By Liana Jacob
MEET the muscle man who overturned his unhealthy habits of devouring fast food daily to lose over seventeen-stone fearing he would die early from a heart attack and has since undergone skin removal surgery following his dramatic weight loss.
Personal trainer and weight loss coach, Zach Vogler (24), was obese growing up and his reliance on food became stronger when he was ten years-old, following his brotherās diagnosis of leukaemia in 2004.
His eating habits included eating fast food āall day, every dayā and drinking a gallon of milk every two days. This unhealthy relationship with food resulted in him ballooning to just over 33st. It wasnāt until 2012, when his father had a heart attack, that reality hit him. He feared if he didnāt do something to lose the weight soon, he might die young.
He was then diagnosed with pre-diabetes and hypertension and that was the moment he decided to change his lifestyle for the better. He now weight lifts and tracks his calories that helped him shrink to 15st 11Ibs exhibiting toned arms and torso.
āI’ve been obese my whole life leading up to when I lost weight. I come from an obese family with a history of all the weight related issues you can think of,ā Zach said.
āI definitely learned habits from my male role models we always put a lot of value in being big, strong and eating a lot.
āI also turned to food for comfort, when my parents got divorced and when my older brother was diagnosed with leukaemia two years later.
āI was always self-conscience about my body, I didnāt feel like I was attractive at all. I felt trapped in a huge body that I hated.
āAfter my father had a heart attack in 2012 I started looking into my own health. Being 463 pounds at nineteen I was worried that I was headed down the same path as my father.
āI went to the doctor and was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, hypertension and put on blood pressure medications. Thatās when I knew I needed to make a change if I didnāt want to die from obesity-related illnesses.ā
Zach, who is from California, USA, went through a vigorous change in his diet and exercise. From very little exercise to working out three to five times a week by weight lifting and hiking regularly, he transformed his health and bulked up his body.
Following his weight loss, he underwent over 14,900 pounds (21,000 dollars) worth of skin removal surgery on November 3, 2017.
āI no longer feel trapped in my body, Iām so much more comfortable in my own skin. I like to wear tighter clothes and Iām proud of the body that I worked hard for,ā he said.
āI also have so much more energy and Iāve found my passion in life and made a career out of helping others achieve what I have. I lost the weight by tracking my calorie intake and exercising.
āI completely changed what I ate. I quit drinking calories and started eating more lean meats, vegetables and just whole foods in general.
āIn terms of exercise, I fell in love with lifting weights; I lifted a little in high school for football, but I never got that into it, now it’s one of my favourite things in life.ā
The tendency to give up or finding the patience waiting for the results to show was the toughest process for Zach.
āI had to remind myself everyday of where I came from and what I wanted to achieve. I definitely fell off the wagon a few times, but I never gave up on myself or my goals,ā he said.
āPeople honestly donāt believe it. The people I used to know donāt even recognise me anymore and those I met after weight loss canāt conceive how I was ever that big.
āStart small and start with your diet. What you eat is why youāre overweight. Donāt drink your calories; track your food, monitor your calorie intake and start taking daily walks.
āI love myself and I am now proud to be me.ā
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/zach_attacks_fat/