A formerly obese man who was dumped by his ex while he planned their wedding has now shed 115 pounds in eight months by turning vegan—and has found love again.
Collin Fissell, 25, was heartbroken when his ex-girlfriend said she didn’t want to marry him; the couple split up a day before their sixth anniversary in May 2017, as he was planning to propose to her.
‘It shocked me when she told me she wasn’t ready. We were living together at the time and we decided to try living separately,’ Colin said of his former partner of six years. ‘Of course, this didn’t work out and eventually, we broke up.’
Changes: Collin Fissell, 25, was dumped by his ex while he planned their wedding and around that time realized he weighed 330 pounds
Duo: Colin later met Haley Rosenberg, 26, and together, the couple tried a plant-based, vegan diet, which helped Colin shed more weight
Defining moment: ‘I just realized it was time to take a hard look at myself,’ Colin (pictured when he weighed 330 pounds) said
Bit by bit: Colin started making changes to his habits on his own, and truly embraced a different lifestyle after meeting his new partner
The store manager, of Austin, Texas, thought he had hit rock bottom when he stood on the scales and discovered he weighed 330 pounds, the heaviest he had ever been.
‘I just realized it was time to take a hard look at myself,’ Colin said.
‘I was going back to school to study computer programming, I was single, I felt like it was finally time to tackle my health.’
Collin had once been fit enough to play football for Texas State University but let his health slip completely after graduation.
He ate four bacon tacos for breakfast before getting takeout through the day, including Chipotle, Indian food, fried chicken and pizza.
Although Colin had started making small changes to his health after splitting with his ex, it wasn’t until he met the woman who is now his girlfriend that his habits experienced a drastic shift.
Athlete: Although Collin was once fit enough to play football for Texas State University, he let his health slip completely after graduation
Team effort: Haley a vegetarian, suggested they try a plant-based vegan diet after watching the food documentary What The Health with Colin
Past: Colin (pictured left before his weight loss and right with Haley) explained that when he looks back in time, he sees ‘a guy who was just going through the motions and not really living’
Colin and Haley Rosenberg, 26, began dating after they met through their work at a mattress company, after which Collin quickly fell in love with Haley, who is also from Austin.
Haley a vegetarian, suggested they try a plant-based vegan diet after watching the food documentary What The Health with Colin.
The extra fruit and vegetables helped Colin, who was still a meat eater when he met Haley, reach his current weight of 215 pounds.
‘After becoming a vegan I lost the final 40 pounds, which is when the weight is really, really hard to shift,’ Colin said.
Colin explained that when he looks back in time, he sees ‘a guy who was just going through the motions and not really living’.
Results: Collin, who once had to shop in specialty stores to find clothes that fit him, said his family members and colleagues are shocked by his dramatic transformation
Positive changes: ‘I am the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,’ Colin (pictured with Haley) said. ‘People are astonished by my weight loss’
‘I had reluctantly accepted that I was always going to be my size and I was always going to live this way,’ he added.
Collin, who once had to shop in specialty stores to find clothes that fit him, said his family members and colleagues are shocked by his dramatic transformation.
‘I am the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,’ he said. ‘People are astonished by my weight loss.
‘My brother hadn’t seen me in a few months and he was shocked. He joked that I wasn’t the same person.
‘My colleagues say I’m disappearing before their eyes.’
Colin has bounced back from a phase of his existence that saw him being ‘tired of life’ and he now feels more confident.
‘I don’t see myself ever going back to eating meat,’ he said. ‘I’m committed to being a vegan for life.’