Ramon Chapa Jr. loses 89 pounds by eating right & exercise

Ramon Chapa Jr. (photo)

by David Uhler
Express-News Staff Writer

The current season of NBC's reality TV show "The Biggest Loser" features overweight couples who go on diets together. We're profiling local people who have also tipped the scales in their favor.

Ramon Chapa Jr. admits he should have known better.

Even though he worked as an outreach volunteer for the American Heart Association, Chapa's aversion to exercise and fondness for potato chips had helped push his weight to 289 pounds. Reality hit like a sledgehammer in December 2005. After suffering chest pains and shortness of breath, Chapa went to a doctor for a checkup.

He got some good news: He hadn't had a heart attack. But, his blood sugar, cholesterol level and blood pressure were all out of whack.

Chapa was pre-diabetic and a prime candidate for cardiovascular disease and stroke. His doctor prescribed a full battery of medications. As Chapa made his way out of the office, the doctor's wife suggested that he buy a treadmill.

"That was the best investment that I ever made," Chapa now recalls. "It saved my life." Chapa started slowly, using the treadmill only while watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys on TV during weekend game days. At first, all he could do was walk.

That changed after a friend who worked as a nutritionist gave him information on healthy foods and eating habits. Chapa dropped a few pounds and began walking daily. He bought a sit-up bench, a medicine ball and an abs machine.

Soon, Chapa's walks turned into jogs. And then full speed runs. Eleven months after his first visit, Chapa went back to his doctor. Tests showed his blood pressure and cholesterol levels were normal and he was no longer pre-diabetic. The doctor took Chapa off all medications. Today, he weighs 198 pounds, his first time below 200 since leaving military service more than two decades ago.

"People ask me, 'Did you do the lap-band (surgery)?' or 'Did you get some diet pills from Mexico?'" Chapa says. "I tell them, 'No, all I did was eat right, exercise and listen to logic.' "I'm in the best condition of my life."

Meet Ramon Chapa Jr. Age 49

• Occupation: Community outreach coordinator for Aetna; board member of the Edwards Aquifer Authority
• Original weight: 289 pounds
• Current weight: 198 pounds
  Original waist size: 44
• Current waist size: 33
• Goal weight: Reached
• Former favorite food: Potato chips and fast food
• Current favorite food: Honey mustard chicken sandwich at Quiznos
• Old habits: 'I ate potato chips with everything, even potato chips for breakfast.'
• New habits: 'I eat lots of fish, like tilapia and salmon. It's a lot more expensive to eat healthy.'
• Exercise: Walking, jogging and running on a treadmill. Daily workouts on weight training machines at the YMCA.