A man who once believed he was ‘dying’ while weighing just over 200kg has revealed how he shed a remarkable 273kg in just three years – and has since gained the confidence to approach anyone he wants.
David John Castañeda, 22, from TexasUSA, weighed 464 pounds at his heaviest, only 19 years old.
During what would become the best years of his life, he spent most of his days in bed eating until it “physically hurt.”
On a typical day, David would eat an eight-egg omelet with cheese, ham and bacon for breakfast, followed by a whole package of pasta with beef or chicken and “countless” slices of bread, and copious amounts of tortillas with each meal.
As for dinner, he ate extra portions of meat and enough rice to “feed a village,” while snacks usually consisted of chips, popcorn, ice cream, and bowls of cereal.
David found himself trapped in an endless cycle from which he struggled to escape – until he discovered that his habits were proving deadly.
A man who once believed he was ‘dying’ while weighing just over 200kg has revealed how he lost a remarkable 7kg in just three years – and has since gained the confidence to approach anyone he wants
David John Castañeda, 22, from Texas, USA, weighed 464 pounds at his heaviest, aged just 19 (photo)
At his heaviest, David became stuck in an endless cycle that he struggled to break out of – until he discovered that his habits proved to be deadly.
He told creatorzine.com: ‘The constant battle against hunger consumed my thoughts and exhausted me.
‘I wasn’t exercising and my eating was out of control. I didn’t do it because I was hungry, but because it had become a habit. I had lost the ability to recognize when enough was enough.
‘My body was also covered in bedsores; I had discolorations in my neck and insulin resistance.
‘Even the scale stopped registering how much I weighed after a while because there weren’t enough numbers on it.’
Despite previous attempts to lose weight, David continued to gain back more weight than he had lost.
But in October 2023, his mindset suddenly changed: it was time to shed the excess weight for good – although the journey was not without hurdles.
He said: ‘I spent a lot of time wondering why I could never keep it up. Ultimately, I realized it wasn’t the diet that intimidated me; it was how long it would take.
‘The thought of having to fight the urge to quit my habits every day for years felt overwhelming.
‘That’s when I completely changed my perspective: time waits for no one. Whether I chose to change or not, the months and years would pass anyway.
“I could stay where I was and have nothing to show for that time. Or I could use that time to become the person I wanted to be.”
On a typical day at the age of 19, David would eat an eight-egg omelet with cheese, ham and bacon for breakfast, followed by an entire package of pasta with beef or chicken and “countless” slices of bread, as well as copious amounts of tortillas with each meal.
Now he carefully tracks his daily macros, targeting around 200 grams of protein, 250 grams of carbohydrates and 60 grams of fat
Despite struggling with the urge to quit when progress stalled, David persevered. In just under three years, he achieved a staggering weight loss of 273 pounds
Before and after: In a viral side-by-side transformation video posted to his social media, David is unrecognizable next to three of his friends in a comparison to the present
David, now a weight loss coach, started his fitness journey by tackling his biggest hurdle: controlling his appetite.
He experimented with the keto diet and water fasting before adopting better self-control and sustainable habits.
To maintain his progress, he eventually moved to a standard calorie deficit.
And even though he hated the gym at first, he forced himself to show up every day.
He said: ‘I felt ashamed because I was extremely heavy and not very strong.
‘I was constantly worried about people looking at me or judging me. But over time, the gym became a place where I challenged myself, rather than a place I was afraid of.”
Despite struggling with the urge to quit when progress stalled, David persevered. In just under three years, he achieved a staggering weight loss of 272 pounds.
These days, his diet revolves around clean, lean fuel: chicken breasts, ground beef, eggs, potatoes and lots of vegetables.
He carefully tracks his daily macros, targeting around 200 grams of protein, 250 grams of carbohydrates and 60 grams of fat.
Despite previous attempts to lose weight, David kept regaining more weight than he lost – three years later he looks almost unrecognizable
This incredible physical transformation has completely revolutionized his social and romantic life – and with his newfound self-confidence, David now has the confidence to approach anyone.
In a viral side-by-side transformation video posted to his social media, David is unrecognizable next to three of his friends in a comparison to the present.
Commenting on the clip, which has since racked up 15.6 million views and 2.3 million likes, one user said: ‘The kind glow up, I’m trying to get fr.’
Another commented, “Y’all I’m still swiping in disbelief,” while a third agreed, saying, “LMAO is literally a new person.”
A fourth added: ‘The kind of guy you reject at university and then meet later in a random bar.’
David further added: ‘I tell everyone that losing weight naturally, as opposed to using weight loss drugs, is very different.
‘It gives you a mindset that you cannot simply inject. Every battle is just that much harder.
‘Now I can physically do things I never thought were possible. There were times when I couldn’t run a mile; now I can cover 5km in less than 30 minutes.
‘My self-confidence does not come from the way I look, but from what I have proven to myself.
‘I used to spend a lot of time thinking about the life I wanted. Now if I want to do something, I get up and do it.
‘For the first time in my life I feel like I’m really alive instead of existing.’
