Today, he’s a trim 37-year-old. Not so long ago, he weighed 316 pounds.
Johnson’s weight loss resulted from a lifestyle change that was inspired by some depressing news -– his spinal cord was deteriorating due to his weight.
Johnson’s success makes him something of an anomaly in a state where the obesity rate is second nationally only to Mississippi, according to a recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health.
“Everyone has an amount of perseverance and willpower, and people are immensely stronger than they think they are,” Johnson said of his advice to others. “I’m not special at all. I just found that will power and used it.”
The report, titled F as in Fat: How Obesity threatens American’s Future 2010, found that 31.6 percent of Alabama adults are obese. That puts the state in a second-place tie with Tennessee. Most states’ obesity rates hover around 25 percent.
Johnson’s weight first became an issue when he was growing up in Roanoke in the 1980s. He was an anomaly then, too. At that time, the obesity rate was considerably lower, and Johnson stuck out in crowds of his classmates.
“I was a poor kid and I was a fat kid. The only other thing I could’ve had going against me was wearing glasses,” he said.
Had Johnson grown up today, he might have blended in a little more. In this decade, he would have been joined by 12 million obese youths, according to the latest numbers from the National Survey of Children’s Health, published in 2007.
To address the problem at the state level, Alabama set nutritional standards for food served from school cafeterias that are stricter than those required by the federal government. The state also set nutritional standards for foods sold at other places on school campuses, such as vending machines and school stores.
To address the weight-related illness, diabetes, the West Anniston Foundation is partnering with organizations, schools and government bodies across Calhoun County to secure a federal grant to help curb the epidemic. If selected for the grant, the foundation would receive about $600,000 over seven years to help educate the public about diabetes and how to live a healthier lifestyle.
Because the illness is closely linked to obesity, the grant program, which is called REACH CORE, will also include diet and physical education components.
“We figure if we are going to do a community-wide effort, we need to be able to address the problem where it starts,” said Kay Beard, director of operations for the foundation.
Another aim of the grant program, if implemented, would be to consider adding more sidewalks or biking lanes or trails to encourage physical activity. The report pointed out that Alabama has not passed legislation to ensure residents have such opportunities, though 13 other states have.
For Johnson, exercise wasn’t a key component of his weight-loss. He said he initially incorporated some walks into his lifestyle, but overtime, he stopped and he simply lost by counting calories.
“I actually never exercise,” he said.
To begin with Johnson restricted his diet to 2,000 calories a day and gradually reduced that number until he met and surpassed his goal. But at his low weight of 160, family and friends said he actually appeared too frail, and he began bumping his caloric intake back up.
Today he again takes in about 2,000 calories a day to maintain his weight.
At 6’1” and 180 pounds, Johnson has come a long way since he began his weight-loss effort in January 2008.
“It’s all about making choices,” he said. “You can eat a bowl of salad for 250 calories, or you can eat a Snickers bar.”
