Just one year ago, Jack Van tipped the scales at nearly 400 pounds.
"I was getting close to that embarassing weight where all the jokes start," said Van. "You look at a lawn chair, or a yard chair, and you go, can I sit in that? If I sit in that, is it going collapse? If I go to the beach, can I sit in the plastic chairs?"
On November 1, 2013, Van said enough is enough.
"I just picked a day, November 1, and said it changes today," explained Van to NewsChannel 3 morning anchor Jessica Larche, who has shared her own nearly 90-pound weight loss journey with viewers.
"That day I went into the kitchen and took everything that wasn't healthy and put it in the trash can. I didn't care how much was in the bottle or the box. It was all gone. Filled the house up with nothing but healthy snacks, fruits, veggies, " Van said.
A little more than a year later, Van has shed 130 pounds by making better eating choices and exercising.
"It's hard to believe sometimes," said Van. "It makes you feel better about life.
In addition to working out several days a week atOne Life Fitnessin Chesapeake, sometimes with a trainer, Van also uses the popular app My Fitness Pal. Like Larche, he uses the app to track his food intake and stay on track.
"All the food's in the app," said Van. "All the calories are in the app. All you have to do is just use the app religiously. It'll tell you what you're taking in. Immediately, I was like, there's the key."
Van said his next goal is to lose another 70 pounds by his birthday next summer.
"Weight loss is a downward trend," he said. "It's going to have some ups and down and some flat spots, but as long as you're trending downward, life's good."
