Jeff Levinson, 23, was in Florida celebrating his graduation from Mizzou last year when, "I felt this discomfort in my chest. It wasn't chest pains, but it made me think, I want to live longer than this."
Levinson stood 6 feet and weighed 350 pounds. He returned from his trip and his mom told him about a weight loss coach she'd heard about from a friend.
The coach, Charles D'Angelo, specializes in fast but healthful weight loss. He recently published a book: "Think and Grow Thin."
D'Angelo said Levinson was attracted to his program "because I started at 360 pounds."
There was some empathy there, Levinson agreed.
"I started gaining at 14 years old," Levinson said. "My parents were going through a divorce, and I took it hard."
He started stress eating, mostly junk food, for eight years pizza, fried foods, chicken fingers, toasted ravioli, fries, onion rings.
"I didn't eat vegetables or fruit," he said. "I couldn't walk up stairs without getting winded." He was 300 pounds when he graduated from high school.
Levinson jumped on the rigid eating plan in August of last year, and the pounds dropped quickly. The plan also included exercise up to an hour a day, he said.
"Now I eat vegetables with every meal," he said. "I love eating that stuff. I'm still getting used to fruit."
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