Scott Leopold attempted his first diet at 19, when he weighed 438 lbs. He was in college and often drank alcohol and finished the night off with fatty foods such as chicken wings or sweets and chips. "I wouldn’t think twice about eating two whole pizzas," he tells PEOPLE. After he lost his first 100 lbs., he and his friends "celebrated" at a buffet.
"I ate at least eight plates full of fried shrimp, crab legs, and hush puppies," he says. "It seemed reasonable at the time.”
The now 46-year-old says gradually, he put the weight back on and reached 363 lbs. He always considered dieting again, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he decided to make a lifestyle change since he couldn't catch up with his toddler. “I tried to run after her but couldn’t get above a moderate walk,” Leopold says. “All I could do was watch her.”
Leopold knew he wanted to be more active in his kids’ lives, so he discovered Real Appeal, a digital weight loss program that provides you with coaches, support groups and helps set daily goals for diet and exercise. He stuck to a strict 800-900 calorie diet, (and gradually increased it to 1,300) and went running or walking every day.