An Arizona man who threw out all of his food and committed himself to walking to the local Walmart and back every time he wanted a meal has lost more than 300 pounds.
Pasquale “Pat” Brocco, 31, began to change his life three years ago when he was warned by his doctor that his weight of 605 pounds and his high blood pressure and high cholesterol put his life in serious danger.
Brocco went home from that appointment, where he said his doctor warned him he might die, and took a photo of himself in front of a mirror.
“My stomach was down to my thighs. My chest was hanging down here,” Brocco told ABC News, pointing to his stomach. “I was disgusted.”
The Avondale man decided that every time he was hungry he would walk the one mile to his closest Walmart and the one mile back home to eat his meal. In less than two years, Brocco said he lost 200 pounds.
“You walk to Walmart three times a day and you end up walking six miles,” he said. “It’s amazing because I never walked six miles in my life and I was doing it every day.”
Brocco put foods like vegetables, meats, sweet potatoes, quinoa and steel cut oatmeal into his diet and took out the specific foods he learned over time were hampering his efforts.
“Once I figured out dairy was my downfall, I took it out of my diet and instantly I started losing weight again,” Brocco said.
Brocco graduated from walks to Walmart to incline walks on a treadmill at a gym. He also began lifting weights and using gym equipment he previously could not.
"I mean, at 600 pounds I couldn’t even go to the gym,” Brocco said. “I didn’t fit on the machines.”
Now 330 pounds lighter, Brocco said his nickname is no longer “Fat Pat.” As “Possible Pat,” he hopes to be a role model for his 1-year-old son.
“I’m setting an example for my son so he can be ‘Possible Pat’ too,” Brocco said, in tears.
Because he lost so much weight he had to have about 30 pounds of excess skin removed. Brocco underwent the surgery on Monday and is now recovering at home. The procedure was performed by Dr. Remus Repta, a plastic surgeon.
Below is Brocco's pre- and post-weight loss diet for a typical day:
Before weight loss: About 11,228 total calories per day.
Box of cereal
Whole milk, one-half gallon
1 package peanut butter cups
1 candy bar
Meatball and cheese submarine sandwich (12 inch)
100 fast food chicken nuggets
1 fast food apple pie
1 fast food milkshake
2 liters of soda
4 doughnuts from a local gas station
After weight loss: About 2,260 total calories per day.
2 gallons of water
About 20 egg whites
1 cup of oatmeal
24 oz chicken breast
Green beans
6 oz ground lean bison
32 almonds
Half a sweet potato
