He Lost 250 Pounds

Ryan Hoffman is still slimming down

He enjoys the outdoors —Whether mountain biking or cycling around his neighborhood, Ryan Hoffman of Emmaus, Pa., gets the exercise he needs and enjoys an added bonus—quality time with his 11-year-old daughter, Brittany (right).

Life before surgery: A truck driver, Hoffman didn’t exercise, loaded up on fast food and had pain in his surgically repaired right knee. At 5 feet, 10 inches, the Emmaus, Pa., man weighed 429 pounds.

His turning point: “I met two people who had gastric bypass (weight-loss) surgery,” Hoffman says. He followed up with surgeon Richard Boorse, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Health Network, who performed the minimally invasive procedure in October 2004.

His new diet: Eating five smaller, healthier meals. He also drinks two diet iced teas and takes vitamin supplements (as required postsurgery) daily.

His new fitness plan: Hiking and cycling. “My goal is to get my heart rate up and break a sweat,” he says.

Forbidden food: Sweets

Guilty pleasure: Potato chips

Weigh-ins: “I didn’t weigh myself until I got down to 250,” he says of his first goal, reached in the summer of 2006. When his weight loss slowed, he cut out those chips.

Life today: Now 179 pounds, Hoffman lives pain-free, no longer needs blood pressure medicines, continues losing about 2 pounds per month and keeps setting goals. Next up: 175 pounds.

Stick-to-it tip: “I think about my ‘former life’—how I had no energy,” he says. “I never want to go back there.”

Advice for others: “If you’re 100 percent committed to diet and exercise, you’ll lose weight and be amazed at how good it feels,” he says.

This page last updated 4/30/12 10:44 AM