After Extreme Weight Loss, Virginia Man Faces Next Hurdle in Makeover

RESTON, VA — Gino Warner's saga began in 2009 at the local YMCA. At the age of 19, Warner weighed in at 333 pounds. Today, Warner is about to turn 27, and his long journey has seen him shed a stunning 142 pounds. Unfortunately, he now faces yet another obstacle.

Losing such an astonishing amount of weight, even over such a long period, often results in loose hanging skin, and Warner is asking for friends and strangers to help pay for such an expensive surgery.

Warner's story isn't one of someone who one day got fed up, got rid of junk food, hit the treadmill and never looked back. His journey saw plenty of hiccups, including a relapse that saw him balloon above 350 pounds, going in the opposite direction that he wanted. But after spending much of his 20s fighting against his weight — and with a little inspiration from none other than wrestler and movie star The Rock — Warner has amazingly shed 142 pounds.

Warner is originally from New England, but he lived in Reston, Va., from 2006 through 2015 before moving to Sterling. Most of his battle against the bulge has been waged at the Reston YMCA. "I would say about 80 percent of my journey took place there," Warner told Patch in an email. "I started out with just walking on the treadmills. Now in 2016, I am doing a lot of different variations of strength training with the equipment at the Reston YMCA. It's what I really love."

He even goes so far as to say the Reston YMCA is the "first place I became serious about living healthy."

Being at such an extreme weight stretches your skin, so losing the weight creates a different hurdle: tightening that skin back up. To that end, Warner has created a GoFundMe page with the hopes of raising $30,000 to fund the surgery.

Even if he's unable to raise that total, Warner is a lot happier with his life. Before losing the weight, Warner struggled with illnesses and hospital visits "to the point of almost dying," he said on his GoFundMe page. Then one day in 2011, he saw The Rock come back to the WWE looking "better than ever," and that "had me truly inspired to do something with my life."

"No one needs three bowls of cereal"

Of course, his journey is not over — there's always the threat of the weight coming back. But Warner is armed with a lot of knowledge from his seven-year fight, and he has a few tips for those who are looking to get rid of more than just a few pounds.

Warner's biggest piece of advice when it comes to eating, he told Patch, is to start making smaller meals or getting smaller portions when preparing meals.

"This will get you into the mindset that you need to change," he said. "No one needs three bowls of cereal, or a whole box of mac and cheese to themselves."

Then there's exercise. He advises people to get at least three days of exercise per week for at least 30 minutes. And don't just do any exercise: find something that fits your personality. If you like jogging, do that. If you don't, find something you do like — that helps you stick with it rather than give up when the going gets tough.

A third piece of advice is to drink only water. No sodas, no juices, no alcohol. Just water. Coffee and tea are OK — it's basically just flavored water anyway — but anything else is a no-go. And make sure you drink plenty of water, like eight 8-ounce glasses every day, he said.

Warner also believes in getting plenty of rest as well. He says it's a bad idea to skimp on sleep, arguing in favor of seven hours each day. Even if it takes napping once or twice, take the opportunity to get some shuteye.

"Have hope that you can do this"

Warner has one final piece of advice — and it's the "most important tip I can give," he said.

"It's to have hope," he said. "Have hope that you can do this. Know that it's not a short-term thing, it's definitely a lifestyle change. You have to be committed. You also have to allow yourself to mess up, because life happens. You will have bad days. You will have a few bad days in a row. You will have bad weeks. You even have a month of bad days. It happens. You hit plateaus — it's happened to me, and I still lost 142 pounds. I mess up on my eating, get sick, miss days at the gym, miss a whole week ... it happens. I have even come close to dying because of my chronic illnesses. But it didn't stop me."

Is it difficult to keep the weight off? Yes, Warner says. But he also says it's fun.

"You challenge yourself in many different ways you never thought possible," he said. "You're introduced to new things, you feel healthier, and more energized. So even though it's difficult, you will feel so much better if you just give yourself a chance."

"Second guessing all the time"

There will always be struggles, Warner conceded. One of the biggest is eating with other people, and that's something everyone will face, Warner said.

"If you have a big family who eats together all the time, co-workers who like to go certain places to eat together that isn’t healthy, or if you're on a tight budget — you have to basically adapt to it," he said. "Your subconscious will kick in a lot more, and you'll be second guessing what you’re eating all the time."

That said, Warner prefers to take a glass-half-full perspective about it.

"It's not that big of a struggle compared to triumphs you will have on this journey," he said.

You can donate to Gino Warner here.

Image courtesy Gino Warner