If you’re reading this right now and struggling with symptoms like cold feet, leg pain, or wounds that won’t heal—I want you to meet someone. His name is Jose, and five years ago, he was exactly where you might be today.
Jose joined our PAD support community with what seemed like a simple question: “What does everyone do when your feet get cold?”
At nearly 700 pounds, he was experiencing the classic signs of advanced peripheral vascular disease: temperature fluctuations in his feet, severe swelling, toenails that stopped growing, and legs so swollen that all hair growth had disappeared. He had weeping wounds on his calves and heels. His blood sugar regularly soared above 225 mg/dL despite medication.
And the most heartbreaking part? When I reached out to vascular specialists on his behalf, they all said the same thing: “We can’t help him until he loses hundreds of pounds.”
That’s where Jose’s remarkable journey began—a journey that would eventually lead to him losing over 300 pounds without surgery or medications, reversing his diabetes, normalizing his blood pressure, and quite literally saving both his legs and his life.
I’m sharing his story today because I believe it contains powerful messages for anyone facing vascular disease challenges—especially when traditional medical doors seem closed.
When Jose first joined our community, we immediately tried to help. We connected him with coaches and fellow PAD warriors. We offered resources and support. But as Jose himself admits, the biggest barrier wasn’t medical—it was psychological.
“I was so close-minded that I didn’t want to give out my address,” Jose told me. “I wasn’t open-minded enough to realize that people I never met in my life, complete strangers, actually cared enough to help me.”
Does this sound familiar? Have you hesitated to join a support group, reach out for help, or try a new approach? Jose understands—he’s been there.
“I kind of self-sabotaged,” he explained. “I would tell myself strangers can’t help me. And that’s how I was. I was close-minded.”
For those of you reading who recognize this pattern in yourselves—Jose wants you to know that breaking through this mental barrier is your first step toward healing.
The Turning Point: Finding Your “Why”
What finally motivated Jose to change wasn’t just his own health—it was realizing how his condition was affecting his family.
“In my mind, I thought I’m not hurting anybody else but myself,” he shared with me, emotion thick in his voice. “I thought that me hugging and kissing my 8 and 10-year-old was enough, and it really is not enough. An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old really deserve a father that’s going to be there, take them to school, pick them up from school, take them to sporting events.”
His wife didn’t mince words: “You do something, you’re going to die. You’re going to leave me here with these kids? What am I going to do?”
For Jose, this realization—combined with alarming blood sugar readings that consistently exceeded 225 mg/dL—created the emotional catalyst he needed.
If you’re struggling to find your motivation, Jose’s advice is clear: look beyond yourself. Consider how your health affects those who love you and need you. This perspective can provide the emotional fuel when your personal motivation falters.
“I Need Your Commitment”: Finding Support That Works for You
Jose’s transformation began with a simple Instagram message. After following an account posting meal prep ideas, he responded to an “ask me anything” story about weight loss.
“I put, I need to lose weight. I’m currently 650 pounds. I can only walk about two minutes at a time, and I don’t want to die,” Jose recalled. The account owner, Johnny Haddock—then a medical student studying nutritional medicine—responded immediately: “Give me your number. I’m going to call you at 7 p.m. Eastern time.”
That call on April 14, 2023, changed everything. But what Jose emphasized to me wasn’t just the nutritional guidance he received—it was the ongoing support and accountability.
“I message him. He has my number. He calls me monthly, checks up on me, lets me know how I’m doing,” Jose explained. “When I have monthly weigh-ins, I send him a video or a picture. We talk. If I ever need to talk to him, he’s there for me.”
This highlights something I’ve seen repeatedly in our PAD community: lasting transformation rarely happens in isolation. Whether it’s a doctor, a nutritionist, a support group, or family members—connecting with others who believe in your ability to change can make all the difference.
The Practical Blueprint: “It’s Not Hard When You Know How”
For those of you wondering about the practical side of Jose’s transformation, he’s refreshingly straightforward about his approach:
“Losing 330 pounds hasn’t been hard,” Jose insists. “He gave me the keys, which is not hard at all. It’s basically low carb, low fat, and low calorie. No snacking, no junk food.”
His daily nutrition plan includes:
- Three structured meals daily plus one protein shake
- Approximately 2,000 total calories
- 14-16 hour fasting periods
- Weekly meal preparation to ensure compliance
What makes Jose’s story particularly relevant for many of you is that he had previously undergone gastric bypass surgery in 2011, only to regain all the weight and more. This time, without surgery or weight loss medications, the results have sustained for over two years.
“I eat three times a day and I have a protein shake, and I’ve steadily lost about 12 pounds a month for the last two years,” he shared. “The scale hasn’t gone up. I haven’t hit a plateau.”
Jose’s commitment has been absolute: “I don’t have cheat meals. I don’t have a cheat snack. I haven’t touched a pizza, a burger, cookies, ice cream, nothing for over 26 months.”
Meal Prep: The Secret Weapon
If there’s one practical takeaway Jose wants to share with you, it’s the power of meal preparation.
