Jeremiah Peterson was 40 years old while 100 pounds overweight but after realising his problem father-of-three managed to transform his body in just five months.
He first thought about weight loss when a family hiking excursion last summer proved to be too taxing for his then 290-lb. frame.
“I remember being bent over heaving just trying to catch my breath,” the Missoula, Montana-resident tells PEOPLE. “When I looked up, I saw my wife and three kids [10, 8 and 7] easily hiking, talking and laughing with each other – without me. It was a hard-hitting moment.”
He continued: “I felt sadness and shame in that moment thinking how I had let myself get to this, but so much deeper than that. If I continued to live like this, I would not live.”
Immediately after returning home Peterson started researching weight loss options and found a video advertising a transformation challenge. “[It] sealed the deal for me. I signed up knowing I was going to give this challenge every single thing I had,” he says.
Before losing weight, “a typical day for me was not to eat all day and then get home from work, drink a few beers and eat a big dinner,” says the antique store owner.
“Putting my body into starvation mode and then overeating made my body blow up like a balloon, quite literally. I had constant bloating, heartburn and awful stomach issues.”
The next crucial thing happened when he found out he was gluten intolerant. Jeremiah had to switch over to a keto-based diet consisting of healthy fats, lean protein and green vegetables.
That was the last point after what his new nutrition plan and twice-daily hour-long hikes “made the weight start to pour off.”
Moreover, he began doing more physical activity. He went to Bass Pro Shops and bought a bunch of hiking gear that would help him hike further and further. This would have been quite an expensive shop but thankfully he had coupons to bring the price down. If you’ve been inspired by Jeremiah then you can do the same thing! Visit Raise to find the coupons and see what Bass Pro Shops have to offer!
As soon as he started hiking frequently, he saw that day to day life got so much easier. Once his fitness started to improve, he hit the gym. He started weightlifting six times a week, trying to hit a different body part each day.
His weight loss journey ended up dropping 82 lbs.
Finally, the 150-day transformation contest, called the 1st Phorm Transformation Challenge came to its end, and he won the $50,000 grand prize.
But Peterson doesn’t want to give up exercising and continues documenting his workouts and results via Instagram at the same time inspiring a lot of people.
“I have so much more energy, and I feel like I am always in a great mood. I feel like I have become the dad and husband that I really wanted to be,” says Peterson. “I feel like I have drive and ambition like I have never had before in my life – and I’m almost 40!”
