400-pound Downey man begins renewed fitness journey

"The biggest turning point of my life happened when I was in the hospital," said Pasillas. "And I actually thought that it was going to be the last day of my life because I didn't take care of myself."
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Downey resident Andrew Pasillas weighed more than 400 pounds when he went to the emergency room in December because he had trouble breathing. That's when the 29-year-old found out he was a type 2 diabetic and had COVID-19.

"The biggest turning point of my life happened when I was in the hospital," said Pasillas. "And I actually thought that it was going to be the last day of my life because I didn't take care of myself."
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That turning point was the start of Pasillas' weight loss journey.



But Pasillas is no stranger to fitness, in his early 20s Pasillas said he worked out often and was a sales manager at a gym.

"I was 175 [pounds] with muscle so that that made me feel really great," said Pasillas. "I never really wanted to share that I had a fitness background when I started this just because it's just it hurts me to know that I was once so in love with fitness."



Pasillas said he lost his motivation at 23 years old when he didn't get a job promotion he had worked hard for.
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"I just felt depressed more than anything, besides my body, I think mentally I wasn't there anymore," said Pasillas. "Once I kind of like lost faith in myself and I started falling out of love with myself, I think that's when, besides the looks, I just felt bad. I just felt like I didn't have a purpose in life anymore."

But during the trip to the emergency room in 2020, Pasillas said he made a promise to God.

"If you let me live, I will try to help as many people that suffer from being obese," said Pasillas. "And that's what my mission has been so far."

After surviving COVID-19, Pasillas started working out again and said he has lost more than 80 pounds. He's also sharing his progress and tips on YouTube.

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