Real Life Real faith Journey to Wellness January Issue | Page 20

Eli Sapharti was the
from anxiety and panic
change, which requires
unhealthiest he had ever
every time he would step
a long-term commitbeen. At 300 lbs, looking
out into public due to
ment. It was there, in that
at himself in the mirror
his size. He had tried all
hotel bathroom, where Eli
became an unhappy task. kinds of diets, but they
devised his plan with two
He used to travel a lot
didn’t really teach him
small steps that would
with his job and became
anything about self-conlead to his overall success
tired of having to squeeze trol or a proper lifestyle
story: Step 1. Move and
himself into an airplane
seat, or jokingly being
called “wide load”. After
a lifetime of yo-yo dieting
due to being overweight
since he was 8 years old,
Eli had had enough.
One day, while
staying at a hotel during
a work related trip, Eli
stood staring at himself
in a towel in the bathroom mirror. He became
disgusted with himself
and with the fact that he
had allowed himself to
Cover Feature: Eli Sapharti
get this unhealthy. He From Fat Boy to Fit Man and Changing Lives “One Step at a
Time”

Step 2. Change his dietary
lifestyle.
changes were small.
Eli started walking 15
minutes a day and he
stopped drinking soda.
weeks, he lost 4 lbs.
Seeing changes already
beginning to happen, Eli
on to his commitments
every week and stuck to
them that more weight
gradually increased his
amount of activity by
adding in some spurts of
running with his walking
and started making more
dietary changes. He
began to create a whole
new lifestyle by making
small changes all the time
and sticking to them.