My Story
I’m not here to tell you I know everything about health and fitness, all I know is I lost 125 pounds by changing a few things around and I’d like to share them with you.
First off, this happened between my junior and senior year in high school, here is a picture of me when I was bigger. I also want to introduce myself to you, my name is Cody Rapol.
Look at the style sense I had back then, Ace I tell you :P
The younger years of my life were full of running around the yard after the riding lawn mower(hey it was a more dangerous time to be a kid then it is now) and loads of physical activity. Some time around age 8 though, I started to put on the pounds, and of course most kids go through a chunky stage, so no one thought of it as serious. I would continue to pack the fat away for another 9 years until finally hitting a peak weight of 248 pounds. At 5 foot 9 inches at 248 pounds on the BMI chart I weighted in at Obese. My feet and back hurt continuously, I was eating way over my suggested 2,000 calories a day diet, aside from a few girls, no others girls would have anything to do with me, and among many other things, I was depressed.
I ended up getting really sick and had a hard time eating solid foods for close to 4 days, after the sickness had subsided I felt better…not just because I had been cured of the cold, but I felt like I had a little more energy too. I weighed myself and saw I lost about 5 pounds or so, I thought it must be a fluke and I would put it back on in a few days, but I didn’t, and that made me happy, happy enough to do something about my weight, I told myself I was going to lose a little bit more, and unlike all my other diet attempts, this one I really attempted.
Soda is a very bad thing in excess, and I was drinking about 4 cans a day, I was putting over 400 calories a day in my body of just soda, so that was my first thing I stopped, I began to drink diet soda instead(which you should not do either, but let me tell my story before you jump on me) and a big surprise came, in a few weeks I lost close to 8 pounds from just not drinking regular soda pop. I was hooked, I knew I could do it and now I looked at it like a game, and I’m very competitive.
Snacks, fast food, ice cream, to this day have not stopped, but I do eat them in moderation and that is what I started to do back then too. It worked, but the eating only took me so far, the next step was a little bit more physical, I had to exercise to lose more.
I heard about a game called “Dance Dance Revolution”, or “DDR” for the short version and after watching a few videos of people free styling on the pad I knew I wanted to try it myself. I bought DDR, and I sucked so bad at it, but I kept with it, and after a few months(if you do start DDR, please give yourself a few months, I promise you will get better) I was playing on the hard difficulties and just like that, those 45 min of cardio DDR sessions daily mixed with no soda and sticking to a 2,000 calorie a day diet brought me down 125 pounds in only 7 months.
It’s been years since that happened and to this day(well I should say every other day) I still play DDR and In The Groove for my cardio. My routine is a little different these days though.
- DDR Song
- 30 Push ups
- DDR Song
- Lift a 25 pound weight 70 times with each arm
- DDR Song
- 30 Push Ups
- DDR Song
- Lift a 25 pound weight 70 times with each arm
- DDR Song
- 30 Push Ups
- Followed up by P90X
Ab Ripper X
I’ve never been in better shape, not only did I lose all that weight, but I gained better health and confidence
OK, OK, now it’s time for some after shots
It's like that song "I'm on a boat" except I'm under a tree
Side Shot
I'm pretty sure the only reason I was able to help save this whale is because I started to live healthy
He Didnt Eat Me Beacuse I Helped The Whale!
Finally a few changes throughout the years, all you fashion gurus start laughing.
Changes through out the years
YOU ARE INSPIRATIONAL!
