Collegiate Times

So, it was starting small. It was exercising three days a week. It would be one weekly goal for exercising and one weekly goal for nutrition. And, it could be as small as I’m going to drink 64 ounces of water each day this week. Or, I’m going to start eating breakfast. Or, I’m going to count my calories, and I’m only going to eat 1,800 calories. I think at the ending point of my struggle with obesity, I was eating anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day. That’s what most people eat in about a week. And for me it was the small realistic goals.
 
CT: How did you feel emotionally, as well as physically, during the entire process?

BARNES: You’re exhausted. I was almost 500 pounds. Honestly, in the beginning, all I could do was walk around the block. One block, that’s it. And a lot of people think that one block is really nothing. But for me, that was physically all I could do. So yes, there were times when I was completely exhausted. There were times when every muscle and joint in my body hurt. And mentally, my kids were my first motivation.

CT: What’s your weight right now? Do you plan on losing more weight in the future?

BARNES: I’m currently at about 154 pounds. ... I’ve actually just competed in my first competition this past weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. For me, it wasn’t about winning. It was just really to be able to say that I got on stage.

CT: I understand that you were on the cover of Oxygen magazine. How did that come about?

BARNES: My girlfriend submitted my weight loss story to “Oxygen” ... and I got a call from them the first of July, and they said that they were so inspired by my story that they would love to have me come to Toronto and do a photo shoot.

The photo shoot was very overwhelming because I’ve never worn shorts in public. I have never worn a bikini in public. So, during the photo shoot I was not only in shorts, but also a bikini on stage, in front of 35 different people, with a camera. It was the greatest experience I’ve ever had, very outside my box of comfort.

A couple weeks later the editor called me and said that I was going to be on the cover. Honestly, my initial response was what clothes did you put me in. We must have had 20 to 30 different clothing changes during the day. And she said the one with the pink top. And I realized the one with the pink top was the one that went with the little, tiny shorts. So, it was a phenomenal experience.

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