This Guy Dropped 100 Pounds by Believing in the Process

Bryant Robinson, 33, found out he was pre-diabetic at the age of 24. That jump-started his health and weight-loss journey. Since then, the Forest Park, Illinois resident has dropped more than 100 pounds by finding accountability partners and finding workouts he loves. Here, in his own words, is how it happened:

BEFORE MY WEIGHT loss journey, my weight topped out at 350 pounds. I was a foodie and enjoyed fast food and drinking soda. There was no limit to what I was eating. I was eating all the wrong foods, which led to a life of being unhealthy and pre-diabetic. I was a homebody and focusing on school, so I really didn’t have much of a social life and I wasn’t active at all.

In the summer of 2014, I was just 24 years old. I found out I was pre-diabetic and on the verge of having high blood pressure. I knew at that moment I had to make changes for my life and health. I started my weight loss journey a few months after I found out about my potential health concerns.

I started my journey with a personal trainer. I knew that it would be the best way for me to stay accountable and learn the appropriate workouts. Hiring a personal trainer was a good choice for me at that time. I was able to learn more about weightlifting, cardio, and nutrition.

I started my first training session in June 2014. My personal trainer at the time, Devin Davis (Devo), was an amazing trainer. He introduced me to high intensity interval training (HIIT). I enjoyed that style of training because it was very challenging, but also very beneficial to my weight loss.

I lost over 100 pounds by being dedicated and focused on my journey. I learned so much about myself during that time.

Then, Covid Happened

During Covid, I gained 60 pounds and I wasn’t happy with the weight gain. I wasn’t too hard on myself given the circumstances. However, I got focused and started training again. But I realized I needed something different after Covid.

I live close to a STRIDE Fitness, a treadmill-based interval class, in Oak Park, and I used to ride past it all the time before I knew exactly what it was. One day I came home and googled STRIDE Fitness, and decided to take a class to see if I would like it. I had always been interested in running, and I enjoyed my first class. I have been a member ever since. I love the variety of classes and the coaching style. I enjoy how each coaching style is different. The Combo class is my favorite–it’s a mix of treadmill work and strength training. I love how every Combo class is different, and I’ve seen a great change in my endurance. My running has improved tremendously. I now train 5 days a week, and am cutting weight that I gained during the pandemic. I’m now at about 242. Of course, changing what I ate helped, too.

I Changed My Diet to Six Meals a Day

Before I lost weight, I ate a lot of fast food, chips, candy, and drank soda. I had no structure with my diet, which contributed to my pre-diabetic health issues early on. Now, I have more of a clean diet. I have a coach, Justin, who creates a meal plan for me. I eat six meals a day, and it’s a high-protein diet. I eat broccoli, lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, chicken, rice, eggs/egg whites. I drink a lot of water daily, and do weekly check-ins with my coach to see my progress.

I have lost almost 60 pounds of Covid weight that I gained. I’m looking forward to more strength training as I cut weight. My goal in the next few months is focusing more on weightlifting.

The journey was more of a mental challenge because every day I had to make the choice to work out and stay consistent with my diet. I was surprised by my level of dedication and willingness to power through. There were times I felt like I couldn’t keep going. I knew I had to stick to the process and the plan I had outlined. I had an amazing support system who kept me accountable through my journey.

My journey has taught me to become more open and comfortable with change. I learned to be committed to the journey despite how you feel. There will be times when you may feel like giving up—don’t! I had so many moments of wanting to quit, but I didn’t. I remember the reason why I’m doing this and power through every time.

Three Tips that Made My Journey a Success

Be Accountable

I learned so much about my strengths and weaknesses. There were times I had to hold myself accountable. I had moments where I didn’t feel like going to the gym or following my diet. I had to remember why I was doing this and the goals I wanted to achieve in the end.

Give Yourself Some Grace

I had to learn not to be so hard on myself. I would get upset when I didn’t lose the amount of weight I wanted to lose. If I couldn’t do a certain workout that I wasn’t used to doing, I would get upset and feel defeated. I kept training and trying until I was able to accomplish workouts correctly. Early in my journey, I had to give myself a lot of grace as I was new to training and dieting.

Work with a Mentor/Coach/Trainer

I started my journey with a coach. It was a great benefit to have. I was new to working out and dieting. Having the trainer helped early on, and I was able to build and establish a relationship. He knew my goals and my strengths/weaknesses. It was good to have someone to hold me accountable. Also, when I had a rough moment during my journey, I had someone I could talk to. I think having a mentor/coach /trainer is very beneficial and a great investment, especially for someone who needs help with direction, nutrition and knowledge of working out.