TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Damien McCudden, 37, was all smiles as he posed for photos at the Medi-Weightloss headquarters in Tampa on Monday.
In just over a year, the Ireland native lost close to 200 pounds.
“I was 395 pounds, very overweight, obese. I did 85 myself and joined Medi-Weightloss in November,” he said.
McCudden is also celebrating his weight loss victory as the company’s Transformation Vacation Getaway Winner.
The company tells 8 On Your Side hundreds of weight loss journeys were submitted and voted on by the public.
“Damien has lost over 100 pounds in over five months which is spectacular,” said Jeff Cervero, a dietitian at Medi-Weightloss.
McCudden said he ultimately lost weight for his family.
“I feel much better and healthier. Fit enough to chase my kids around and not be out of breath. Gonna start doing some 5K races and one day hopefully, a half marathon and get fitter and healthier and hopefully keep the weight off,” said McCudden.
So, how do you start your own weight loss journey? Cervero says it begins with accountability.
“Self-monitoring is a form of accountability. That is really important when you start a weight loss journey. It begins by keeping track of what you eat,” he said. “So if a patient is able to keep an accurate food record – everything they are consuming contains calories – and it enables us as a provider to assist them in becoming better over time.”
As the winner of the Transformation Vacation Giveaway, McCudden will receive a grand prize – a beach vacation to St. Pete.
Medi-Weightloss has over 90 locations across the country and claims their customers have lost over 6 million pounds collectively. You can learn more about Medi-Weightloss on their website.
