The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Success story
Roberto Trinidad, 41, of Stockbridge lost 112 pounds
Former weight: 300 pounds
Current weight: 188 pounds
Pounds lost: 112 pounds Height: 5 feet 7 inches Age: 41 years
How long he’s kept it off: “I started on Dec. 9, 2016, and hit my current weight Dec. 19, 2017,” Trinidad said.
Personal life: “Married for 14 years to Tracee Trinidad; I have two children: a son, Ethan, 8; and a daughter, Sydney, 6. … I’m marketing director at Competition Clutch.” He features his weight loss on Instagram @robertoitsme. He and his family live in Stockbridge.
Turning point: “My ‘ah ha’ moment happened while traveling for work,” Trinidad said. “I was in the United Kingdom, and I realized that the seat belt almost didn’t fit. I was not comfortable in the seat. I was embarrassed. While on the trip, the Europeans are small anyway, but even trying to buy clothes to bring home I couldn’t find anything that fit me. It was at that point I made up my mind and I was going to give 100 percent to getting the weight off. I am also married with small children, and I wanted to be around for them.”
Diet plan: “I did not take any supplements or fat burners to lose the weight,” he said. “I went with the caloric deficit approach. … To do this, I reduced my diet to 1,500 calories per day.” Breakfast is oatmeal with two boiled eggs. He snacks on trail mix, protein bars and protein shakes. Lunch is salad. Dinner is chicken with vegetables.
Exercise routine: “I started out just walking my neighborhood. It’s about 2.5 miles and used to take me an hour. But I did it every day when I got off work and in the morning on the weekends. After I lost some weight, I added jogging. After I was about 50 pounds down, I added weight training three days per week at Level 5 Health and Sports Fitness in Stockbridge. The other four days I would still walk, run and jog the neighborhood.”
Biggest challenge: “I realized through this whole journey that you have to want it for yourself,” Trinidad said. “In the beginning, I had some friends that wanted to lose weight, also, but quickly fell off. You can’t let that be your reason to stop. Now when I see them, they wish they stayed with it. I get to travel often for work, so staying on my regimen when I’m away has been one of the hardest things — I’ve got a pretty good system now.”
How life has changed: “This has been eye-opening. My life has changed so much for the better,” Trinidad said. “First of all, I have a ton of energy. This allows me to be very active in my kids’ lives with their activities and just playing with them. Second, my marriage has benefited enormously from the weight loss. … I would like to help motivate others that may be having a hard time losing weight.”
Share Your Success: Have you lost weight successfully with a healthy lifestyle change? If you would like to share your story with our readers, please include your email address, a daytime phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG), and contact us at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.