I am (in a way) like you! I had to go through some rough time health/emotion/spiritual- wise and gained a hella lot of weight and am slowly trying to shed it off. You’ve found something that made sheding fat fun for you and i just realised (YAY epiphany mooment thanks to you) instead of trying to follow EVERYTHING people tell me is good for me (which sometimes only works fo them)i should find something for me
THANKS CODY!
i had a little rant in my mind xD
(and now its on the internet)
It is on the internet, and just think, maybe in the future everything will be on the internet :P…OK that didn’t make much sense, but I’m glad that you could identify with me and that you are trying to shed off those unwanted pounds :)
I’m going to be posting a lot of different things on here, but feel free to contact if you want some one on one help
Cheers
wow, cody im very interested. keep updating the site! i love it
Thank you! I intend on updating it a good bit, perhaps every other day, or once every three days :)
Wow I knew that you lost the weight using DDR from your Youtube videos about weight loss, but reading your whole journey is very inspirational. :)
Thank you Sara :)
I could write a lot more than that, but I didn’t want to bore people with too long of a story :)
intense. I’m getting kinda fat right now. I am going to buy DDR immediately.
It’s a lot of fun, and it really does help the weight shed off :)
I’ll be posting more tips that might help you soon too :)
I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to buy it, I’m hooking it up right now!! This will be sweet. Look at how you just changed my life!
Holy damn, that was a fast buy!
I wish you the best of luck my friend :)
congrats(:
That’s amazing though, and how you’ve stayed healthy is even more amazing. You look really good though, like honestly when I first started watching your videos which wasn’t too long ago, I never knew you lost all of that weight, and I just thought you were one of those guys who naturally has a really good build( lol don’t take that in like an I wanna rape you way xD.)You should definitely keep posting on here though(: I’m sure you’ll inspire many people.
The thought of rape is out of my mind…now. :P just kidding, well about it ever being in there :P
I will keep posting, and trying to give out new tips on health and what not :)
Actually, once you get down in weight, it’s pretty easy to stay there, just getting down in the hard part :)
Heh, I had DDR for 1 day and I was awsome, but thats just because I have good eye feet coordination. And thanks for sharing your story. I’m aiming to be thin by next summer and this helped *smiles* Then I can finally cosplay! >.< hehe.
Damn, you are pretty good if you can understand it well after just one day :)
Good luck with the weight loss, and also, if you want to look at my Halloween pictures, you can see me coplaying as Light from Death Note
Halloween Pictures 2009
I know :) Already saw and commented on the youtube vid :)
You’re a quick one :)
Wow your story is insparational I just started the DDR thing a few months ago and I already lost like 15 pounds and I found a new interest in DDR as a hobby along with more cardio daily
Yes, glad you are already losing weight by dancing :) I really think it is one of the best ways to do it :)
Congrats Alex :)
Wow Cody, so inspirational! I, like you, have my own little fat story, but sadly I’m in the part of the story where I am at my peek weight of 183 lbs. I’m 5’11 tall though so I’m not quite obese, but getting there. I use more photoshop on my images than is normally used ~ that’s for darn sure. Anyhow, I hope to one day live your same story! :-)
What do you mean “not quite obese”? I’ve seen a few of your video responses Brad, I don’t think you are big at all.
But really glad you came over to check out a tip or two :P
Cheers
:-) I know how to angle the camera just right. I’m always sucking in. I face the camera dead-on as apposed to showing a profile view of me. I suck in 24 hours a day. I have sagging man-breasts and a stomach that is humongous! I have love handles that make me (and others if I showed them) want to bend over and hurl into the nearest toilet (So long as there’s no piss splatters hahahah!) And so yeah. I’m almost obese. I went to that site you linked in your story, and 183 for 5’11 is in the later end of overweight, so like I said, I’m getting fairly close to obesity :-(
If no one can see my fat like I can, and if I keep continuing to feel fat, then it confirms what I’ve thought and said all along: Fat is not a shape, it’s a feeling :-)
Seeing your old pictures, and seeing how you look now…. It’s truly inspirational! :-)
The BMI chart is pretty tough on people though.
I do agree with you though, fat is a feeling, because as much as I’ve lost, I still feel fat at time and think I am big, even though I know I should not, my brain is messed up and will probably be that way forever.
