How This Guy Lost More Than 50 Pounds and Avoided Getting 'Skinny Fat'

It took a mundane coincidence for Dustin Wrye to turn around his weight gains. In March 2019 the 36-year-old U.S. Navy contractor from Tell City, Indiana was working in Afghanistan. Members of the Ukrainian military would drop by and ask him to order things from Amazon, including fitness watches. Intrigued, he ordered a Fitbit—at the time, he was 5’9” and 220 pounds.

The device helped him understand just how unhealthy he’d gotten. While deployed in Iraq for 15 months in 2006-2007, he’d picked up some bad habits. Fighting with boredom, he’d skip physical training to watch TV and suck down sugary energy drinks and junk food. He’d also developed depression and anxiety issues that left him unmotivated to change. Then those habits stuck with him; his weight fluctuated, but the overall trend was up.

He’d even been telling friends he wanted to get back into the gym, but the Fitbit clarified just how far off-track he’d gotten. “I quickly realized how unhealthy I was and decided that was no longer acceptable,” he says.

Wrye started rigorously tracking everything in his diet, aiming for a 1000-calorie deficit every day. He started walking and counting his steps, following the progression guidelines in the Fitbit app. Within three months, (more 1.4 million steps and 1000 kilometers) he’d lost around 45 pounds.

“I was extremely happy with the weight loss, but started to notice that after 10 years of basically no exercise I had very little muscle mass under all that fat,” he says. Worried he was becoming “skinny-fat,” he wanted to wanted to build muscle. “I was embarrassed to go to the gym because I knew I was weak,” he says. “I could barely do 10 pushups.”

Looking online for guidance, he found Jeremy Ethier’s “Built with Science” program. He followed it exactly and saw immediate results. He started at 176 and about 18 percent body fat. Sixteen weeks later, he had dropped to 163 pounds and 8 percent body fat. All told, he’d slimmed down from 220 pounds, first by paying attention to his diet and walking more, then by getting into the gym. His waist size dropped from 34 inches to 31.

Dustin Wrye

Wrye kept his progress relatively quiet, but friends were shocked and impressed when he posted photos of his results. “I have definitely had a boost in confidence since I lost the weight and much more since I started putting on more muscle mass.” he says. “My mood, temperament and overall mental health has vastly improved as well.” The results and physical well-being have kept him motivated; next he’s looking to bulk up and add some more muscle mass.

He credits his success to having the right program. “Find a reputable trainer or online workout program,” he says, and follow it rigorously. Don’t chase a fad, and be consistent. “Be vigilant on your nutrition and tracking everything you eat. Nutrition is everything for weight loss.”

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