Arizona recruit undergoes 130 pound weight-loss journey

Photo By Maj. Alun Thomas | Before and after photos of Justin Lahman, who lost 130 pounds to be able to join the U.S. Army as a military police officer. (Courtesy Photo)  

PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES

03.14.2017

Story by Alun Thomas  

U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion - Phoenix

PHOENIX – Standing in front of a mirror and examining his 340 pound body was something Justin Lahman was ashamed to do.

It was a constant reminder of how his dream of joining the Army to become a military police officer was being thwarted, his weight a barrier to enlisting.

Then he decided to do something about it and stop wallowing in self-pity.

A mere 8 months later and 130 pounds lighter, Lahman found himself raising his right arm, taking the oath of enlistment at the Phoenix Military Entrance Processing Station, March 13, watched by his father and fiancée, finally achieving his goal.

Lahman, 22, was born and raised in Lake Havasu, Ariz., and lived with his father Richard in modest surroundings, but was always well provided for.

“My dad worked really hard when I was a kid, but we were very poor,” Lahman said of his upbringing. “He always made sure I had everything I wanted though. He worked three jobs to support us. He’s an all-star.”

Lahman’s work ethic led to him being accepted to Mendocino College in California, where he excelled as a center for their college football team.

“I weighed 300 pounds, but was still athletic and fast as a player,” Lahman said. “When I was done with college and returned home to Lake Havasu I was looking for a job, one with a purpose.”

Lahman admits he became complacent during this period and quickly gained more weight.

“I got up to 340 pounds at my heaviest. After I came home from college I was laying around and being unproductive,” he said. “I didn’t see it at the time though. When you’re that big you blind yourself and say ‘I’m ok’ and ‘everything’s fine’ until one day you realize you’re totally out of shape.”

It was during this time frame Lahman was fortunate to be invited on a ride-along with local law enforcement, which solidified his plans for a potential career.
“I did my first ride-along with the city police department. As soon as I got in the car I knew exactly what I wanted to do and it hasn’t changed since,” Lahman continued. “At that point it was the greatest thing I’d experienced. The only problem was the physical requirements for being a police officer. They were very substantial. I could move around well, but I just wasn’t healthy.”

Realizing his weight was becoming a hindrance to his career and life goals, Lahman knew he had to take action if he was to pursue a job in law enforcement.

“My fiancee (Kaylee Waynick) is beautiful and that was hard for me as well. Walking around with her I felt very low about myself. I knew I had to change. I stopped spending money on stupid things like junk food and paid for a nutritionist,” Lahman explained. “His name is Tom Jefferies and works out of The Body Shop in Gilbert, Arizona. He changed my life. He was an English teacher I had in high school and I had kept in contact with him throughout college.”

Working with Jefferies was the impetus Lahman needed to whip himself into shape, with a regimented diet he never deviated from.

“I never wavered from the diet. If I ever wanted to eat bad food I would just focus on my future, providing a good life for myself and my family and doing enough to join the Army,” he said. “I’d go out with my friends with my plastic Tupperware full of healthy food, while they gorged themselves on whatever junk food they wanted.”

Feeling rejuvenated, Lahman took his first trip to the recruiting office in Lake Havasu, where he admitted the skepticism he felt from the recruiters.

“When I first walked in the office they were optimistic, but I was so overweight and far beyond the Army standard. Most kids who walk in there and are maybe 20 pounds overweight never come back,” Lahman said. “They were very friendly and very nice, but it was hard to stay focused that long, and there’s always something trying to get you away from what you’re trying to achieve.”

Lahman’s recruiter was Staff Sgt. Joseph Hudson, Phoenix North Recruiting Company, who remembered the first time he met Lahman.

“He first came into the office last August, probably around 340 pounds and said ‘this is what I want to do and I know where I need to be,’” Hudson said. “Right away he started working at it. It’s not as if we dismissed him, but we hear it all the time how a Future Soldier is going to do this, this and this to join. A majority of them never come back into the office.”

Hudson continued to monitor Lahman’s progress and was impressed by the visible changes in his weight-loss.
“Justin came back several times and was down some weight and we were impressed. Sometime later I was at a high school wrestling meet and I saw him there. He looked great. I told him to come down to the office and do another tape on him and see where he was at,” Hudson continued. “At that point he was at 28 percent body fat and it was a total transformation. He looked completely different. When you look at his driver’s license and what he looks like now, it’s two different people.”

The effort into undergoing the transformation was difficult, but one which Lahman said he never once considered quitting.
“Joining the Army to be an MP was my goal, it was my absolute focus. It kept me going,” he explained. “I didn’t really start noticing my weight-loss until I was down to 230 pounds. When you walk around that big for so long, it becomes your identity. So I didn’t see something different in the mirror until I was at 230. I started getting confident.”

“I always trusted my nutritionist and did whatever he said. He was determined to get me healthy and be able to walk back into the recruiting office at the right weight,” Lahman said. “I did this through eating properly and running.”

Despite an initial setback at MEPS where Lahman was diagnosed with a heart murmur, he overcame this obstacle and was able to sign his contract and obtain his desired job as an MP.

“I’m really excited to start basic training and get going - I’m ready,” he said smiling. “I’m looking forward to the drill sergeants, push-ups and discipline. I’ll have a smile on my face. I’ve spent so much time thinking about being there. It’s hard to believe it’s almost reality now.”

This type of commitment to achieving a goal is something which few are capable of attaining, said Lt. Col. David Clukey, commander, Phoenix Recruiting Battalion, who met Lahman and viewed his progress.

“Justin demonstrated the self-discipline, drive and determination we look for to become professional Soldiers in the United States Army,” Clukey said. “His commitment to prepare himself physically to achieve his goal is commendable.”

“He personally embraced a lifestyle change and is living proof that if you commit yourself to something, you can achieve it,” Clukey explained.

Hudson said in his more than two years as a recruiter he’s never seen anything like Lahman’s weight-loss unfold before his eyes.

“It makes me happy we’re leaving the Army in the hands of people like Justin. He’ll do whatever it takes to be successful and he’s proven that by losing 130 pounds,” he said. “He’s going to be successful in everything he does. Justin just wants to better himself and be the best person he can be. He wants to do that for the U.S. Army.”

For Lahman, pushing himself to lose 130 pounds to serve his nation is something he felt compelled and obliged to do.

“I think if you live in America and you have all these privileges, you should earn your stake here,” he explained. “Everyone should do some type of military service, just a few years at least. So I feel obligated to serve my country.”

“Sometimes it’s hard not to be a pessimist, but here I am making it official and signing up for something I dreamed of doing,” Lahman said with a grin.

• Date Taken: 03.14.2017
• Date Posted: 03.14.2017 17:22
• Story ID: 226825
• Location: PHOENIX, AZ, US
• Hometown: LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ, US