How this formerly obese man lost 210lbs and became a competitive bodybuilder

40-year-old Miami based Jeancarlo Danies lost an incredible 210lbs after his doctor told him he was dying. 

Always on the heavier side, JC told Truly: “I have always known that food was an addiction, I was never able to maintain a normal eating habit, eating over 6,000 calories a day.” 

After the birth of his son in 2014, JC says his weight really skyrocketed and he ended up weighing in at 431bs at the age of just 38 years old. And the excess weight really started to affect Jeancarlo’s health; unable to tie his own shoelaces and struggling with sleep apnea, he explained: “I was so heavy that at night I would stop breathing over 100 times.” 

But it wasn’t until a cardiologist told JC he would die of heart failure within two years, if he did not lose the weight, that it really dawned on him.

“I wasn’t going to let that happen, I flipped the switch in my brain," JC said. Following a strict diet and workout regime, Jeancarlo lost 210lbs in 19 months and has since started competing in bodybuilding competitions. 

However, the drastic weight loss has left JC with excess skin around his abdomen, which is why the aspiring bodybuilder is now having a tummy tuck surgery. “In reality the excess skin doesn’t bother me: the reason I want to have it removed is because I want to pursue a career in bodybuilding, the abs, that’s what everybody wants to see," JC added.

"It didn't matter what day it was, I would do anything to get me sweaty," said JC. He's shown doing a kickboxing workout, which is a sure-fire way to start torching calories. Because martial arts and kickboxing workouts are done in rounds, it follows a similar principle to the best HIIT workout while forcing your whole body to move in new ways. It's a great way to burn fat.

While the cardiovascular workouts are great for weight loss, JC needed to build muscle to maintain his weight loss. Resistance training, using the best adjustable dumbbells and best resistance bands, is actually great for weight loss because your body demands more oxygen when you've got more muscle mass, increasing your metabolism. 

You don't have to be a bodybuilder to incorporate resistance training into your exercise routine. You do need to eat a little more to facilitate building muscle, but the best protein powder for weight loss allows you to do this with minimal added carbohydrates.