Dominique Yates: 2 moments made me stop accepting I was overweight. My yearlong journey to health

There used to be a time when I had an addiction that was killing me.

The worst part about it? I knew it. Quite frankly, I didn’t care.

My downfall was never drugs or alcohol. It was food. I was a straight-up addict.

I accepted it.

My family has a history of health problems, from diabetes to high blood pressure, brought on by unhealthy lifestyles. Food is our culture. Thankfully I had no health scares, but my blood pressure and blood sugar reached unsettling numbers for someone in his mid-20s, and I knew I was on the verge of joining my family with those chronic issues.

I had a serious love for bad, processed foods like chips. I couldn't get enough of chicken wings, tacos, pizza and barbecue. I went to so many fast food drive thrus, I could’ve known the cashiers by name. And I washed that food down with four or five Big Reds or Dr. Peppers a day.

I was a lost cause.

While I’ve been described as jovial, full of life and always smiling, the inside told a much different story. Never was I fully comfortable in my own skin.

That had to do with what I looked like on the outside.

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I surrender

There were two moments when I finally knew I had to make changes.  

The first was the Kentucky Derby last May.

It was my first Derby. Being a Kentuckian, I know the history of this. It was a big deal. But one of the biggest days of my professional career was also a down day for my personal life.

I couldn’t button the jacket on my suit. My shoes were uncomfortable. I walked around Churchill Downs, but I was in such bad shape that I had to stop to sit down and rest. It was a historic Derby, due to the wild disqualification, but inside, I was miserable.

It was tough to watch videos I did for work because I didn't like who I saw on camera. 

The second wake-up moment came in a dream. 

In that dream, I was even more overweight, and felt like the weight choked me. It sounds weird, but it was a horror movie that felt like a biographical film.

That's it. I'd finally had enough.

It startled me so much that I made a call to a local personal trainer, Djuan Means.

I’ve known him for a long time. In fact, growing up and attending the same church in Muhlenberg County with his wife, Jordan, I was very familiar with his personal training. I knew about his gym, By Any Means Fitness. I joked on many occasions that I would give him a call, but never did I pick up the phone. Not until that dream.

“I’m ready to join the team,” I remember telling Means on the phone May 7, 2019.

“I can guarantee results if you don’t deviate from my plan,” Means told me. “The discipline with the food will be your hardest challenge. But understand the rewards are amazing.

“Let’s get it!”

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The journey begins

I had no clue what I was in for.

May 13, 2019. Day one. I knew it would be bad, but it was much worse.

I typically avoided stepping on a scale, but couldn't any longer: 261.6 pounds. Far more than I thought it would be. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be flirting with being almost 300 pounds at 5 foot, 7 inches. It was dangerous. 

After jotting down my weight and other measurements, Means encouraged me to write down my goals.

I knew it would be one step at a time, but I knew what I wanted to do:

• Lose 20 pounds after the initial six-week boot camp
• Lose 50 pounds
• Weigh under 200 pounds before Christmas (seven months of training)
• Lose 80 pounds or more in one year

Big, maybe even overly confident goals, but I believed I could get it done.

First, I had to survive day one — and the "fit test." 

After 20 minutes on an elliptical machine as a “warm up,” I was already in an intense sweat. After that, there were 30-second challenges of pullups, pushups, squat jumps and crunches. I had to see how long could I hold a plank and how quickly could I run a half-mile. The numbers were pathetic. I needed help off the floor. A challenge that typically lasts all of 15-20 minutes took roughly an hour.

The emotions took over. Yes, I actually cried (can't believe I'm admitting this). I couldn’t believe I allowed myself to get in this bad of shape. We took a photo on the first day and I didn't even look at it. I was ashamed and embarrassed.

That was the first day. I had to keep pushing.

I take pride in being a guy who likes to finish what he starts. Like my favorite athlete, the late Kobe Bryant, I channeled my own “Mamba mentality." When I’m passionate about something, like learning a new song on the keyboard or even a video project at work, I won’t stop until it’s at the level I want it to be. My weight-loss goal would be the toughest challenge I ever started, but doubt never came into my mind. I knew I had to do this. Most importantly, I wanted to be healthy.

I trusted Means’ system and prayed to the good Lord for patience and for the ability to endure, because I knew it would take time.

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By Any Means Fitness

Djuan Means played high school football for now-Male coach Chris Wolfe at Waggener. After playing two years collegiately in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he transferred to the University of Louisville, where he finished up his education in exercise science and turned his attention to something he's been passionate about since an early age.