Yeah, that scares me Cody. The thought that maybe one day I WILL get down to my original average size of 165, and not see the skinny me when I look in the mirror or see myself on camera. But it’s so true ya know, because at points in our lives we go through hardship, and later look back on it and think “Man, that was so easy living back then compared to what it is now.” And that really, really terrifies me, cause I don’t want to feel fat and ugly forever! But you, man you’re hott, and don’t have anything to worry about now.
Hey Cody, I was thinking of getting DDR for weight loss. I am a girl, about 5’6 and I am 180 pounds. I wish to be at about 130 by June which is 7 months. It would make me the happiest person in the world if that happened to me. So If I followed your routine do you think that I could loose the weight? Also if I eliminated sweets?
Hell yes I think you can do it Victoria :)
I’ll be posting a bunch on here about just being healthy but if you play your DDR for cardio, drink mostly water(Soda will really mess you up, and even though juice is good for you, a big glass of juice still has many calories in it), and just watch your fat intake, I’m sure you can do it, just stick with it, the only way it is going to happen is to make it happen :)
And hell, if I did it, then anyone can, good luck :)
Thank you for posting this. I’m fourteen and am wanting to lose weight. No I’m not one of those girls that weight 110 pounds and are always looking for new diets, in case you’re wondering. Anyways, I just wanted to say that your story has inspired me to get healthy.
This makes me very happy to hear, so glad you are going down a healthy road!
I also like that you added the part about the 110 pound girls, really, I mean if they wanted to be healthy it would be OK, but they just want to be skeletons normally
Best of luck to you, give it a while and send me an update on the contact page, I’m going to feature success stories :)
Thanks! And I will. (:
wow! you truly inspired me. i cant beleive what some small changes can do. although i know it was probably really hard to resist some soda or whatever. thank you so much!
=)
You know what, I hate soda now, and I don’t even know why I liked it, after a while the urge just goes completely away :)
Hey Cody,
I’ve been overweight since my grade school days, and now I am a freshman in high school.
My height is 5′, 1/2″ and I weight 200 pounds.
One of the weirdest things is that my looks do not reflect my weight at all. I don’t look to be as obese as I am. I don’t look skinny or thin, but I look to only be a little bit chubby. I don’t exactly understand it.
Anyway, let me get to what I was going to say…
I’ve been trying many different methods to loose weight all through middle school, and nothing at all has worked. I eat healthy and exercise a reasonable amount every day, but for some reason my weight always stays unchanged… I don’t know if it’s because I don’t try hard enough, or that there’s something wrong with my body.
I’m thinking of trying all of this out. I’ve played DDR at friend’s houses before and I was terrible; but I feel a little bit more inspired to try much harder after hearing your story. Thank-you. (:
You present your weight very well then, this is a good thing :).
Are you eating a good number of small meals a day? They are better than eating a few huge ones, because you need your metabolism to be up to help you really lose weight.
If you are eating healthy, cutting out the fat, exercising on a regular basis, and still can not get rid of the weight you might need to see a doctor or just try another method, because for the most part this normally works.
And don’t worry about how bad you are at DDR, do it in your home where no one can see you at first if you are shy :).
Hoping everything works out :)
Cody, you are so sexxy now.
That is all.
No way man, you are. I read you got poked in the head with a thumb tack, makes me frown and laugh my ass off at the same time :P
Do you remember this guy from school?
Tried to find a picture of you, but it was taking too long so I just uploaded him
Yea I remember him! DeVry had such a weird mix of people…
It really did, remember that Andrew kid who was smart as hell?
this is definitely inspirational.
back in highschool i ran cross country and did all that crap and i weighed around 130-140 (im 5’7)
Then i went to college and i got up to 190 in about a year.
I just moved out to California from new york in August and once i got out here i changed my diet and i am now down to 170 (i was still 190 when i first got here)
I would love to be 130-140 again but back then i was what i would consider a little bit too skinny so i am trying to reach my goal of 160 and if i reach it in the time im trying to reach it hell maybe ill try for 150!
Well congrats for getting down to 170, and I’m sure you will make it to your goal in no time at all, I mean you are all ready half way there :).
