Fat Dad Lost 92 Pounds After a Hike With His Kids Showed Him How Out of Shape He Was

Jeremiah Peterson knew he had to change his habits. Because if he didn’t, there was a good chance he wouldn’t live long enough to continue hiking with his kids. So this dad lost 92 pounds in just five months. And you won’t believe what he went through to achieve this.

Do You Have Fitness Goals?

Have you ever woken up feeling like you wanted to shed a couple of pounds? Maybe you decided to go to the gym to get ripped in the blink of an eye. But it’s not quite that simple, is it?

It’ll Never Happen!

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] You can tell yourself that riding a stationary bike for 5 hours or lifting weights will get you looking like a modern-day Hercules in under a week. But newsflash! There’s no such thing as overnight success. Sadly, putting on the weight is easy. But losing it? That's a whole different story!

It Takes Time

Getting results from dieting and exercising takes time. If anyone knows this, it’s Jeremiah Peterson from Missoula, Montana. But losing weight has a lot to do about doing better today than yesterday. It's not about shedding off the pounds in a week. Eventually, all these tiny efforts will accumulate over time. But there's something else you need to get a hold of.

Understanding That Success Is Built On Failure

No one wants to fall face first, but it’s a part of life. We learn through failures, so you shouldn’t be afraid to acknowledge your weaknesses. Only when you face them, you'll be able to work through them. Losing weight won't happen in a straight line. You'll have your ups and downs, and no one knows this better than Peterson. 

Perk Up, Buttercup

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Peterson, who's an antiques dealer, offers tons of insightful pick-me-ups on his Facebook page. The father of three managed to turn his life around by losing a crazy amount of weight. Best of all? He absolutely loves to share some words of wisdom online, “It’s about standing when you want to sit. It’s about moving when you want to stay. It’s about fighting when you want to give up.”

Motivation VS Commitment

How often have you woken up all fired up and ready to start a new diet or a new exercise routine? That right there is true motivation! It comes from within and inspires you to change, but what’s your motivation?

This Inspires Most People

People often go on Instagram and get their mind blown by someone with an incredible weight loss story such as Peterson's. This acts like a trigger that pushes them to get fit. But what happens when the fire fizzles out?

The Next Morning

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Often times, they wake up the next day with zero motivation, feeling like they can no longer go on. They start making excuses as to why they stopped. But if you want to be as successful as this amazing dad who lost 92 pounds in 5 months, then keep on reading. 

He Needed A Change

When Peterson was 39, he was 92 pounds overweight. He knew this wasn’t good for him, but he wasn’t always like that. In fact, he was a completely different person back in the 80s.

He Was A Regular Kid

“I was one of those kids always outside building forts, fishing, playing war, playing sports with all the neighbor kids," Peterson told MensHealth. But he had an ulterior reason was to why he needed to get fit, and why it needed to happen fast. 

It Became His Life

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Peterson got into fitness to keep kids from teasing and bullying him. Eventually, he ended up liking it so much that he started playing sports all through college. He even got a degree in coaching from Trinity Bible College in North Dakota. But then, everything changed.

He Slipped Again

Once Peterson started a family, he slipped into some of his old habits again. By 2017, he was at 290 pounds. But it didn’t really bother him until he went hiking with his kids. 

He Had An ‘Aha’ Moment

While backpack hiking with his family, he kept running out of breath and felt pain in his chest. “Instead of remembering all the good memories we had made on this trip all I can remember is this one thing that kept playing in my head over and over again”. He knew his weight was getting in the way, and he was ready for a change.

He Was Exhausted

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] He knew he needed to do something about his health, and he needed to act fast. “I thought about what my life was at that very moment, and saw what I wanted my life to be." So he turned to a popular diet for help and make some dietary changes first. 

Keto Was The Way To Go

Peterson went on the keto diet, which involved consuming 60 to 80 percent of his total calories from fat, 15 percent of calories from protein, and less than 10 percent of calories from carbs. “This alone made such a tremendous change in how I felt almost immediately," Peterson said.

Exercise Was Important too

He started exercising in the great outdoors instead of a gym. "I hiked every morning and every evening with my dog in the mountains that I loved so much as a kid growing up," he explained. But he also made some other sacrifices, and decided to give up on booze. Now he needed to focus on his strength. It was time to hit the gym!

He Started Weight Lifting

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Peterson implemented a routine that involved weight lifting five or six days a week. He squeezed it into his lunch hour, and it paid off more than he could have imagined.

Love Made Him Fit

This dad of three lost 92 pounds in five months, dropping from 290 pounds to 198. The transformation was simply unbelievable! "I lost the weight just doing what I love," he said. And now he’s become a role model for so many folks out there!

It’s working!

His Instagram account, @jeremiahpetersonmontana, has over 69,000 followers, and people are always asking him for advice. But that doesn’t bother him whatsoever. He’s more than happy to offer hope to those who need it the most. But he also gets something in return.

It’s Bigger Than That

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] "I receive thousands of amazing messages of hope, gratitude and encouragement every day," he said. Those messages made him realize his transformation had made an impact in other people's lives. But if he only had one piece of advice to give out, it would be this.

You Have To Work For It

There’s a fit person inside everyone, and it’s going to stay in there until you literally put some muscle into it. And Peterson really worked hard to get where he wanted to be. "I went from having a real dadbod to having a college kid’s physique". But even though he changed his body in 5 months, that doesn't mean he had it easy.

It Might Feel Impossible

Getting ripped is one of life’s many journeys. You’ll have to undergo a series of trials which will feel difficult, and in some cases, impossible. Then again, success isn’t built on success. Growth and change come from a lot of pain and discomfort. So, expect to experience moments when you feel like you can’t go on anymore. 

Embrace The Pain

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] But once you succeed, you’ll feel like you can do anything, just as long as you stay consistent and make this a lifestyle. After all, hitting the gym or "dieting" shouldn't feel like a chore. It should be a part of your life. And even if you fail, get back on that horse.

Don’t Give Up!

"Do the work and don’t give up,” Peterson wrote on Facebook. If sticking to a keto workout and diet program can give us the same life-changing results that it gave Peterson, then we’re all in!

 

Happy 10th Anniversary!

On October 17, 2018, Peterson and his wife Becca celebrated their 10-year anniversary and he's as happy as he can be. “I pray to God that the many years to come will be filled with more good things and happiness than we can imagine,” he wrote on Facebook.