“I've loved working out even when I wasn't supposed to, when I was lifting weights with my mother's boyfriend," he said. "I was always fascinated with how the body worked and it was a fit.

"I was undecided on a major until my junior year of college and I fell in love with the idea of being a personal trainer and just helping people reach their goals."

It’s become a family affair. Means’ wife, Jordan, is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and was a practicing lawyer until August 2019. 

She continues to maintain her license but is now a full-time personal trainer and nutritionist with her husband.

"When we launched By Any Means Fitness in 2010, I worked behind the scenes on our online presence and managing the business," she said. "Over the years, I’ve started training clients early in the morning before work and online, and I also became a nutritionist. I finally got to the point where I wanted to fully commit to our business, and Djuan and I agreed that it was a great time for me to jump in full time."

The system has had plenty of success stories.

Why not me?

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Success is in your routine

When I started the journey, I wanted to do more than just diet and exercise. I was interested in learning about my body. Improving my health. Being more than just a statistic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 40% of all U.S. adults over the age of 20 — about 93.3 million people — suffer from obesity.

Here’s something even more alarming: A study from Oxford University professor Klim McPherson, who is also chair of the UK's National Heart Forum, predicts that eight out of 10 men and almost seven in 10 women will be overweight or obese this year.

I fell in that category. I had to change it.

We trained three days a week, and I decided to go even on my off days for additional cardio. My goal was to exercise five days a week, and when I was feeling good and had extra time, I would go for six. The workouts were a challenge. It was high intensity and we worked as hard as possible in just an hour. We never skipped cardio and moved quickly from one workout to the next. I've always enjoyed going to the gym and working out, so the tough exercises we did never bothered me. That wasn’t the issue.

The diet was the issue.

I learned it was “20% gym/80% kitchen.” I could exercise all I wanted, but if I didn’t commit to eating right, it would be worthless.

Means gave me a food log and broke down the proper foods for me to eat, along with drinking a gallon of water a day. I eat five times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks).

If it’s high in sodium, fats and sugar, don’t eat it. High calorie? Forget about it. So, I basically picked up my refrigerator and threw it outside. Cleaned it out with all the foods I loved and replaced it with healthier options. My meals were cooked in advance to eat throughout the week. Meal prepping is a lifesaver.

Food is no longer for entertainment. Food is fuel for my body.

It wasn’t always pretty.

The withdrawals were a struggle. Giving up all that sugar from drinks and snacks, cold turkey, made for a nice headache. Eliminating fried foods to eating my food grilled was a challenge. Resisting the temptation of fast food wasn’t easy. I would bring in a jug of water and a Tupperware container of healthy food to work daily. My co-workers enjoyed the food I put in the microwave. (Fun fact: I microwaved my fish at work once. Bad idea. Got in a little trouble.)

As a sports reporter, the hospitality rooms before sporting events featured a nice buffet of foods. My goal was to avoid it and choose options like the salads, or just eat before I went to the game. I learned to enjoy what I could eat. The grilled chicken or fish (mainly cod, tuna and the occasional salmon) tasted pretty good. Vegetables were never a go-to for me, but I made sure to eat plenty of them. I ate plenty of spinach (one of my co-workers started calling me "Popeye"), green beans, sweet potatoes and asparagus. I also enjoyed my morning bowl of oatmeal. The snacks would be an apple or almonds.

The question I was asked and still am to this day is “Do you have a cheat meal?” Absolutely. I would lose my mind if I didn't allow myself to enjoy those foods I love. It always gave me something to look forward to for the weekend. The key was and still is, have a “cheat meal,” not “cheat days.”

It was an adjustment for me and those around me. I had to skip some family cookouts and didn’t go out to eat all the time with friends. My parents weren’t sure what to cook for me at times. It was funny to hear all the times they’d asked, “Well, can you eat this?”

Let me be clear, it wasn't easy. It still isn't. It's a struggle when you find yourself craving foods you were accustomed to eating all of your life. But, in honor of being in the horse racing spirit, it was only fitting for me to put blinders on so that I didn't look back or even to the side. I was only looking forward.

The message was simple: Stay with the system and you’ll have success.

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Here come the results

The best part of this training was stepping on the scale every Friday to see where I was. Everything I put in my body, I wrote on my food log. Some people dread "weigh-in" day, but I wanted to hold myself accountable. I could make an excuse, but the scale doesn’t lie.

