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Weight loss success: Andy Sorrells

  • Story Highlights
  • Andy Sorrells wore a size 64 when he weighed more than 500 pounds
  • He withdrew socially and battled depression by taking anti-depressants
  • A faith-based weight loss program helped him lose 280 pounds
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By Jacqueline Adams
CNN
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Depressed and tired of trying diet after diet, Andy Sorrells began a faith-based weight loss program.

Andy Sorrells

Andy Sorrells lost 280 pounds and went from wearing a size 64 to wearing a size 36.

He says he started without a specific goal weight and reduced his portion sizes to lose 280 pounds.

Name: Andy Sorrells
Age: 29
Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee
Occupation: Loan Processor
Height: 6 feet 3 inches
Heaviest weight: 500 pounds
Current weight: 220 pounds
Pounds lost: 280 pounds

Defining moment
My wife, Maggie, had started the Weigh Down Workshop program. We were newlyweds and continued to gain weight. We had tried other diets but this one worked for us.

How did you finally lose the weight?
Diet: Weigh Down Workshop, a spiritually based weight loss regimen. I just started without a real goal of losing a specific amount of weight and reduced my portion sizes. I spent so much of my life thinking about it and planning for it. Finally, I stopped focusing on food, stopped counting calories and eating low-fat foods. You just have to eat what your body craves and reduce portion sizes.

Exercise: I didn't really exercise. I walked occasionally but I never followed a specific fitness regimen.

How long did it take you to lose weight?
Just about 17 months from January 2003 to May 2004. My wife had tried the Weigh Down Workshop and had success with it. I was trying diet foods and fat-free foods. But I knew there had to be a way someone could eat normal food and still lose weight.

How has this changed your life?
When I was born I was close to 11 pounds and all of my life I've dealt with weight issues. People always teased me about being overweight. Once I started this program, I realized that I had to stop being angry at the world and I needed to look internally.

Once I started this program, it changed my outlook on my entire life. I realized that being happy is a choice. I can either be filled with hate and despair or I can be happy and help others.

Do you have any tips for other people who want to lose weight?
It is more than a temporary change. It's a lifestyle. Open your eyes and see that there's more to life than food. Food is used as a comfort, but just like alcohol or anything else, it can be overused. Eat smaller and be content.

Read: Maggie Sorrells' weight loss success story

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