In 2013, around this time of year, Zach Moore read the book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss to his son, Zach Jr., and decided to film the moment. Moore thought it would be his last Christmas with his family. He weighed 226 kilograms and was afraid his weight would kill him.
“We filmed it so that Zach Jr. could grow up with memories to remember his dad by,” Moore told the Daily Mail. “I truly felt like my life was coming to an end. I knew it was near. It’s not a good feeling knowing that all you have left to offer your family is memories.”
If he didn’t want to succumb to his obesity, Moore knew he had to change his life to be able to watch his son grow up and be there for his wife, Amber, 30. But it wasn’t going to be easy. Moore was having trouble doing everyday things.
“I was having issues walking, breathing, and getting around every day… I also had issues while sleeping and had to use a lot medication for health concerns, along with a lot of visits to the doctor,” he told the Daily Mail. He says he had a 70-inch waist and his muscles had began to waste away from years of inactivity.
Moore started with the basics to get healthy. He quit smoking, stopped drinking soda, and started walking at least 10,000 steps a day. With just small changes, he lost 50 kilograms in 100 days. He was then able to get gastric bypass surgery to help him continue his weight loss journey.
He was proud of his hard work, but he was disappointed with the excess skin he had from years of being obese. So far, Moore has had ten surgeries to remove excess skin, including a tummy tuck, a butt lift, breast reduction with a nipple reconstruction, a belly button correction, muscle repair, and more. He says he still wants to have upper thigh and upper arm skin removal, and right now he’s fundraising to have surgery to remove the excess skin on his thighs.
“It’s hard to go clothes shopping for shorts and pants. I have a lot of issues with my thighs and upper arms. Someday I’m hoping my skin removal surgery will be complete,” he told the Daily Mail. “It will help complete my journey and make me feel a lot better about myself.”
Now, weighing in at 68 kilograms, his journey isn’t complete, but Moore says he’s happy just to be able to do everyday things such as driving a car, sitting in an airplane seat, and going on field trips with Zach Jr.
“I’m even able to do more daring things like 5 kilometer runs, going to the gym, and heading to the beach and theme parks with my family,” he said. “I’m just so much more confident.”
It wasn’t too long ago that Moore thought he wouldn’t be around for his family. The weight is gone, but he still has reminders of his past — not just his loose skin, but the video he once made for his son when he thought he was going to die.
“I watch that video all the time. It’s brought me to tears thinking I was so close to not being here. Because I fought so hard, I can now tell my story to others.”
This story originally appeared on Woman’s World
