A California man has undergone a dramatic transformation after quitting alcohol and taking up regular exercise and fitness work.
For the longest time, Jerard Starks of Santa Barbara was worried about his health but was seemingly powerless to change things.
“I found myself at age 35, 50 pounds overweight and hopelessly addicted to chugging vodka,” he said. “I was miserable and afraid I would head to an early grave.”
Despite that, Starks vividly remembers a feeling, deep down inside, that told him he was “meant for more.”
Jerad Starks
Obesity represents a source of serious concern in the U.S. According to a Statista survey, about 32 percent of men in the U.S. are obese.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases warns that obesity brings with it increased risk of health issues like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers.
Starks had been his heaviest at age 33, tipping the scales at 225 pounds. Yet it would be another two years before he got the wake-up call he needed in order to quit alcohol for good.
It was a moment he recalls vividly.
“I was in a personal development support group,” he said. “For 10 months, I kept trying and failing to get sober. Then one day when I was on a group Zoom call, I told them I drank yet again.”
Starks can still remember the reaction.
“They had lost all hope that I would quit drinking,” he said. “Something about that scared me so bad it lit a fire within me.”
The first step toward losing weight for good was what Starks described as a “mental shift” in how he approached things.
“I had to develop self-discipline, which was severely lacking,” he said. “I began with some extended fasting to shed a bit of the weight. After I was done with the fasting, my next lifestyle change was fasted cardio in the mornings, and resistance training in the afternoon. Six days a week. I never missed a day.”
Each day was about staying focused by having a “clear vision” of his goals and how to get there via “daily actionable steps.” At the same, Starks kept his drinking under control with the support of a “personal development group.”
“It was paramount to have that support and accountability,” he said. “Every time I would stumble, I had…
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