Robert Treglia was a real heavyweight: the man from Pennsylvania weighed over 300 kilos. In the meantime he has lost almost 200 kilos – thanks to love.
When the weight puts obstacles in your way
Even as a child, Robert Treglia was chubby. As a little boy, the American who lives in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wanted to participate in school team sports. But as soon as the sports became competitive, Robert couldn't keep up because of his weight and was thrown out.
His already unhealthy eating habits got worse and worse over time: "There was always something new at the typical fast food chains that I wanted to try," said Robert in an interview with the lovewhatmatters.com portal. Today he knows: "I used food as a way to be happy. I couldn't find happiness in myself, so food became my way out – it always made me feel better."
An office job made things worse
After his wedding, Robert moved to a part of Pittsburgh farther away from his favorite fast food chains – and yet he kept making up new excuses for going. Sometimes he told himself he had just had a bad day, sometimes he just didn't feel like cooking. It was no wonder that his weight kept climbing: Besides all the fast food, Robert worked in an office where he sat all day and only got up to eat or to go to the toilet.
I was always at home feeling sorry for myself.
"I quickly got to a point where short standing and walking became painful," said the American. Back and leg pain particularly bothered him, and even the short walk to the toilet caused him discomfort. But not even that made Robert rethink: "I reduced my fluid intake so I didn't have to go to the toilet as often." His marriage also suffered from his weight problems: Robert began making excuses for all sorts of things he could no longer do. "My wife got used to having my answer to everything No was. "
A heavyweight at 300 kilos
Meanwhile, Robert weighed over 300 kilos and earned a lot of looks in public – many critical, some malicious. People avoided him as if he had an infectious disease, parents used him as a bad example for their children. "They said, look at him. That happens when you don't eat properly. It was all so derogatory." No matter what the American ordered in the restaurant, he was criticized: "When I ordered something healthy, they said: Well, it won't have made him so fat. If I ordered burgers and fries, it was no wonder that he is so fat . It was a lose-lose situation. "
Robert tried all kinds of methods to lose weight, but nothing worked in the long term. He tried Weight Watchers, fitness apps, and online programs, but couldn't stop his cravings for fast food. At the same time, his health problems were getting worse – Robert suffered from pain and sleep apnea, felt constant tiredness, and was afraid that his wife would leave him.
I asked myself: did my weight ruin their life? Did I lock her up?
Lose weight for love
Finally, mainly out of love for his wife, Robert made the decision to finally change something. "I was afraid that one day I would have a heart attack and my wife would find me dead in bed." So the American slowly began to change his behavior and to be happy about small steps. This time he tracked his meals closely and also began to pre-cook healthy food – so as not to be tempted to spontaneously eat fast food again. "The first thing I learned was that you don't have to be perfect in this process, you have to be consistent," says Robert. After he got used to this new way of eating, he gradually began to work out in the gym – the pounds gradually melted away.
I've changed my lifestyle and learned to make healthy choices.
Robert's path was not easy: For example, if colleagues spontaneously wanted to go to a restaurant for lunch, he had to check himself so as not to order something unhealthy from the menu again. But he has been amply rewarded: Not only has Robert lost around 200 kilos through a lot of ambition and discipline, he is now also fit for new trips with his wife and can take 35,000 steps a day.
And his wife is also the person to whom Robert owes everything in his opinion: "My wife has always been my greatest support. For example, she put small notes in my lunch box to tell me how proud she is of me and how much she loves me. With her by my side it was just utterly impossible not to make it. "
Robert also regularly reports on his incredible transformation on Instagram.
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