Weight Loss Success: Scott Leonardis Competed With Co-Workers And Lost 50 Pounds

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Name: Scott Leonardis
Age: 36
Height: 6'4"
Before Weight: 249 pounds

How I Gained It: Pure laziness! I'd eat a pound of pasta and then look for cake and a bag of Doritos. I've got four kids at home, and I'm the vacuum; I'll swoop in and eat whatever they don't finish. It's a rhythm of not going to the gym and not thinking twice about it. I always played sports, I was never heavy. That's probably the heaviest I've ever been. So there was nothing but sheer laziness that led to it.

Breaking Point: One of the teams here at AOL held a "Biggest Loser"-style weight-loss competition. For three months, we had weekly weigh-ins on a scale in the office. It was a contest; I wasn't going to lose!

How I Lost It: I started using the myfitnesspal app to count my calories. It will log your calories for anything with you bar code that you scan. You can also manually add them, and you can log cardio as well. I tried to stay below what the app told me should be my daily calorie intake. With the calories burned from my StairMaster and treadmill workouts, my net for the day was usually under by a few hundred.

I also stopped eating junk food cold turkey. If I got hungry at night, I went to bed. It was one way for me to curb the hunger at that point. I ate a lot of egg white omelets with turkey bacon and fat-free whole-wheat crackers. I really tried not to cheat. I didn't have a sip of alcohol the entire time. No need to drink your calories!

I have to admit, since it was a contest, I did get a little crazy. There's no way I should be at 195 pounds. I've put a few pounds back on -- I'd like to maintain a weight anywhere between 210 and 220, which is more comfortable for me.

Final Weigh In: 195 pounds

Current Weight: 210

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Comments

[Mei Wang]

01:07 PM on 04/25/2012

If you’re really serious, then make the commitment to lose weight today. But, don’t do it alone. Here’s some help: http://bit.ly/JPeQTp

[William Anderson LMHC]

09:23 AM on 04/20/2012

It's a great thing for anyone who is overweight to get healthier, but how could this fellow be the winner of "AOL's Biggest Loser" competition, with so many stories here of people losing hundreds of pounds and solving obesity problems that have tormented them for decades?

Here's my story of losing 140 pounds in 18 months and then maintaining my ideal body weight for the last 25 years: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-anderson-ma-lmhc/weight-loss-success-story_b_1375737.html There are lots more stories here at The Huffington Post, an AOL company, of many others who also best this fellow's story.

William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
www.TheAndersonMethod.com

[mrbill7820]

02:37 PM on 04/19/2012

I think these office weight loss contests give women a bad image of themselves, because they genetically cannot lose weight as fast as men, so they feel bad. I am male so no bashing here please, but men will always win in this case, because our bodies are meant to shed weight faster. Although , if everryone lost weight , I guess they are winners , too!

[Mo-nique]

04:04 PM on 04/19/2012

You are right, regarding men vs. women in the weight-loss department. EASY answer: offices that want to sponsor these contests should have separate ones for men and women. I know it's not PC (or even legal) to be gender-specific on a lot of things these days, but this is a good example of when it's completely appropriate. Consider this like sports, where men and women compete separately. Since the goal is to encourage good health for everybody, then each sex should have its own "level playing field."

[emafas]

01:05 PM on 04/19/2012

I wonder about the picture with the lady at the beach with her kid. I do hope she helped poor little girl lose weight as well. Children that age should NOT be that overweight. Though it COULD be from a glandular thing or whatever, it really doesn't seem like it considering the weight of the mom. Any way, kudos to all of the "Big Losers". I am on my own journey of weight loss and these are very inspiring stories.

[Another Random Guy]

09:51 AM on 04/19/2012

I am 6'1" and I haven't weighed below 200 since one half-day in the middle of two a days for college soccer.

My target weight is about 215. Almost there...

[hi on life]

07:57 AM on 04/19/2012

I lost weight with a healthy weight loss shake that has a hunger blocker in it..here is where I got it from....www.shop.idealshape.com/?click=14481

[gailwynds331]

07:55 AM on 04/19/2012

HP has a thing for fat people.

[Janenotdoe]

01:35 PM on 04/19/2012

bad thing? ...or good?

[gailwynds331]

02:06 PM on 04/19/2012

just boring

[mbhanson86]

07:28 AM on 04/19/2012

I wish I were tall enough for 210 to be a good weight. Then I'd only be 30 lbs overweight! Sadly...I am 5'11" so I have further to go.

[corgi44]

07:15 AM on 04/19/2012

He looks like a super nice guy. And, I, too lost 60+ pounds last year. My insurance forced me into losing by charging me $420/yr. for being fat! Nonetheless, it makes me sad that we are forced to be thin. I think he looked best heavier. I HOPE we are HEALTHIER, because I sure do MISS eating like I used to...But I'll admit (as a woman) I think I look better
thinner...even with all the extra hanging skin and wrinkles the lost fat left behind......

[Janenotdoe]

01:36 PM on 04/19/2012

Way to go ... and CONGRATS, Corgi44!!!

[Greta Goldberg]

10:50 AM on 04/18/2012

The pride of 770.