At age 43, Mark weighed 295 pounds and depended on medicine to survive.  He had medicine to control his blood pressure, medicine to control his acid reflux, he even had medicine to control the side effects of taking lots of medicine. But as a married father of 3, Mark knew he couldn’t live like this now and still be around for his kids later. “I suffered from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and acid reflux, and my weight had reached an all-time high,” Mark says, “And something had to be done.”

That’s when Mark decided to apply for The Biggest Loser, a popular weight loss show on NBC. He had always been fascinated with the show and was hoping this could be the change he needed.  And fortunately for Mark, he was right. He and his oldest son, Chism, were cast as contestants in season 13 of the show, and week after week Mark was pushed beyond his limits.  There were times when it seemed too difficult to continue, but Mark pressed on knowing he couldn’t give up. In the end, Mark lost a total of 100 lbs and made it all the way to the final five contestants.

Although Mark didn’t win The Biggest Loser, the show changed  his life forever. He’s kept his weight down and as a result, he currently has no medical conditions to be monitored and his doctor removed him from all prior medications. This life changing experience encouraged Mark to try to inspire others to take control of their health. And in 2012, Mark and his wife founded SweatCor, a company which offers nutritional consulting and encouragement to keep people on track with their personal health journeys.

Mark says he is proud to now be a role model to his family and continues to look for ways to encourage others to do the same. Thank you, Mark, for using your experience to encourage and help others!

HOW HEALTH CONSCIOUS ARE YOU?

Health IQ has created a fun way to test your health consciousness. Take the quiz and see how you score: http://bit.ly/2q1bQfd