This archive report was first published on 9 October 2019.
At 285 pounds, Brendan Romele's weight had become a significant concern. He suffered from backaches, shortness of breath, and a family history of heart failure and diabetes. It was time for a change.
With the help of a Fitbit Aria 2 scale, Romele started tracking his weight and body fat percentage. He also used a Fitbit Versa to monitor his daily step count, aiming for at least 10,000 steps. These small changes added up, and Romele found that fitting in physical activity didn't have to mean hours in the gym.
"These walks would often be at lunchtime where I would go with coworkers to pick up healthier lunch alternatives, even to places a little further to get those extra steps," Romele says. "I began to take advantage of Fitbit's coaching program, too, which helped motivate me through guided workouts and eventually became a regular habit."
With his workouts building momentum, Romele moved on to overhauling his nutrition. He started tracking his food and discovered he was consuming around 4,000 calories a day. He decided to start cooking for himself and, just four weeks into his new routine, Romele had already dropped 20 pounds.
"As a very data and visually focused person, once I started to see the downward trend in my weight through app, and I wanted to keep it going," he says.
By combining tracking his calories and working out more, Romele was able to drop 100 pounds and 20 percent of his body fat to hit his new weight of 185 in just one year. He also eased his back pain and found his lung capacity increasing.
"A lot of friends and coworkers have told me how they have been inspired by my journey and helped them to lead a healthier life, which is great because so many have inspired and encouraged me," he says. "I feel better, mentally and physically. I've noticed I have more energy compared to when I started."
