Before
After
updated 10:35 AM EDT, Mon August 4, 2014
(CNN) -- The table was set
with an unhealthy serving of his favorite foods: fried chicken, baked beans and
an extra-large helping of macaroni and cheese. For some people, alcohol and
cigarettes are unhealthy vices. For Ben Boukari Jr., food was his addiction.
"To
me, food was like a best friend after a long day at work," Boukari wrote
in his CNN iReport.
It was September 2010. At
6-foot-3-inches, Boukari weighed 379 pounds. His waist was 52 inches around and
he was already outgrowing his 3XL shirts. He had always been overweight, a
trait that earned him the nickname "Big Ben" from his friends in
grade school.
He likes
to say he had a "signifi-can't" weight problem.
"I
would tell myself I'm going to enjoy eating this weekend, but come Monday, I
will make my lifestyle change. I must have made myself this promise hundreds of
times."
Just a
few months earlier, at 26, Boukari had been the youngest official ever elected
to the Alachua City Commission in Florida. He was serious about his promise to
serve his community, but he somehow couldn't keep the promises he had made to
himself.
That
afternoon, while
Boukari sat eating his usual oversized lunch at his older brother Bryan's
office, his brother looked at him and served up some tough love.
"How
can you take care of people's business if you can't take care of
yourself?" Bryan remembers saying. He worried that his younger brother's
political accomplishments would be overshadowed by his obesity.
His words
made Boukari think about how others perceived him.
"No
one wants to be overweight," Boukari said. "I didn't want the public
to see me like that. ... That very moment has changed my life."
The
commitment
Boukari
decided he would keep his promises this time, and the next day began his
journey toward a healthier future.
He
started by dramatically changing his eating habits, switching to a diet low in
carbohydrates and limiting himself to smaller portions. He cut out sugar and
consumed just 20 carbs per day, primarily eating vegetables and meat. On a
typical day, he had boiled eggs for breakfast, a grilled chicken salad for
lunch, and a steak with vegetables for dinner.
Boukari
also made it a point to avoid stepping on a scale. He knew his weight loss
would be a slow journey and refused to be discouraged by a number.
"The
first three months were the hardest," he said. "You've got to believe
it's going to work."
That
belief helped Boukari push past what he called the "wall." Before he
knew it, sticking to the diet was natural. Despite having a sweet tooth,
Boukari said he never "cheated" and he means never -- Boukari refused
to eat his own birthday cake for two years.
"You
will have friends that will say you deserve a cheat day. No you don't," he
said. "You cheat when you have reached your absolute goal."
After nine months of hard work
and extreme discipline, Boukari decided to step on the scale in June 2011. He
had lost 90 pounds.
"I
was ecstatic," he said, surprised that he weighed less than 300 pounds, a
number he hadn't seen since his freshman year of high school. The weight loss
gave him a boost in confidence and a sense of achievement he hadn't felt since
being elected city commissioner.
The
plateau
But after
a few more months of dieting, the scale barely budged.
It was time
for him to switch things up.
When a
friend invited Boukari to work out with him in October 2011, he decided to
integrate exercise into his routine, knowing that he couldn't quit if he had a
partner who expected him to show up.
"When
I make a promise, I keep it. Telling him I would be there locked me into
going."
Boukari
honored his promise and four days a week, he and his friend got together at the
local high school's track to exercise. The high intensity routine was brutal at
first. They were doing 50 yards of lunges, 50 yards of backpedals, sprinting
for 50 yards and power walking one mile around the track to help him reach his
target heart rate.
Up to
that point in his life, Boukari hadn't even managed a single push-up.
The second
win
To stay
motivated, he turned the compliments from his friends, family and peers into
fuel -- fuel to get him through his tough workouts, to curb his cravings and to
keep the promise he made to himself to lose the weight and keep it off for
good.
"Every
single day since 2011, someone has made a comment regarding my weight loss.
That person had no way of knowing at the time, but it was this positive
encouragement that kept me going," he said.
After
just one month, his hard work and diligence started to pay off. In November
2011, Boukari did his first push-up.
"My
body was changing and the weight was just coming off."
He stuck
with his new exercise regimen and by May 2012, Boukari had lost another 50
pounds. He was down to 234 pounds, had dropped 14 inches off his waist, and
tossed out his 3XL shirts to make room for his new size: large.
In order
to satisfy his sweet tooth, Boukari has become the master of finding
alternatives that satiate his cravings without compromising his progress. A
piece of sugar-free candy, a low-carb dessert or diet soda is enough to do the
trick. To compensate for these treats, he increases physical activity and keeps
the portions extra small.
The city
commissioner takes pride in his new self-image, acknowledging that the weight
loss has made him care more about himself. These days, his weight fluctuates by
10 or 15 pounds -- today he weighs about 250 -- and he says he would like to
lose another 25 to 30 pounds. After that, he expects to work on maintaining his
weight loss the rest of his life.
"We
are all very proud of Ben for putting his mind to this goal and continuing to
achieve it every day," said Boukari's older brother Bryan. "He's still
Big Ben, but he's just big in a different way now; he's got a big
personality."
No comments:
Post a Comment