Question, Do you like living in California, I want to move there next year.
yea i love it!
I hated NY winters so its perfect for me and if i did need to go to snow for some crazy reason its only about an hour from me in the mountains.
I live in Corona, which about 45 minutes from LA.
Hopefully though I would like to move somewhere in northern California.
You should definitely move out here though its great, nice weather all the time, especially in my area!
Hey Cody Im sorry to ask again but I have some questions.
1. What could I replace one song of DDR with?
2. Can I replace the 30 pushups with curl-ups to loose the weight?
3. Instead of doing the 5 songs on DDR could I just run/jog/walk 2 miles? Would that substitute for it?
Yeah, there is no reason you even have to play DDR, it’s just what I liked. Running is a great way to get your cardio in for the day, and as for the push-ups, go for the curl-ups instead if that is what you want to do :).
There’s never just one way to get to where you want to be. As long as you stick with it, you are going to be just fine :)
Thanks a lot for this site Cody! you really are a very inspirational person<3
No problem at all Lisa :)
Thank you very much for your kind words!
you’re very welcome~
and im also trying to get DDR mainly because its fun, but i also weigh 40 lbs. more than i should :/
you have great ideas! keep it up!
Well no matter what you are doing for exercise you should be doing it for your health and because you have a good time with it, if you don’t have some fun with it, then you are doing it wrong :).
Take some pictures now and when you make it to your goal weight send them to me, I’ll feature them on the site with a success story about you :).
Thanks Cody, Ive been watching your videos for a while and the health ones are very helpful.
When I was a freshman in high school I was 240 pounds. I didnt think much of it but then I begun to feel depressed how I coulnt do anything that everyone else could and the taunts from others.
I am now I junior and I am 172 Pounds.
I stopped drinking soda and certain things, but I worry because when I eat I eat nothing but sweets some days i go all day eating cookies and cake and things of the sort. (lol kinda like L) But Idk i keep trying to change my habit because I dont want to gain the weight back… I also did a bit of exercise to loose it but not much, at the moment I dont exercise much since I dont find much time.. Idk what I can do.
Glad to hear that the health ones have helped out :)
I think you have already done a huge amount of work, going from 240 to 170 is impressive to say the least.
Don’t beat yourself up, it’s OK to give into temptation every now and again :P
I do cardio for about 10 min when I am short on time, maybe that would work for you :)
do you have any new tips about weight loss?
I’ll be posting new ones ever few days :)
Hey Cody,
I admire your lifestyle and outlook on life and it’s really making me want to change my life for the better too,
I wouldn’t say I’m big or anything, quite the opposite, but I still have acne, and next to no muscle, I get tired and out of breath very easily to.
I’m subscribing to the email list, bookmarking, commenting on posts and doing what I can to support you cause I know other people can benefit from this information too.
Can’t wait to see new posts :)
Also, will your posts just be on living healthily, or will it be things like mental health and like caring for your body and stuff? :)
Thank you so much,
-Ross
Thank you ever so much Ross :)
As far as the site goes, it’s all up in the air right now since it is just starting, but to tell you the truth I would love to do many aspects of being healthy, both physical and mental :).
I’m also happy to hear that you want to lead a healthy life style :)
I’ll keep posting every few days and hope that it keeps you interested :)
-Cody
Hi Cody,
So glad I found these posts, you truly are inspirational. I’m 14 years old and I am also going through some hard times with weight. I’m about 5’4 and I weigh about 190ish. It’s hard for me because I see all these beautiful girls and the fashions they wear, but it’s hard for me to realize I can’t look like them or wear what they wear. After reading this and getting in the mindset, I know I can do this. I know I can lose weight and I will start soon!!! :) Thanks for showing me what a difference little things can make in your life.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
—-Rebecca.