I used that as motivation.

To use the cliche I hear from coaches, I took things one day at a time. It worked for me.

I tracked my results on paper:

• After the six-week boot camp ended, I'd lost 20 pounds. Goal No. 1 accomplished.
• Oct. 11: Close to five months of training — 209 lbs (52 pounds lost. Goal No. 2 reached).
• Dec. 6: Close to seven months — 199.6 lbs (Under 200 pounds before Christmas. Goal No. 3 done).
• Feb. 26: More than nine months — 181.2 (80 pounds lost).

I was feeling great. I was on a roll. I was wearing clothes I never imagined I'd be able to fit. I had more energy than ever before.

Nothing would get in my way of reaching my goals.

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The coronavirus

Let’s pause the weight-loss journey, because like everything that happens in life, I had a setback. It was a challenge I wasn’t prepared for. It stopped me dead in my tracks.

COVID-19.

The country was, and still is, greatly affected by this. It’s changed daily life for all of us, myself, included.

The gym was shut down. No face-to-face contact with my trainer anymore. All the exercise machines I was able to use, I didn't have them anymore.

I had to make some adjustments.

I bought some dumbbells and a kettlebell. With the magic of technology, I did workouts Djuan and Jordan shared via Zoom and Facebook Live. Luckily, it’s springtime and we’ve had beautiful weather, so I go outside to run or walk daily.

Most importantly, the diet is even more critical now that I'm not as active, working all day from my couch instead of moving around while covering sporting events. The “quarantine snacks” are fruits, vegetables and nuts. My goals are still in front of me, but it requires even more focus than before.

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Back to the challenge

As of Tuesday, I’m weighing in at 174 pounds, just three away from losing 90. I don’t even think I weighed this in middle school.

When I started, I wore a 3X shirt. I’m now in a large, or even a medium in some shirts. My waist was a size 50. Now I’m at about 30-32.

I went from running a half-mile in 14 minutes on my fit test, to now running 3-4 miles a day in about 35 minutes. I can do more pushups now, and for the first time in my life, I can do a pullup with no assistance.

Going back to Churchill Downs on the day that was supposed to be the Kentucky Derby and taking an updated picture at the track was a big highlight for me. To see the progress with my own eyes, that smile was a real one, unlike the one from 2019.

The question I hear more than any is, “Are you done losing weight?”

Not yet, but almost. I’d like to tone up a little bit. As you can imagine, after losing more than 80 pounds, there’s a little extra skin there. 

Does that mean losing more weight? Probably. It sounds weird, but I don’t really make that the focus. I'm listening to my body. It'll tell me when I'm done. I’m not sure what that total weight loss will be, but I do feel it’s close.

Until then, I must keep working hard.

There are still things on my radar to look forward to. Hopefully we get past this COVID-19 pandemic sooner rather than later and we can get back to some type of normalcy. Summertime is near. I won't be going to any beaches anytime soon, but when I do, I hope to have that "beach body." I agreed to do a 5K race. One of my closest friends is scheduled to get married in August and I’m in the wedding. I have to be ready for a tuxedo.

Most importantly, it’s all about my health and how I feel. My blood pressure is great. My blood sugar is normal. I also have more confidence in myself than I’ve ever had in my 27 years of life. I'm finally starting to like the dude I see in the mirror.

I’m nearing the “maintenance phase” of this journey, too — simply to maintain where I’m at with my weight. Losing the weight was one thing, but keeping the weight off will be another challenge I'll begin soon.

The rest of my life, this is something I will do. Do I hate that I let myself get in that bad of shape? Absolutely. Am I thankful to go through the experience? 100%. God allowed me take on this challenge and I feel I’ve added years back to my life.

I learned that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I learned to be stronger, physically and mentally. I learned to appreciate and take better care of myself.

I’d also like to help others. I’m no expert, but I’m willing to give feedback on how I did it and what worked for me. I’ve learned you can’t do this without a team. I was fortunate enough to have people in my corner. If you feel like you can’t do it or need someone to reach out to, I’m here.

I made a vow to never let my health get as bad as before.

The blinders stay on and I strive to never fall back, but fall forward.

But if I ever slip up or feel at risk of falling back, I’ll have plenty of old pictures to remind me to stay on track.

Reach Dominique Yates: dyates@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @RealDYates; 502-595-9339.