Joliet man hits goal of losing 200 pounds
By Denise Baran-Unlan For Sun-Times Media January 26, 2012 4:08PM
Joliet resident Patrick Bagdon is seen before he lost 181 pounds through diet and exercise as seen Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Joliet. His goal is to lose 200 pounds by St. Patrick's Day. | Matthew Grotto~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 27, 2012 7:23AM
The day 450-pound Patrick Bagdon cut short a mile walk due to chest pains was the day he vowed to lose 200 pounds in a year … or die trying.
On March 17, 2010, Bagdon, 35, joined Weight Watchers and ended up exceeding his goal — he has since lost 231 pounds.
Ultimately, Bagdon hopes to weigh around 205, but at 6 feet 4 inches, if 225 feels healthy to him, he will accept that.
“The first 200 pounds came off quickly,” Joliet resident Bagdon said. “So I’m now in an easy-going mode. As the weeks and months go by, I’m just going to let the other pounds come off.”
Excess weight is a lifelong problem for Bagdon, and working in front of a computer all day hasn’t helped.
“I had some traumas in life and I used food as therapy, which is not a healthy thing to do,” Bagdon said.
Bagdon tried fad diets and meal shakes, but when the dieting ended, he always returned to his former habits. With his 40th birthday looming, Bagdon feared becoming a family statistic. Many relatives had suddenly died in their 40s and 50s. In addition to chest pains, Bagdon was also experiencing shortness of breath, gallstones and sleep apnea.
He initially rejected Weight Watchers because he mistakenly believed the group marketed only to women. “I was a guy and I wanted to lose weight like a guy,” Bagdon said.
But through Weight Watchers meetings, which included men, Bagdon learned acceptable portion sizes and nutritional terms: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. He felt ahead of the game when others balked at all vegetables except French fries.
“I had always eaten vegetables,” Bagdon said, “but only on extra-large pizzas.”
Bagdon developed a routine of daily walks and regular trips to the gym and he maintained it, even when life tossed out challenges to sway him. He no longer “pigs out” under stress or dishes up fattening culinary rewards for good behavior.
He now orders pizza by the slice, but when he wants a large meal, he chooses a chicken salad over a triple-pound burger. He carries a bottle of water to satisfy between-meal cravings. Slip-ups are taboo.
“A blow-off day will quickly become a blow-off month,” Bagdon said, “And then, pretty soon, I’ll be drowning my sorrows in a bag of Cheetos.”
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