Real life weight loss: "I lost 280lbs after it almost became too hard to stand up"

Mom of three April Wood, from Arizona, has lost an incredible 280lbs through diet and exercise. Growing up, April says she always struggled with being overweight. Our sibling channel Truly, which are documenting radical body transformations, tells her story in the video below.

April told Truly: “Around the age of 12 is when I started to go into the ‘obese’ category, I started high school probably weighing around 200-250lbs and by the time I was done, I weighed 350lbs.” 

At her heaviest weighing in at 440lbs, April struggled with constant fatigue preventing her from being able to play with her kids. Her wake up call happened whilst watching a video of her daughter learning how to walk. 

“My daughter Chloe was just learning how to walk and I wanted to stand up and go to her, but I weighed so much that it was too hard to get up from the couch. That was the catalyst moment." 

Watch April's inspiring story here:

Determined to make a change, April started working out and eating healthily, quickly shedding pound after pound. And things really took a turn when she met her personal trainer and gym owner Matt Hoodie: “Matt has been instrumental in me getting to my weight loss goal, he’s lost 130lbs himself so he understands the mental and physical challenges.” 

However, losing all the excess weight had a downside; April was left with lots of loose skin. She added: “I worked so hard for the body that I wanted, but the excess skin was there, like a scar of the battle I had fought." April has since had two skin removal surgeries and breast implants, finally finishing off her weight loss journey. 

Although April says maintaining her goal weight is almost harder than losing the excess weight, she’s adamant to keep pushing. “My children are my biggest weight loss inspiration. I don’t want to get back to being overweight, cause it will hamper me from being able to play with my kids.”

As well as a careful diet, April can be seen doing a lot resistance training such as squats and battling ropes, which are often associated with HIIT workouts. This might come as a surprise for those new to fitness and weight loss, but building muscle is an instrumental part of the journey. Adding muscle to your body changes your body composition (the body's muscle-to-fat ratio) which increases your body's base metabolic rate. 

You can check our guide on how to do barbell squats, or grab your own home resistance kit with our best resistance bands, best kettlebell and best adjustable dumbbells guides.