After a near fatal car crash, this man's weight loss journey saved his life
More under this adJordan Grahm weighed over 28 stone when he was involved in a car accident in 2008. After it took five paramedics to lift him onto a stretcher and barely fitting into the MRI machine because of his size, Jordan realised he needed to make some serious changes.
Jordan had been overweight from a young age. When his parents divorced, food became his comfort and his weight started to balloon. When his mum passed away suddenly when he was just 14, Jordan's weight spiralled out of control. Falling into depression, he lost all motivation for everything but eating. By the end of high school, he weighed 28 stone.
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A change for the better
Whilst doctors warned him that he risked serious health problems and even dying as a result of his obesity, Jordan could not be persuaded to do anything about it, saying 'If that happens, so be it.'
More under this adMore under this adHowever, in 2008 he was involved in a collision whilst driving and the aftermath of the crash led to a serious change of heart. Jordan says it took five people to lift him onto the stretcher and that when the hospital wanted to do an MRI scan they almost had to send him to a specialist machine as he barely fit inside the normal one.
Making changes
Jordan decided that day that enough was enough and that he needed to turn his life around. The near-death experience reminded him that he was 'worth the hard work and dedication that it would take to improve [his] future.'
More under this adMore under this adJordan lost the first seven stone of his weight loss journey simply by walking. He would take his beloved Boston terrier, Blackberry, for a one-mile walk up and down a hill. The walk would take him a full hour and be exhausting but with the extra motivation of his canine friend, Jordan pushed through. Before long, Blackberry and Jordan were running four miles a day, six days a week!
Jordan's next step was to join a gym. The first time he visited a gym was whilst on holiday in Las Vegas. Jordan was nervous - thinking people would laugh at him - but it turned out that all the people in the gym were encouraging and supportive. Feeling good, Jordan joined the gym back home. Whilst he couldn't do a single press-up and struggled with lifting at first due to a shoulder injury he'd sustained in the car crash, Jordan persevered.
More under this adMore under this adToday, he can do thirty press-ups in thirty seconds. He works as a personal trainer and motivational speaker, helping others to turn their lives around and transform their bodies just like he has.