Peter Schoderbek was heavy his whole life, but by the time he graduated from West Virginia University, his weight had ballooned to 442 pounds.
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Having studied forestry, Peter realized that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rigorous demands of that line of work without losing weight. As soon as he graduated, he decided to get healthy.
“In that field, you’re out in the woods all day walking around,”Peter told GMA. “I started to realize, like, look, you’re not going to be able to do anything like this as a job one day if you’re like this, so I decided to start dieting pretty hard.â€
Peter started by eliminating fast food, and restaurant food in general. Instead, he prepared his meals at home, focusing on fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. He also started exercising, even after long days spent hiking at work.
He also decided to add an exercise buddy to his life by adopting a puppy! Peter says he chose a beagle for his companion because they have a lot of energy and will force him to get up off the couch to take walks. Now he and Toby are out and about every day, and the weight has fallen off.
Peter now weighs 239 pounds, over 200 pounds gone! He plans to continue to lose weight and tone up his physique, encouraging others to do the same in the New Year. “If I can do it, you can do it,”Peter said. He wants to challenge people to walk 20,000 steps every day.
After a tough year of isolation and stress, many people have packed on a few extra pounds. We hope Peter’s story encourages everyone to look at the bad habits they’ve created and make positive changes for the future!
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