Man Sheds 200lbs in Less Than a Year—and Now He’s Competing in a Triathlon

Just a year ago, Spencer Steele was tipping the scales at 375 lbs, and walking up a flight of stairs was enough to leave him gasping for air. He never would have imagined that 12 months later, he’d be 200 lbs lighter and a successful triathlete.

“If you told me that when I was at my heaviest, I would have laughed in your face and told you it’s impossible,” he told Newsweek.

For a long time, Steele, 28, was fed up with his life and didn’t know how to change it, so he sought comfort the only way he knew how—junk food. He was the “laziest person” he knew, and he’d spend his evenings playing video games and gorging on junk food right up until he went to sleep.

His weight rocketed to 375 lbs, and he was wearing XXXL shirts and size 48 pants, but he felt like nothing he could do would break the cycle.

“I would get off work and I would go to the store and get enough food to ensure that I was eating from the time I got home until I went to bed,” Steele said. “I wasn’t eating because I was hungry, but because I was searching for temporary peace.”

Although he was constantly eating, Steele, of Omaha, Nebraska, wasn’t fueling his body and he felt exhausted all the time. He relied on caffeine to keep him going, but even that didn’t stop him falling asleep in public.

“I tried to lose weight several times before and had seen minor success, but always gained it all back. When I was at my heaviest, I felt lost and hopeless. Since I had always gained the weight back, I lost faith in my ability to shift it,” he said.

“I completely lost the ability to sleep, and I became a walking zombie. I drank three energy drinks just to get through work. By the time my shift was done, I’d be too tired to drive home so I would sleep in my car in the parking lot. I couldn’t go anywhere without falling asleep.”

Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person’s breathing to repeatedly stop and start while they’re asleep. The Mayo Clinic suggests that it commonly causes breathing to stop while sleeping, or gasping for air, morning headaches, and excessive sleepiness during the day.

Registered dietitian and nutritionist Shelley Balls told Newsweek that being overweight increases a person’s risk of sleep apnea. Excess weight can narrow the airway and make it harder for air to pass through, or it can push against the lungs and cause them to collapse when sleeping.

Balls, from Consumer Health Digest, said: “Having sleep apnea and being overweight creates a negative snowball effect. For example, sleep apnea can cause fatigue, which can lead to weight gain as your body craves high-fat and sugary foods, and you are more likely to make poor nutrition choices.”

She encourages people to maintain a healthy lifestyle when it comes to food and exercise, but also sleep schedules. If weight loss is the solution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing weight at a steady pace of 1 to 2 pounds per week, as this makes it more likely to keep the weight off.

The Turning Point That Got Him Out of His Rut

By 2023, Steele had enough of the fatigue, self-loathing, and the embarrassment he felt in public. Something had to give, but he couldn’t do it alone. He sought advice from his mom, who set him up with an online coach to get started.

“It wasn’t much, it was just checking in every day to make sure I did my workouts. Having the accountability was enough to get me started and pull me out of my rut,” Steele said.

If he didn’t work out, Steele felt as though he was letting someone else down—not just himself—and that kept him motivated.

Initially, he went to the gym every day and swam for an hour. He integrated a healthier diet to match his new fitness regime—out with the energy drinks and junk food, and in with the fresh homecooked meals.

“I love to cook and knew how to meal prep from my previous weight loss attempts. I threw out everything unhealthy and started prepping my own meals. Healthy eating worked for me, but I was able to speed up the process by exercising daily. I always tell people that exercise is the cherry on top.”

After losing an initial 80 lbs through swimming, Steele felt ready to push himself further by taking up running. Some days he would run outside, and others he’d stay inside and run on the treadmill—it didn’t matter where he worked out, just that he remained consistent.

Whether it was walking, jogging, or swimming, he made sure he did it for an hour each day and “made no exceptions.” Whenever the workouts started to feel easy, he made them harder by doing more laps or aiming for a faster time.

Refusing To Give Up Until He Reached The Finish Line

Having shed 75 lbs but still weighing 300 lbs, Steele knew there was a long way to go, however, he set his sights on a major milestone. He gave himself the target of losing 200 lbs and completing a triathlon.

It was a huge ask and he wasn’t sure if he’d accomplish it, but Steele wanted to give it his all.

He told Newsweek: “A coworker and I talked about how cool it would be if we did a triathlon together. I was feeling ambitious one night and I picked a triathlon that was far enough in the future and signed up for it.

“Half of me believed that I would complete that goal, but the other half of me didn’t. I saw it as a possibility and knew it was something I was capable of.”

On July 21, 2024, the day finally arrived and Steele completed his first triathlon in 2 hours and 11 seconds. As soon as he crossed the finish line, he felt overwhelmed at how far he’d come and what he’d managed to achieve.

“There were so many mornings when I didn’t want to work out but made myself do it anyway. So many times I made myself do one more lap in the pool, or one extra minute on the treadmill. I lost count of how many times I wanted to give up but didn’t allow myself to.”

Within days of finishing the first one, Steele signed up for an Olympic distance triathlon later this year.

Hoping To Inspire Others With His Transformation

It’s an astonishing turnaround, but he wants to show that anyone can achieve their goals if they stay motivated and consistent.

He shared his journey in a Reddit post (u/spookyseason420) to show the massive change he’s made in just 355 days. The post went viral with over 17,000 votes and 1,100 comments.

“I know what it’s like to feel hopeless, but the truth is anyone can do this. If you continue to make healthy choices, weight loss is guaranteed. But you are the only one who can make those decisions,” Steele told Newsweek.

Many Redditors praised his incredible transformation over the last year. One comment reads: “you’re an inspiration!”

Another person responded: “Best thing I’ve seen all day. Congrats, this is legendary.”

A third Reddit user added: “Wow. Congratulations. Hard work pays off!”

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