Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coalition

salutes Derek Beaty for making healthy choices

by Derek Beaty

The holiday season is upon us again. This time of year is very special to most people as it is a time to give thanks for all the many blessings that we have received in our lifetime. It was during this time in 2013 that I was reflecting on my physical well-being, thinking that if I didn’t make a change in my life then I might not be able to enjoy many more holiday seasons with my family. I decided that the only New Year’s Resolution that I was going to make that year was to lose weight and change my lifestyle.

Like most people, I loved food and didn’t really think about how my eating habits were affecting my life. At the time I was 33 years old and was having chronic knee problems that I had attributed to years of playing basketball. Little did I know that it wasn’t so much the basketball playing as it was the weight I had gained. I had gained 45 pounds over the course of about ten years and it was taking its toll on my body. My knees were constantly swollen or aching and I had very little energy. I was drinking two or three cans of soda a day and eating whatever I wanted. Junk food was always available in my house.

In January of 2014 I began my weight loss journey at 259 pounds with 33.8 percent body fat. I slowly cut back on my soda and junk food intake and started counting calories. I also started a workout program called DDPYOGA.

DDPYOGA has changed my life for the better. I’m in the best shape of my life and I owe it all to this workout program. It was challenging right from the start and it’s still challenging after almost two years. There were times that I wanted to quit but I knew that if I did I would just fall back on all the bad habits that had gotten me to 259 pounds in the first place. I fought through those days and those doubts and kept going. I’m so glad I did! I have gained so much strength and flexibility through this program. The best part is that my knees no longer bother me.

On top of DDPYOGA I have completely changed my eating habits. Like I said before I was drinking two to three sodas a day and eating tons of greasy fried foods. Now I have a couple sodas a week and have cut greasy fried foods out completely. I eat a lot more lean meat, vegetables, and fruits now. I don’t even keep sodas or junk food in the house anymore. They have been replaced with bottled water, nuts, and fruit.

When I started this journey I wore a size 40 waist in jeans and a size XXL in shirts. I’m currently a size 33 waist and a size L in shirts. I’m down to 209 pounds with 21.9 percent body fat. I’ve lost a total of 50 pounds so far and I’ve done it with hard work and dedication. If you’re willing to put in the work you can do it too!

For more information please contact April Speck, Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coordinator at 606-387-2051 or april.speck@clinton.kyschools.us

Check us out on Facebook- Kentucky’s Healthy Hometown Initiative-Clinton County.

Healthy Hometown is working toward a “healthy” Clinton County.

Derek Beaty above is shown before he changed his life by making helathy choices, and now, below.