Many seniors are striving to lose a few pounds before Prom, but senior Bryan Williams has already succeeded.
Williams lost 70 pounds over the last year and six months. He started his sophomore year at a hefty 240 pounds and presently weighs 170 pounds.
Williams said, “It’s not hard to keep the weight off as long as I keep working out.”
His inspiration to lose weight was simply to feel better about himself, he said. The first thing he did to lose weight was to start working out at Ten Mile Road and Telegraph’s Powerhouse Gym three times a week for two and a half hours a day.
He also changed his diet by eating healthier foods. Instead of eating the fatty foods he used to eat, such as “burgers, fries and chips,” he has turned to more lean foods, like fish, turkey and chicken.
He recommends to others who are trying to lose weight to “stay away from the fried foods, saturated fat, a lot of carbohydrates and cut down on the sweets like ice cream.”
The key was not to stop eating like many teens do, but to monitor what was being eaten, he said.
Williams, who plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall, says he still eats three meals a day. A typical breakfast for him might be two egg whites, sausage or bacon, orange juice, grapes, or some kind of fruit, and a bottle of water.
At lunch, instead of heading to McDonald’s for fatty fries and a shake, Williams eats skinless chicken breast or tuna.
Senior Damon Alexander said, “Bryan’s discipline, hard work and dedication paid off.”
Others noticed the new Williams, too: Senior Tometka Thurman, who has known Williams throughout high school, said, “His weight loss is like night and day. He looks completely different.”
Williams said that he not only looks different nowadays, but he also feels completely different, too. “I feel good. I’m a lot more self-confident.”