Error — That’s what the scale told Jose Matos at his heaviest weight. The marketing professional from Utah suspects he weighed close to 540 pounds but explained he was unable to get an accurate reading because the scale had maxed out.
“It felt like the floor around me was crumbling,” the 32-year-old man told Today.com. “It was terrifying. It was scary.”
Matos had Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic pain in his lower back and knees when he was then diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in 2022. He said the medical condition, which temporarily paralyzed the right side of his face, gave him the “mental fortitude to be like, enough is enough.”
RELATED: Man Who Lost 150 Pounds in 18 Months Shares His Top 3 Weight-Loss Tips.
Looking back, Matos describes himself as a “husky” kid. He was involved in football and rugby, sports that encourage players to bulk up. However, once college rolled around, Matos left those types of high-intensity workouts and gym sessions behind; however, his diet didn’t shift.
“During high school, you eat whatever you want,” he explained. “Then once I started going to college, I kept eating the same way, but I wasn’t nearly as active as I once was.”
According to Matos, fast food, frozen processed foods, and soda were his “biggest downfall.” He said “atrocious” eating habits led him to consume roughly 6,000 calories a day.
It wasn’t until doctors told Matos that unless his lifestyle habits drastically changed, his time left on earth was limited. “I love my kids and my wife more than anything else…That was the scariest thing—seeing myself not being there for them,” he told Today.com.
Now that he’s down 150 pounds, Matos is sharing his top four weight-loss tips. He has 135 more pounds to go before reaching his goal weight, but the progress he’s made thus far means he no longer has to take diabetes or blood pressure medication.
RELATED: 37-Year-Old Woman Reveals 2 Things That Helped Her Lose 159 Pounds: "I Didn't Feel Hungry Ever."
His first tip is that weight-loss drugs like Ozempic aren’t always the answer.
Matos admitted that he tried using a weight-loss drug, but stopped due to personal reasons and side effects. “When I tried the [drug], I felt like I was doing something that wasn’t who I was,” he said. “I’d just rather do the hard work, put in the time, put in the effort.”
Secondly, having a support system that you can lean on for love and accountability is key. Matos was set up with a personal fitness trainer through a coworker, both of whom have stuck by his side throughout this entire journey.
“They were instrumental in teaching me that this isn’t just a sprint, it’s not an overnight cure. It’s a lifetime. It’s creating lifelong habits,” Matos continued. “My support system has been huge for me.”
Next, Matos said it’s okay to give into cravings as long as it’s within moderation. He prioritizes whole foods and protein like chicken, steak, and fish. He limits carbs, but every once in a while he’ll enjoy a pizza roll, he said.
His last tip: View working out as a privilege.
“I know that I have to do it and that I want to do it and I get to do it,” he said of his mindset.
Matos works out six days a week, alternating between upper and lower body training and cardio. This summer he participated in the 5K Spartan Race.
“I will look at pictures of myself back when I was my heaviest and think, ‘This guy couldn’t do it. This guy couldn’t walk into a gym. This guy wouldn’t feel accepted at the gym like I do now,’” he said. “So I do it for him. I do it for the guy who felt like the world was crumbling around his feet because I don’t ever want to go back there again. That’s when I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s go.’”
However, the best part of his journey, he told Today.com, is showing his two sons that "you can do anything."
