Facebook name: “Skinny Pat Dewolfe”

I met my good friend Patrick in High School. As a matter of fact, we were “gym buddies”! We went to the gym every weekday after school and on most weekends. I tell you, this guy was my motivation to keep in shape. So when he heard that I would be home for the holidays and suggested we get together, I was pretty excited!

The first morning we met up, we went to the local indoor track to run sprints. We would walk half-way  around the track and then sprint the rest. We’ve always been known to add a little friendly competition to our workouts, so our sprints were more like a race! Patrick beat me around the track all but one time, and I was pushing as hard as I could!

When we finished our sprints, we went to the hockey rink and ran up and down every flight of stairs in the place four times for a little added burn.

Oh, and I guess I should probably tell you one thing about my dear friend Patrick that I forgot to mention – He just lost 200 pounds.

I had the opportunity to do an interview with him that we had been planning since the beginning of GloriousEats, which we wanted to save for the day he was 200 pounds lighter on his scale. I think his story is so inspiring, and he is such a great person that I want to share it with all of you:

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Patrick DeWolfe and am 25 years old. I live in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and have been here for pretty much my entire life.

What moment or event started your weight loss journey?

The reason I decided to start my weight loss transformation is because of my family history. On my father’s side, there was a very high risk of blood pressure issues, diabetes, and I was even at risk of having an early heart attack. One day I was walking from my car to my house and I got really short of breath. That was the moment I knew I needed to change my life as soon as possible. I didn’t know if I would make it the next 5 years! I will never forget it, because that was the moment I decided to make a change.

What was your starting weight, and what is your current weight? Also, how long did it take you to reach your goal?

My starting weight was a massive 450 Lbs. To this day I currently weigh in at 247 Lbs. The transformation took me 1 year, 6 months and 2 weeks. And yes Michelle, I tracked it to the day.

Describe your diet and exercise plan:

When I started my fitness program, I was doing cardio and weight training almost every day. I did a high intensity circuit in between sets, and I ran stairs to keep my heart rate up. Every month I would switch my workouts up to prevent plateau.

Currently I am doing cardio in the mornings and lifting weights at night. With the weightlifting, I am building my strength so I do a low amount of reps (around 5-8) in sets of 5.

Do you believe in a cheat meal or a cheat day?

HECK YES! if it wasnt for cheat meals I would have lost my mind in the first month of my weight loss journey!  You definitly need to treat yourself, as long as you dont go overboard with it. You just need to get right back into gear the next day and train hard.

Do you use any supplements?

I drink protein shakes regularly, but it all depends on what I am doing in my workouts. For cardio I would occasionally take a niacin supplement, and for weights I took a pre-workout supplement. I only took these on and off so my body wouldn’t rely on them. I LOVE Nutrabolics Isabolic Protein (The chocolate flavour is my favourite).

How do you stay motivated and inspired?

For me I had a dream board. It had my current weight on it, how much I had lost, quotes, pictures of my starting weight to remind me where I was, and pictures of my “goal body”.

In your opinion, what is the most important factor in weight loss?

The most important factor - Well, that’s a good question! There are lots of factors to successful weight loss. You need a great support system - I was fortunate enough to have a family who supported me through it all, and everyone I knew was cheering me on. The members of my gym and my personal trainer gave me a lot of support as well, of course. Another factor is diet, which really should be called a lifestyle change.  A balanced diet with pre-portioned foods so you don’t accidentally consume too much.

Now that you have reached your goal of losing 200 pounds, what is your next goal?

I am currently training to run a 5k in the summer, and I want to try my hand at powerlifting!  It has always been a passion of mine. This has all taught me that you can really do anything if you just have the desire to push for it.

What is your #1 eating or diet related tip for successful, healthy weight loss?

My #1 tip for successful healthy weight loss is, that you need to work on both your Diet AND exercise. You need to put fuel in your body to burn it, just like a car. If you don’t have gas in the car, you aren’t going anywhere!

If you were to give advice to someone who was considering starting a weight loss journey, what would you say to them?

My advice to someone considering weight loss is to make a plan!  Always, always be sure you have a planned diet and fitness program. If you dont know where to start, ask around at your local gym. If you have the money to hire a personal trainer, I highly recommand it. And another thing: “NEVER GIVE UP!!! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.”