GLENDALE, AZ — A Valley man is living a brand-new life after losing more than 300 pounds – and counting. His fitness journey is now part of an effort to help others looking to lose weight.
At 31 years old, Omar Gomez of Glendale weighed 515 pounds. He estimates he was consuming 8,000 calories a day.
Detailing what he used to eat, the now-37-year-old said he would start with four sausage-and-egg McMuffins with three hashbrowns from McDonald's. He would have a Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks and he would be able to drink at least two two-liter bottles of soda.
For lunch, he said he could have several large helpings of pasta.
Typically, he would only eat two big meals a day, he said.
”I felt like I was in prison in my own body, pretty much that’s how it felt,” he said.
Gomez says he went through uncomfortable nights with sleep apnea, lived with high cholesterol and hypertension, and his doctor told him he was prediabetic.
Navigating public places had its own struggles.
”Say I was going grocery shopping — I had to hold on to the cart because my back literally felt like it was going to break,” he said.
Both of his parents also dealt with their own health challenges. His mother died in part due to hypertension and his father battled diabetes for years before it cost him his life.
The family doctor told Gomez a harsh reality, saying: “The way you’re going, you’re going to die just like your dad did. You’re not going to live past 40."
That comment came five years ago.
After an emotional moment in the car after that doctor’s appointment, Gomez said he didn’t know where to start to make a change to better his health.
Today, Gomez smiles when he talks about how he lost 305 pounds - about the weight of a refrigerator.
He said it all started when he cut out junk food, which helped him lose 20 pounds. Then he cut out soda to make the loss closer to 50 pounds.
And when he started pre-planning meals around lean protein and counting calories, he started doing things he never imagined.
”I started hitting the gym hard. I was going five days a week, six days a week,” he said proudly.
Dr. Janice Johnston with Redirect Health says cutting out one unhealthy thing, like what Gomez did, is a good place to start a weight loss journey.
“We know it just takes hard work and dedication,” she said.
Dr. Johnston says tracking what you’re eating, how you're sleeping, and daily exercise can all help keep off the weight.
”It’s better to do something you can maintain...," she said.
As much as things have changed for Gomez, there’s a constant reminder of his past.
“You will not see me without a compression shirt,” he said.
He says he’s still a little uncomfortable in parts of his skin, which doctors told him weighs about 30 pounds and would cost tens of thousands of dollars to surgically remove.
He hopes by sharing his story, he can find help or a more affordable route to get his extra skin removed before his honeymoon. Amid his remarkable weight loss, he said confidence helped him find a fiancee.
That’s why he started a crowdfunding account attached to his TikTok, where he’s shared motivational videos of his fitness journey with followers. Some of his videos have millions of views.
Looking back, he still can’t believe how far he’s come.
He shared with us a pair of his old slacks which he said he got up to a size 58.
He said today now wears a size 32.
Gomez is acknowledging his past to make a better future for himself and others.
”I wish my mom and dad would have seen… They would have been happy,” he said.
A normal meal plan for Gomez today is a breakfast taco with a fiber tortilla, a protein shake for lunch, and sirloin with veggies and potatoes for dinner.
There’s nothing fancy or new about this weight loss plan – it’s just good hard work and dedication.