This wasn’t planned. There was no 75 Hard challenge, no crazy diet or gym grind. The weight just started falling off—and at first, I didn’t ask too many questions.
But I should’ve. Because what started as a mystery transformation turned into a health wake-up call that’s still reshaping how I live, work, and take care of myself.
From Big Guy to “You Good?”
At the beginning of the year, I was almost 300 pounds. I’ve always carried weight—hovering between 270 and 295 for years. I was working with a trainer. I was active. But my body wasn’t budging.
Then one day I started losing weight. Rapidly.
People noticed. My DMs started blowing up:
“Ben, you look good—what’s your secret?”
“Wait… are you okay?”
It felt good to be complimented—but the truth? I didn’t know what was happening.
The Red Flags I Ignored
Before the weight loss kicked in, my body was already waving flags:
- I couldn’t sleep—barely 3 or 4 hours a night.
- My joints hurt. My stomach was on fire with acid reflux.
- I was pushing through stress from running my business, navigating team transitions, and being a single parent.
- My newborn son was turning one. I was trying to show up for him. For everyone.
But I wasn’t showing up for myself.
Then My Vision Started Fading
In May, I noticed something terrifying: I was losing my vision. Fast. One day I couldn’t read the license plate in front of me. A few days later, everything was blurry.
I told my brother. He tested my blood sugar—it was nearly 500.
For context? Normal is under 100.
I was walking around with stroke-level numbers and didn’t know it.
The urgent care visit confirmed it: I had diabetes.
They put me on Metformin. But even before that, my body had already started shedding weight. Fast. In some weeks, I dropped 10 pounds. And while I looked slimmer, I didn’t always feel stronger.
The Truth Behind the Transformation
At my lowest, I felt frail. I could feel my collarbones. My body felt foreign. But somehow, in the middle of it all… I also started feeling better.
The acid reflux vanished. I was sleeping deeper. I had more energy. It didn’t make sense—and still doesn’t fully. Doctors can’t explain it. Maybe it’s the diabetes, maybe it’s a spiritual cleanse. I don’t know.
What I do know is that this entire experience cracked something open in me.
It made me slow down. Reflect. Grieve. Recalibrate.
It made me return to the very thing I teach others at The Stretch Loft:
✨ That your body speaks. And if you don’t listen, it’ll find a way to get your attention.
It Wasn’t Just Sugar. It Was Stress.
This diagnosis wasn’t just about diet. It was about everything I was carrying. The pressure. The performance. The trauma. The childhood wounds. Being an immigrant. Being a Black man in America. A single father. A business owner. A healer.
It all builds up.
What makes us sick isn’t just what we eat. It’s what we suppress. What we don’t breathe through. What we never allow ourselves to release.
This Is My Shedding Season
I didn’t just lose weight. I shed shame. I shed guilt. I shed a version of me who kept pushing instead of pausing.
And while I didn’t choose diabetes, I am choosing to face it. I’m not going to let it beat me—I’m going to manage it. I’m going to move with it. I’m going to be louder about it, because someone else needs to hear this.
I wrote on my vision board this year that I wanted to be 225 pounds.
I’m there now. But it came through a door I didn’t expect.
If you’re going through something like this, or you’ve been putting your health on the back burner—take this as a sign. Don’t wait for your body to force you to listen. Start now.
And if you need a space to release, reconnect, and return to yourself—we’re here.
With love,
Ben
