Shakeology Results: Joel Lost Over 200 Pounds!

Meet independent Beachbody Coach Joel A, age 28 from Springfield, MO.
He entered The Beachbody Challenge in February 2015 and won $26,500!

Tell us about your life before you started the program. How did you feel about yourself and your body?
I was always the “big guy.” I guess I had given up on fitness after high school football, and felt somewhat hopeless. I was drinking a lot, and eating all the wrong stuff. Really, I had given up. Most folks knew me as Big Joel, which I had dubbed myself. I had taken on a persona of this huge guy, and never considered fitness or health as an option, as it seemed unattainable because I was simply so big. The heaviest I ever weighed myself was 465 lbs, which was on an industrial soap scale. That was in 2011. I lost some weight, but put it all back on, and after a lot of drinking and eating wrong, I found myself right back up to 377 lbs on 2/9/14.

What inspired you to change your life and begin your transformation journey?
My size 54 pants even began to feel snug. I could get around somewhat for such a heavy guy, but I could start to feel the enormous strain that I had been putting on me knees. I knew this was inevitable, and this was really concerning. Around this time, my mom got me a membership to her gym. I began using her Shakeology, that she kept at the house, every day. As results began to show, it inspired me to stick with my lifestyle change and go to the gym regularly.

What is the greatest challenge you faced before beginning the program? How did the program and Beachbody® help you overcome that challenge?
My greatest challenge must have been making healthy food choices, and finding inspiration to lose weight and get healthy. I had given up, and then I started replacing one meal a day with Shakeology. It was a game changer, to say the least. The delicious shakes helped curb my appetite, and fuel my workouts in the gym. As the numbers kept going down on the scale (the one I had to order special online, because I weighed over 350 lbs,) it was so inspiring and encouraging to keep up my weight loss plan. I simply could not have done what I did in 2014 without Shakeology. There has been such a transformation, not only to my body but my lifestyle as well. I make healthy food choices now, and I have inspired so many people around me to drop the weight as well. I tell everyone who asks “how did you do it?”, first thing — Shakeology! It is such a game changer!

What in particular did you like about the program you chose?
The thing I like most about Shakeology is the delicious taste, and how it can absolutely smash my appetite. It holds me over all day long. The minerals and nutrients in the shake, I am convinced, were essential in my weight loss journey. I would rather have a Shakeology than an ice cream, or any other milkshake.

Describe the results you achieved with your Beachbody program. Which achievements are you proud of?
I am honestly blown away by my results within a year using of Shakeology. I have lost a little over 200 lbs while incorporating Shakeology into my lifestyle change.

How has your life changed since completing your Beachbody program?
It is like I hit a reset button on my life. I have so much energy now it is insane. I can do things I never even considered before, including buckling my seat belt for example. I will see people that I have known for years and they don’t recognize me until they hear me speak, or I let my hair down. A very common phrase is “Big Joel, I’m bigger than you! what do I call you now?” I have done a complete 180 from being hopeless and super morbidly obese to being lean, fit and healthy. Shakeology has absolutely changed my life, and I want the world to know!

How did a Beachbody Supplement or Nutritional Product or Program (such as Shakeology® or Beachbody Ultimate Reset®) support your transformation? What are the greatest benefits you gained? Did you see benefits to your energy, sleep, mood/mental clarity, digestion/regularity?
Shakeology changed my life, and it is the first thing I tell people about when they ask how in the world I have done it. I don’t even know how many folks I’ve told about Shakeology this year, but it must be in the hundreds.

†Results vary based on starting point and effort.

You can change your life, too. Take the Beachbody Challenge for the tools you need to Decide, Commit, and Succeed! Complete any Beachbody program, and enter your results for a free gift and a chance to win cash and prizes.