Teen Who Lost 200 Pounds Through Diet and Exercise Gives Weight Loss Tips

 

At the age of 15, Nicolas Garratt already weighed 400 pounds.

Bullied at school, he says he hated himself and felt like a “monster.” It was 2020 and he welcomed the lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was happy. I was relieved when COVID hit because I didn’t have to leave the house,” Garratt, now 19, tells TODAY.com.

“We had to quarantine and I was relieved to be able to stay home and not have to see people. I only went out at night when it was dark.”

Nicolas Garratt weighed 400 pounds at his heaviest in 2020.Courtesy of Nicolas Garratt

Four years later, he’s lost 200 pounds, works out every day and is an aspiring fitness influencer on Instagram, showing off his body to thousands of followers.

“I want to help people do what I did,” Garratt notes.

But her successful weight loss came with many ups and downs, as well as one painful setback.

Food as a Distraction from Pain

Garratt, who lives in South Wales, UK, was always an overweight child, but his weight problems began at age 5, when he started eating a lot of junk and fast food, he says. Every year, he gained more and more weight.

The other children made fun of him so much that he refused to go to school and eventually dropped out.

Whenever he was stressed, he would distract himself with food, estimating that he ate between 4,000 and 6,000 calories a day – “whatever I could get my hands on,” Garratt recalls.

His diet included hamburgers, pork pies and ice cream. He made sandwiches with bacon, Nutella and grilled cheese.

When Garratt reached 400 pounds, his heaviest weight, in May 2020, he could barely move.

“My mom had a rule that I had to go for a walk a day. She did her best. But just walking around the block would make me cry, my back and ankles hurt so much. At that point, I just wanted to stay in bed all day,” Garratt said.

He began drinking alcohol and playing video games constantly to distract himself from the hatred he felt for his life.

Whenever he was stressed, he would distract himself with food, Garratt recalled.Courtesy of Nicolas Garratt

Weight loss and setbacks

When Garratt went to see a doctor about his anxiety, the doctor told him he was about to have a heart attack.

The teenager says he would spend the night thinking about where his life was going and worrying he would end up like the people he saw on TV who were so fat they couldn’t get out of bed. He was determined to change.

By early 2021, Garratt had lost about 140 pounds through extreme fasting. He cautions others against trying this unhealthy approach.

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Because he had lost weight without gaining muscle, the teenager still felt fat and still hated himself.

“I was very unsatisfied. I thought, ‘I did all this for nothing. What was the point? I lost all these extra pounds and underneath it all comes down to this ugly person I still don’t want to be,'” Garratt recalls.

He started drinking again, eating more and gained 25 kilos.

Weight Loss Success

Months later, the sleepless nights filled with anxiety about the future returned, and Garratt thought, “You can’t do this to yourself.”

He joined a gym in January 2023 and started lifting weights most days of the week. He started walking again and now walks an hour a day on a treadmill and outside.

The gym has made a big difference to his physical and mental healthCourtesy of Nicolas Garratt

Garratt watches his caloric intake, aiming for 1,400 calories a day. He emphasizes healthy foods like chicken breast, vegetables and complex carbohydrates, which break down slowly to provide sustained energy for exercise.

At 5’8″, Garratt now weighs 185 pounds, showing he’s gained a fair amount of muscle.

“I feel much more confident, much more optimistic. I feel like a completely different person,” he says.

“Now when I have problems, I don’t need to distract myself with food or alcohol.”

The gym has made a huge difference to his physical and mental health. He has made friends and enjoys being part of a community of like-minded people who hold him accountable.

Gaining muscle was the key to feeling better.Courtesy of Nicolas Garratt

Garratt’s advice to people trying to lose weight is to start by counting calories. But his number one tip is to work on your mindset and persevere despite setbacks. He always tries to be optimistic about the future and believes that determination is more important than motivation.

Even if you’re not motivated to exercise, you can still be determined to go to the gym, Garratt says.

“You’re going to fail 100 times, but it wouldn’t be a real journey without getting back up,” he adds.

“It’s determination that gets you back up.”

A. Pawlowski is a health reporter for TODAY, specializing in health news and reporting. She was previously a writer, producer and editor at CNN.