I’ve always had issues with eating late at night — I’d have junk food like pizza and fried chicken. And my job was sedentary. I’m 28 and I didn’t have energy for my wife, Christina, and our three-year old, Nathan. I noticed I was out of breath when I tried to play outside with him, and I had pain in my ankles. I weighed 302 pounds. I was an athlete, I played basketball in high school, and whenever I looked in the mirror I remembered what I used to look like. I was starting to lose myself. It made me sad and angry, but I turned the anger into something positive.
My son was my motivation to change.
I was teaching Nathan how to play catch and seeing him running around inspired me because I want to keep up with him.
I started the Thrive Challenge and my first Microstep was meal prepping.
I’m using the airfryer a lot instead of frying food. We’ll rotate meals, like baked chicken or salmon and brown rice with salad. Every now and then we’ll make tacos. It’s great because we’re introducing our son to healthy food too.
If I get a craving for a snack late at night, I’ll eat a spoonful of peanut butter.
That was my grandmother’s tip and it gives me the feeling of being full. At work I’ll have peanuts or sunflower seeds instead of Snickers bars. I wasn’t a big fruit eater before, but now I keep apples in the fridge at work.
The changes I made to my diet quickly became second nature.
I’ve lost 10 pounds so far, I feel better overall, and I’m sleeping much better. I feel good about myself because I’ve been consistent.
I work in a big distribution center now and I get up and move.
Instead of using the golf cart like I used to do, I do my tasks by walking, and I made it my mission to walk five thousand steps a day. Now I’m walking 10 thousand steps at work alone! After work, my wife and son and I walk around the neighborhood. And my ankles don’t hurt anymore.
When I feel myself getting worked up or overwhelmed. I take a deep breath.
I’ll make my way to my office to decompress or I start remembering key scriptures from the Bible to help ease my mind.
I’ve turned my garage into a mini gym.
I have weights, dumbbells, and a Bowflex machine. I listen to ’80s R&B or Michael Jackson while I’m working out. “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor always gives me the boost I need and gets me pumped up to stay motivated. I bought baby dumbbells for Nathan so he’ll mimic me with his little baby plastic weights, and he’ll copy me doing push-ups! My wife is like my health support coach. She’ll say, “Chris you gotta stay on track,” and I do the same for her.
I’m playing basketball again.
I helped to organize a basketball tournament with friends. I hadn’t played for a long time and it was good getting back on the court — it was pretty cool. We won four out of six games and finished second — I had a great time.
Before the Challenge, I was a homebody; now, I make it my mission to go out.
We hit downtown Granville. There’s a lot of history. We’ll explore the stores and go to the park which has waterfalls and little creeks. Nathan loves to step on the rocks and splash in the water.
Christina and I schedule couple time.
We’ll go to our favorite restaurant and go on day dates. We also go for weekend trips to explore cities we’ve never been to before, like Atlanta. If we want a little vacation, my mom loves taking care of Nathan. We love being parents, but it’s important not to lose ourselves and our connection as a couple.
At work, I’m more present and I’m leading by example.
My associates noticed that I’m bringing my own food into work. Some of us compete to see who has got the most steps at the end of the shift. People say, “you look slimmer and fitter,” so that’s good to hear.
The Thrive Challenge has shown me I can accomplish my goals.
I have something tangible to show me I’ve made a lot of progress. I’ve always been a good dad, but now I’m much more active with my son — I feel great.
— Chris McGee, Distribution Center #6014, Laurens, SC; $5K Winner