A 600-pound Nova Scotia man decided to take control of his health in 2023 and managed to lose nearly 180 pounds after a year of hard work, catching the attention of bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“In January, I fell outside my house in front of my father and wife and couldn't get up,” Derrick Bona told Global News last April. “I was rolling around on the ground, a bit like a beached whale.”
“I experienced a lot of panic and fear and it put me in a dark place, I'm not very proud of it,” the Halifax resident added.
After that humiliating fall, he decided to “go all out on it.” [lui]-even,” the leader said during a new interview with the media on Wednesday.
Although he experienced an extraordinary physical change, Mr. Bona said the biggest change was in his mental state.
“Losing weight is wonderful, it makes me mobile, it takes me away from everywhere,” he said. “But if you’re not mentally better, you won’t be successful at what you do.”
Since you all showed me so much support in my last post. I thought I'd show you a picture to put it in perspective. Believe me, 9 weeks ago I would never have posted this. Green Shirt was 3 days (January 27th) before starting my diet. Black shirt is 10 minutes ago. 55 pounds down. More to go. pic.twitter.com/ksjZEFY1Nt
– Derrick Bona (@ChefBonesNS) April 12, 2023
Today he weighs less than 200 kilograms and wants to continue on this path that has changed his life. He shares his journey with his followers on his X account and has even caught the attention of several influencers, including bodybuilding and Hollywood action film legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“I was almost bedridden 11 months ago. I couldn't even get from the chair to the bathroom. It lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, full of pain and agony,” said the 41-year-old.
“I stop and think: Look, this is where you were 11 months ago. Now you’re in a gym with a lot of great people and you’re keeping up with the pace,” he said.
His wife is also on the way to losing weight and the couple supports each other.
“Our kids are older and we want to go out and do things and live our lives,” he said. “That’s the biggest motivation right now, it’s just a better quality of life, an improvement in everything.”
After “an incredible year,” he plans to continue documenting his transformation in 2024.