Diabetes risk motivates him to lose weight

Robert Wells helps others on their wellness journey as a CrossFit trainer.

“I used to weigh about 380 pounds. It was slightly in the genes, I guess, but it was more just living a sedentary life, being lazy and not keeping up with myself.

“I grew up playing sports. When I was in high school, I was an offensive lineman on the football team. I was a big guy, but I wasn’t 380 big, you know?

“Diabetes runs in my family, and my older brother had just been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. So I thought, I know if I lose belly fat that would help to reduce my risk of getting diabetes. That was probably my big impetus for starting to lose the weight. Right now I’m 250, but I’d like to get down to 230.”

How big of a problem is obesity these days?
“My parents are from Trinidad, and my sister and her son still live there. When they came to visit last August, about 9-10 family members went to eat at a Cajun restaurant in Houston. My 13-year-old nephew turned to me and said, ‘Uncle, one thing that I’ve noticed about Americans is that everybody’s fat.’ I looked around and I was like, he’s right, we have a lot of overweight people.

“It is an issue, but I think a lot of people are trying to make that change. That’s why you see so many working out and paying more attention to what they put in their bodies these days. Just like me, they’re trying for that healthier lifestyle.”

— Robert Wells