Everyone in 16-year-old Edgar Hernandez’s family had a weight problem. His parents also developed type 2 diabetes in their forties. But Edgar’s case was the biggest concern.
The news of he being a pre-diabetic came as a shock for the 16-year-old. Edgar lives in a suburb of St. Louis and is now 18.
Edgar was 370 pounds and couldn’t stand to look at himself. His mother was into tears at the doctor’s office when the news broke. This hit him the hardest.
It was really tough being a fat kid, but things started getting worse for him in high school. His obesity led Edgar him to depression. He was frequently bullied in gym class.
“I tried my best to ignore it. But there were times when I just gave in and started crying,” said Edgar.
His older brother Mario says, “He would eat two really big burritos or sandwiches a day, packed with cheese, sour cream, a lot of bread, butter. He would be watching TV, playing video games.”
His blood test was an eye opener for him. Then he decided to take onus of the bad things happening to him. “It was time to stop blaming others for my choices and make a choice to take responsibility,” he said.
Edgar pulled up his sleeves and started exercise regime. Now, the 5-foot-9 inch edgar has dropped nearly 200 pounds. He now weighs 185 pounds.
Now he has left his double-XL shirts and size 48 pants for medium T-shirts and 33-inch pants.
Losing the extra kilos was not an easy task for Edgar. All started very slowly…but all of us know ‘slow and steady wins the race’.
In November 2012, Edgar started with a gut-impulse jog. Then he started walking before or after school. As he could, he added distance until he was walking about two miles a day. He started to incorporate running intervals until, months later, he could run a full mile.
And soon his hard work started paying off.
Edgar has not only transformed himself but has also inspired his brother Mario to join the fitness regime.
“If you would have told me three years ago that he’d be running a half-marathon, I wouldn’t believe you. You see a completely different person that’s a lot happier, has more energy and is more active,” Mario said.
