Seeing all those success stories on commercials like Weightwatchers and Hydroxycut had me thinking to myself, “How do they even do it?” I find it difficult to lose ten pounds let alone 100. However knowing that there is a Georgia Southern University student that actually has a success story of his own can give us students a sense of connection and motivation to help us reach our goal.

Nash Higdon, a junior middle grades education major was placed on multiple physical behavioral medications at young age.  “At a certain point, I refused to take my medicine anymore,” Higdon said. The medicine effected his metabolism drastically, so in the span of about a year and a half, Higdon went from 180 pounds to 340 pounds.
“I didn’t notice it happening, until it happened,” said Higdon.
Coming to GSU in 2011 is when Higdon really started to drop the weight. His first step to weight loss started happened when he stopped drinking sodas and replaced them with water, causing him to immediately lose 30 pounds. Then, working with the youth camp here in Statesboro during summers where he couldn’t use the Recreation Activity Center he had to get a gym membership. “You probably have to go through five computer screens to cancel your gym fees, it’s not just something you just do”, Higdon said. “When you pay for it you use it.”

Nash’s Tips

“Now we live in a world where vital information is presented as entertainment, like “The Daily Show” or “The Colbert Report” Higdon said. Watching fitness Youtubers like the Hodge Twins and Furious Pete and using fitness apps like MyFitnessPal are little innovations that Higdon suggest will help inspire and motivate you to reach your goals.

Taking tons of shirtless selfies may sound like something only conceded guys do, but for Higdon  it’s a way of self motivation. Healthy weight loss is gradual, so the pictures provide proof of any new cuts of muscles. Being proud of your body only boost self confidence.
Seeing people around you reach their weight goals quicker than you on social media, at the gym, or even in your group of friends, can cause an effect on your self esteem. “You have to run faster than you did yesterday, lift heavier than you did before, you have to compare yourself to you,” said Higdon.
In the last year, Higdon has lost about 80 pounds from working out at the RAC five to six times a week and using his MyFitnessPal app.
Losing weight is, as Higdon put it, “a lifestyle change.” First it takes a bit of inspiration, dedication, and self-acceptance. If you have a before and after inspiring story like Nash’s, contact Cabrianna Johnson.