“One of the biggest things, one thing that has helped me be really successful is meal prepping,” he emphasized. “Most people, they don’t want to meal prep. That’s one of the hardest things that I’ve encountered with people that message me. ‘Oh, well, I don’t have time to meal prep, or I don’t want to meal prep.’”
Jose’s response? “I prepped 14 meals, so six or seven lunches and six or seven dinners in about an hour.”
He showed me his protein chili—a simple combination of ground turkey, bell peppers, onion, low-sodium black beans, and low-salt diced tomatoes—that provides multiple nutritious meals throughout his week.
For those of you who think meal prep takes too much time, Jose’s message is clear: the investment pays dividends in both health outcomes and time saved throughout the week.
Handling the Addiction Mindset
Many of you reading this may struggle with food addiction or compulsive eating patterns. Jose speaks candidly about this challenge:
“I’ve also been a drug addict. So that addict mentality goes for everything. I’m addicted to food. If I taste like a pizza, I’ll probably eat the whole thing, so I just won’t do it.”
Rather than testing his willpower, Jose has found success through complete avoidance of trigger foods. When I asked how he fights off cravings, his answer revealed his transformed mindset:
“About two months ago, I struggled for two weeks where everything I seen, I wanted to eat. But my mind was like, I’m victorious. I would say, no, no, no, no. I just stayed firm, no. And then I wake up and I do it again. And fight again. And after saying no so many times, it just went away.”
For those of you battling similar addictive patterns, Jose’s experience offers hope: cravings, when consistently denied, eventually diminish in intensity.
The Vascular Transformation
The changes in Jose’s vascular health have been dramatic. Before his transformation, his peripheral vascular disease had manifested in numerous troubling ways:
- “My feet would feel cold, but they were really cold to touch. And then they would get hot. Then I would start feeling numb.”
- “I noticed that my toenails wouldn’t grow.”
- “My legs were so swollen that my skin literally felt really smooth.” (referring to the complete loss of hair growth)
- Weeping wounds on his calves and heels
Today, while Jose still has some slow blood flow in his right leg, his symptoms have dramatically improved. Most remarkably, his diabetes, which had reached dangerous levels with an A1C exceeding 9.0, is now completely controlled without medication.
“I’m off metformin,” he proudly stated. “My A1C is 5.1.”
His blood pressure, once dangerously high at 170/100, now hovers around 115/75—without medication.
For those of you wondering if nutritional changes can really impact vascular disease, Jose’s experience offers compelling evidence.
When You Can’t Get Surgery: There’s Still Hope
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Jose’s story is that it began with medical doors being closed to him. When vascular specialists said they couldn’t help until he lost weight, he found another path.
This reality resonates with many of you reading this—those who may have been told you’re not candidates for certain procedures, or who face long waits for specialized care.
Jose’s message is clear: when one door closes, look for another. There are approaches to improving vascular health that don’t require immediate surgical intervention.
“Don’t Give Up On Yourself”: A Message of Hope
As our conversation drew to a close, I asked Jose what message he wanted to share with others who might be in the position he once was. His words were powerful in their simplicity:
“Once I started losing weight, all that started slowly going away. I had swollen feet, edema. All I can say is that if you’re alive and breathing and you wake up, there’s still a chance for a situation to get better. Some are worse than others, but if you give up, to give up is the worst thing you can do. I had given up on myself, but something dragged me out. Something pulled me out of the darkness.”
He acknowledged the ongoing mental battle: “I still think I’m 600 pounds sometimes. Sometimes I drop something, I’m like, oh, I can’t bend over. But I’m like, wait a minute, you can bend over and pick it up. I can tie my own shoes. I didn’t wear shoes. I used to wear sandals because my feet were so big.”
His final words are meant directly for you: “Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up on yourself. People love you.”
You Don’t Have to Walk This Path Alone
Jose’s journey highlights something I’ve seen repeatedly in my years leading the Global PAD Association: transformation rarely happens in isolation. The support of others—whether healthcare professionals, fellow patients, or loved ones—can make all the difference.
That’s why I want to personally invite you to join our community. If you’re experiencing symptoms of peripheral vascular disease—leg pain, cramping, neuropathy, temperature fluctuations, burning sensations, or tingling—don’t wait until it becomes a crisis.
Our Leg Saver Hotline at 1-833-PAD-LEGS (1-833-723-5347) provides immediate guidance and connects you with resources tailored to your specific situation.
And if you’re looking for a community that understands exactly what you’re going through, I invite you to join our Facebook group at www.padsupportgroup.org. Here, you’ll find people like Jose who have walked this path before you, healthcare professionals committed to innovative approaches, and a supportive community ready to help you take that first step.
Because as Jose’s remarkable journey shows us, sometimes the most powerful transformations begin not in the operating room, but in the heart and mind of someone who decides that today is the day things will change.
If you’re alive and breathing, there’s still hope. And we’re here to help you find it.
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Kym McNicholas is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and CEO of Global PAD Association, dedicated to improving outcomes for peripheral vascular disease patients through education, support, and advocacy.