Arizona man says he lost 300 pounds by walking to Walmart

PHOENIX (KABC) -- One man's says his secret weapon for weight loss was walking to Walmart.

Pasquale "Pat" Brocco says he lost hundreds of pounds by walking to his favorite big box store.

When the 31-year-old topped the scales at 605 pounds, he made this deal with himself: Every time he was hungry, he would walk one mile to his local Walmart and then back home before eating his meal.

So far, the Brocco has lost 300 pounds - and counting.

"You walk to Walmart three times a day, and you end up walking six miles. It was amazing - I had never walked six miles in my life," he said.

He also changed his diet. Brocco put foods like vegetables, meats, sweet potatoes, quinoa and steel-cut oatmeal into his meals and took out the foods he learned over time were hampering his efforts.

"Once I figured out dairy was my downfall, I took it out of my diet, and instantly I started losing weight again," he told ABC News.

Brocco graduated from walks to Walmart to incline walks on a treadmill at a gym. He began lifting weights and using gym equipment he previously could not because he "didn't fit on the machines."

Pasquale said he was always been nicknamed "Fat Pat." Now, he's changed that to "Possible Pat."

Below are Brocco's pre- and post-weight-loss diets for a typical day:

Before weight loss (about 11,200 calories per day):

Box of cereal

1/2 gallon whole milk

1 package peanut butter cups

1 candy bar

12-inch meatball and cheese submarine sandwich

100 fast food chicken nuggets

1 fast food apple pie

1 fast food milkshake

2 liters soda

4 doughnuts

After weight loss (about 2,250 calories per day):

2 gallons water

About 20 egg whites

1 cup oatmeal

24 ounces chicken breast

Green beans

6 ounces ground lean bison

32 almonds

1/2 sweet potato

ABC News and WPVI-TV contributed to this report.