You have a great attitude right now Rebecca :)
That is the best way that you can be, you are telling yourself that you can do it, and as long as you keep your mindset that way and work on it, I believe you will make it to your goal :)
Happy Turkey day to you as well :)
Interesting, very interesting. I have been watching some of your videos of late, and I must admit, I am impressed.
You see, I started losing weight(second time), from May this year. At that point, I used to weigh 255 pounds. 6 months later, I now weigh 154 pounds, and I am just getting warmed up. This really isn’t new to me, since for me losing weight is actually quite easy. I mostly use the same(though not identical) technique you described.
However, I do admire your initiative in helping others do the same. All it takes is the perfect combination of food and exercise, its all the same to me.
Bravo, and kudos to you.
-S.A. :)
“All it takes is the perfect combination of food and exercise” I could not have said it better myself :)
And even though you say it is easy for you, congratulations on your weight loss :)
Wow this is an amazing story. I’m inspired. I’ve been trying to lose weight I’m no obese, but i don’t want to get that way. I am in my Jr. year now, and i know a bunch of people who were beyond fat, and I’ve been getting them to join my dance class. its great having my friends doing something fun with me and losing weight along with it. i found this just when i was about to give up on losing weight.
thanks Cody! love your videos.
That is amazing :) So glad you have been getting others to join in with you for Dance :)
DDR is pretty much the funnest exercise ever.
I love your videos, and I think it’s really cool that you’re doing this whole healthy thing. :)
That and basic cardio are my favorite :)
Thank you, really glad you enjoy them :)
Hi Cody. First off, your my hero. I’m always thinking that I can’t lose weight, and I’m always comparing myself to others, but after reading your story so much more confident!!!
I’m very happy to hear that you are more confident Mariah :)
I wish you great luck and success in your weight loss journey :)
Hey Cody :)
That is very inspiring! I am amazed you lost all that weight in 7 months!
I am 15 5’4 and 166.8 ! I told my best friend about that, and she was like “No Kelsey you are not 166, you dont look it. It’s probably your boob weight” And I know 15 of those lbs are from scar tissue, and maybe a little bit of the weight is from muscle( I use to cheer, until I moved and missed tryouts. :[)?
But since I am not cheering and I really dont know what to do for cardio. I am getting out of school at 3(whearas in VA it would be 1.47) so I really dont have time to workout. my workout is in my seventeen magazine(changes each month), but I suck at cardio! The only thing I love to do is the eliptical(at the YMCA). But I cannot always drive there. You know? Like does DDR make you sweat? Or do you do anyother type of cardio? I hate to run though(forced in cheer, it sucked!)…Sorry if my words seem all jumbled, and confusing.
Also nutriotion wise I dont know of any good recipes than eating the fruit and vegies raw w/ nuts on the side(More of a pastery chef). And also how does a person eat all those grains in a day? It seems impossible!
Also I dont drink soda that often. It’s usually a sip or two from my moms diet coke. I usually drink water or lemon(or green) tea :)
Sorry again if this whole post sound weird and confusing. I am in kind of a rush right now. Lol.
The boob weight thing made me giggle :)
The elliptical is a good machine, one of the only ones I really like :)
DDR will make you sweet, and it’s great cardio. Running is also a great one, and just anything that will get your hurt pumping and your body moving is good for you.
Raw veggis are really the best for your anyways :)
I love grains, I’m an oat fan myself :)
It’s not weird sounding at all(this post) and I’m glad you came over and posted a comment.
I hope you purchase DDR or just go running, great cardio :)
Hey, i’ve been wanting to start to work out and take some weight off that i have since i was a little kid. You Inspired me bigtime, and i’m probably thinking of documenting some of it on youtube, i’ll post again if i decide to do it (my main problem is that i dont have a good camera…) and i will invite you to watch it =). Keep this up you’ve inspired a lot of people, Greetz from France!! (though i’m argentine)
I would be honored to watch your success unfold :)
Don’t worry about the camera thing, the story alone will be worth it’s weight in gold :)
Good luck with your healthy body journey :)
P.S. I wish I was in France right now :)
Hello Cody, Your story sounds similar to mine, I also was overweight at a young age. I was depressed because all my family had known me as the fat girl. All my family has been very skinny except me, but that was before in middle and the first two and a half years in high school. Later something happen in my life that change everything, and I realize that it was time for a change. So I started working out and drinking great amounts of water. At first it was difficult, but I manage to lose weight. I use to weight 175 pounds, and now as in college I weight 130, I feel great now and more confident. So I admire that you are trying to help those who need you. Keep up the good work, and good luck.
