It’s a journey. The healthy eating is a habit now,” says Terron.

It was around that same time that he noticed his body changing.

“The weight was starting to go down. I’d get on the scale every two weeks and the weight kept going down, and that gave me the momentum to keep going. It was incrementally dropping,” says Terron.

He lost 80 pounds in about nine months.

“I feel a bit clearer. I feel more confident than I used to be before. Seeing the change, that drastic change, my body and mind feel a lot more in-sync,” says Terron.

That confidence and improved mental health has also translated into his professional life.

“A lot of what I do in my job is outreach, so it’s talking to a lot of new people. Having that body confidence makes me feel more confidence in myself, overall, to be able to do that outreach.”

Terron is sticking to the changes he’s made, and now he hopes his story will help inspire others.

“I never thought I could get to this point, but I am happy I’ve been able to maintain a healthy weight,” he says. “It’s been a lifestyle change. I wanted to share some tips to inspire others during their weight loss journey.”

Terron Grant’s Top 3 Tips For Getting Healthy

1. Get a personal trainer: It is much easier to get a $10 monthly gym membership and never use it than to pay more than $100 per month and cancel. Every session canceled will feel like you canceled on yourself and you will notice it more financially. Also, a personal trainer will push you harder than you would normally push yourself. You might think you’re working out at 95%, and a personal trainer will take you to 130%.  If you can afford it, a trainer is well worth the investment in yourself.
2. Slow down on the carbs: I never realized how many carbs I regularly ate until I started this journey. I would consume large amounts of bread, lunches with 75% rice, 20% meat, 5% vegetables. Becoming more cognizant of this helped me readjust my portions to majority vegetable, less carbs and less meat.
3. Get comfortable working out without equipment: I use to be skeptical of the people who would go to park jungle gyms and work out, but now I have grown to respect the process. Learning how to work out without any equipment gives you the freedom to do it anywhere.