Pasquale “Pat” Brocco, 31, was called “Fat Pat” his entire life. But now, he prefers the nickname “Possible Pat” because of his incredible weight loss journey and his unique fitness plan that helped him lose more than 300 pounds: walking to and from his local Walmart.
Three years ago, a doctor warned Brocco that his weight, which was then 605 pounds, as well as his high blood pressure and high cholesterol were extremely dangerous, according to ABC News. Brocco snapped a photo of himself after his appointment, and realized what his body looked like.
“My stomach was down to my thighs. My chest was hanging down here,” Brocco told ABC News. “I was disgusted.”
Determined to make a change, Brocco decided that every time he was hungry, he would walk to the closest Walmart near his Avondale, Arizona home, which was one mile away, and then walk back home to eat. “You walk to Walmart three times a day, and you end up walking six miles,” Brocco said to ABC News. “It’s amazing because I never walked six miles in my life, and I was doing it every day.”
Brocco changed his eating habits by loading up on healthy food—like vegetables, meat, sweet potatoes, steel-cut oatmeal, and quinoa—while cutting out junk food. He also modified his diet along the way as he discovered what foods were hurting his weight loss goals. “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.
Within two years, he lost 200 pounds and began working out in a gym. Today, Brocco is a full 325 pounds lighter and wants to become a body builder, he wrote on his GoFundMe page. Just this week, he underwent surgery to remove the roughly 30 pounds of excess skin, which he paid for through a GoFundMe and with a discount from his doctor.
And now, “Possible Pat” is chronicling his healthy living, work outs, and meals through social media, making for some serious Instagram #Fitspo.
But his most important role at the moment? Being a role model for his one-year-old son. “I’m setting an example for my son so he can be Possible Pat, too,” Brocco said to ABC News.