We do have pretty similar stories, nifty :)
Also a huge congratulations goes out to you, and I love that you put you feel great now :), and also more confident.
Leading a healthy life really does make you feel more confident :)
Cheers my friend
Hey Cody. Although I can’t relate to your story I would just like to say you are an inspiration. I’m not overweight or anything like that, but I still find your health tips very educational. I’m trying to become a healthier person more exercise and less junk foods. I’ve very recently as an inspiration from you cut soda completely out of my diet and have been drinking a lot more water. I can’t wait for more of your tips. Also, I was wondering what are some of your favorite healthy meals.
Thanks Kate :]
Kate that is amazing to hear, I’m very happy that you are and have taken an interest in staying healthy :)
And yes, Soda is basically evil.
Favorite meals huh? I really love oats, plus they are great for you. Green beans, Lima beans, Carrots(I put this one here just so it was not another bean), and I eat a ton of salad(I’m like a rabbit)
Hey cody!
Your such an inspiration.
Alot of my weight is due to soda also, i can get through 6-7 cans of soda per day which is bad i know :)
I’ve now switched to Coke Zero which im wondering if would help me improve my weight loss?
I’m not quite sure what i can do to get active, i’ve started walking school but i know i need to do more.
I’m also getting out and about now with my friends.
Im hooked on Coke Zero so i know i can do it because i don’t eat much.
Thanks for all the help, god bless you.
That is actually how I started Ben, I went from regular soda to diet soda, so you are doing it just like me back then :P.
Walking is nice, but plan for doing just cardio when you don’t need to be somewhere, such as running for 30 mins or so a day. I personally prefer DDR and doing cardio DVD’s to running, but everyone is different.
I believe you can do it too Ben, like I said before, if I can do it, anyone can :).
Good luck
Hey Cody,
I’m 15, 5ft 8″ tall and I weigh 194 pounds because I had to go on depression pills. I weighed 157 a few months before so I was still heavy then as I am now. This is the heaviest I’ve ever been. I’m going to try out some of the things you said and try to lose weight, even beyond my normal 157.
Sean, I wish you the best of luck, you can always e-mail me at healthybodyliving[at]gmail[dot]com if you want to talk about it personally :).
Be active and eat healthy, you can do it :).
Wow, you’re truly inspirational! I’ve been struggling with losing weight, when I graduated from high school, I was very athletic and healthy at about 125lbs. A year and a half into college, I’m up to 160lbs and aren’t involved in sports anymore. I have a pretty healthy diet but rarely exercise. I’ve been trying DDR, my biggest problem is staying focused and doing it regularly, but I really enjoy it! Reading all these comments is really motivating, you’re doing a great thing to help people, thanks for the inspiration!
You are very welcome Kat :)
I’m glad that you do enjoy DDR, it is very fun, to me it does not feel like work(unless my friends are over, then it becomes a competition :P)
Water, when you play, you should be drinking water, not Soda or anything sugary like I did when I first started playing :)
Good luck
I’m 6’4 or 6’3 and i weigh around 230-240 lbs I don’t really know if im obese but i’m going to stop drinking soda’s and im going to get DDR thank you for your inspiration
Your BMI is 28, which would not take you long at all to get where you need to be, perhaps only 30 pounds or so.
I’m happy to hear that you will be getting DDR and stop drinking soda :)
Good luck with your weight loss journey
Send me some pics when you are done, I’ll feature you in a success story :).