This essay as they said it is based on a conversation with Enrique González. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I lost almost 350 pounds and kept the weight off. When I was a child, I was never small. I was a bigger kid during my teenage years.

When I was 21 years old I weighed 470 pounds. I was able to lose 50 pounds, but then I gained the weight back. When I was 20, I got into trouble and went to jail, and I ended up gaining more weight because I thought nothing mattered and I should do whatever I wanted. I didn’t care at all. At 27 years old he weighed 565 pounds.

Then I was working the night shift and would wake up, eat a bunch of eggs with bacon or sausage, and go back to sleep after a big breakfast. Then I would wake up again and go to Taco Bell or Jack-in-the-Box. Then at work I would snack all night with things from the vending machine. I was eating constantly. He also drank a lot of alcohol. I have no idea how many calories I ate a day, but it was a lot.

I found a trainer at a private gym.

I was worried about getting my life back on track. But I was self-conscious, so I avoided working out in larger gyms. But I felt comfortable at a private gym I found through a friend. At first they were bodyweight exercises. Being so big, simply moving your body is an exercise. So I would do things like wall push-ups or assisted squats. Then I was using 15 to 20 pounds and moving slowly.

The coach was great, so I turned my brain off and listened to him. I would introduce myself and keep quiet. He put me on a meal plan of about 2,500 calories a day and urged me every week to stay in the calorie deficit and stay motivated. He made me responsible.

From November 2019 to January 2020, I lost 50 pounds. In the first six months, I lost 150 pounds.

I was tired of being ignorant and thought I should learn. I never finished school and hated learning. Now I love it. I started paying more attention and asking more questions, and the more I understood what was going on, the easier it seemed. It was easier for me to eat fewer calories because I understood the goal. I was fascinated by how our bodies work. And seeing the results kept me motivated.

I am now 34 years old and have maintained my weight loss for almost 7 years.

I just did my first skin removal on my neck and will be doing another one later this year. I want to lose another 20 to 30 pounds of fat and then I’ll be happy. I currently weigh 225 pounds, but I want to remove excess skin and get down to 200 on the scale.

Now I eat the same foods almost every day: two eggs plus a cup of whites with a couple of slices of turkey bacon and half an avocado. Lunch and dinner are 8 ounces of my protein of choice with rice and vegetables. I drink a gallon of water a day and have cheat meals from time to time. I train three or four days a week and walk four to six miles every day.

I almost had gastric bypass surgery. At orientation, they told me things I didn’t like to hear, like what all the restrictions are after surgery. I’m glad they scared me. Some people need surgery, but I told myself I would try it naturally first. My advice to anyone who wants to lose weight naturally is to take the first step and try. I didn’t care about losing weight, but something told me to try it naturally.

I have invested a lot of time and money in myself. I am stubborn. I don’t want to lose what I’ve done.