400-pound Downey man begins renewed fitness journey

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."

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.

"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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