A volunteer firefighter lost 140 pounds so he could do his job better

• Weighing 360 pounds, Clark Valery felt less efficient in his role as a volunteer firefighter.
• The 38-year-old was motivated to lose weight after the death of a friend from a heart attack.
• He has lost 140 pounds and is in much better shape to tackle the fires in his city.

This as told essay is based on a conversation with Clark Valery, 38, an assistant manager at a pharmacy chain and volunteer firefighter from New York. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Ever since I lost 140 pounds, people haven’t recognized me. They are shocked because they have seen me as super heavy, and now, within a year, I am much thinner.

One person only realized it was me when I started talking, and they recognized my voice.

My weight loss has changed my life. I am healthier and happier. Best of all, I feel more energetic and effective as a volunteer firefighter.

I didn’t have any weight problems growing up. In high school I was active in football, wrestling and track. But as I got older, I got bigger and bigger.

I didn’t pay much attention to it. Yet, looking back, I had unhealthy habits, like eating late at night and piling up my plate.

I had shortness of breath

My mother did most of the cooking – she made things like pasta, rice and beans – and I ate too much. When she died of dementia in 2012, I started eating fast food from McDonalds and KFC.

I ordered two Big Macs, twenty pieces of chicken nuggets, two large fries and a soft drink. I would go to my favorite Mexican restaurant and eat eight tacos. The portions could have fed four people.

My excess weight caused shortness of breath and a feeling of discomfort with myself. Nevertheless, in 2018 I felt motivated enough to volunteer as a firefighter in my city.

There was no judgment in the firehouse. They accepted me as I was. I trained with the other members when we met twice a week, but my heart wasn’t really in it. Still, I knew I was a good firefighter because of my endurance.

However, as time went on, I started to think I wasn’t contributing enough. My biggest drawback was climbing ladders. I would get to the ladder and it would say the weight limit was 250 pounds. I knew I surpassed that.

I was worried about a scenario where I would be stranded in a fire and the guys wouldn’t be able to get a 400 pound person out. It wasn’t fair to put them in danger.

The wake-up call came in 2023 when a friend died of a heart attack. Other people who seemed to be in good shape told me they had heart disease. I looked at myself in the mirror. My family had suffered enough from my mother’s death. I had to change my lifestyle.

I eat healthier now

Luckily, a friend introduced me to WeightWatchers. At 6 feet tall, I weighed 360 pounds. My boyfriend motivated me by saying we could lose weight together.

We went to meetings every week. I was religious about it. I wanted to learn and educate myself. The points system was an important key for me. I realized I had eaten the equivalent of all my daily points in just one meal.

I completely changed my diet. For breakfast I had scrambled eggs on a whole wheat English muffin with a small piece of sausage.

Lunch and dinner would be something like grilled chicken with salad or vegetables. The best thing I did was replace cauliflower rice with regular rice. I also stopped drinking alcohol.

My body adapted and the weight came off. I recently started doing a full-body workout at the gym five times a week. I do at least 45 minutes of cardio, followed by weights.

I was elated when I reached just over 220 pounds. It took 11 months to get to my current weight. My shortness of breath no longer occurs. I feel more involved and impactful as a firefighter. I’m no longer afraid of the ladder. The boys seem to respect me more because I play a bigger role.

My waist size has gone from 50 inches to 36 inches. I was a 5X, but now I fit a large. I still go to WeightWatchers with my boyfriend. It has improved my social life because I got to know other people in the group.

My weight loss has opened up many opportunities for me. I’m a new man.

Do you have an interesting weight loss story you’d like to share with Business Insider? Please contact this reporter at jridley@businessinsider.com.