Welcome to MyFitnessPal’s Victory Stories series, where we share the accomplishments of real MyFitnessPal members! Whether they’ve lost more than 100 pounds, improved their health markers or ran their first mile (or all of the above), we love celebrating their hard work and dedication to achieve their biggest goals.
Do you have a MyFitnessPal Victory Story of your own? Share your story here for a chance to be featured on a future installment of our Victory Stories!
Today, we’re featuring Quiency Dugger, who lost half his body weight after a doctor’s visit resulted in a harsh realization of his poor health. At 440 pounds, Dugger wore size 54 pants, a 6XL shirt, and he spent the majority of his time playing video games on the couch. Today, the 225-pound Dugger exercises six times a week, cooks most of his meals at home, and has logged 15,000 miles of activity since starting his journey.
FULL NAME: Quiency Dugger
AGE: 41
LOCATION: Decatur, Georgia
OCCUPATION: Engineer
ARE USING THE FREE OR PREMIUM VERSION OF MYFITNESSPAL? Free
STARTING WEIGHT AND CURRENT WEIGHT:
Starting weight: 440 pounds
Current weight: 225 pounds
IF YOUR JOURNEY WAS NOT SCALE-RELATED, WHAT WERE YOUR BEFORE AND AFTER METRICS? My journey was definitely scale-related, but here are some non-scale highlights:
- Down from a size 14.5 ring to 10
- Down from a size 54 waist to a 36/38
- Down a shoe size
- Down from 6XL T-shirt to an XL
WHEN DID YOU BEGIN YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY?
December 25, 2011
WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND YOUR DESIRE TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE?
A variety of factors, chief among them was the day (October 11, 2011) I went to my doctor for a physical exam. When I got on the scale, I weighed 440 pounds. I’d been overweight since I was about 9 years old due to poor diet and emotional trauma (my parents’ divorce and grandmother’s passing happened within a short time). My mom worked a bunch to keep food on the table, so getting out to move around wasn’t a priority.
EXPLAIN YOUR LIFESTYLE BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS/HEALTH JOURNEY.
There was not much to it. I ate what I wanted, exercised very little, and had snacks and sweets all the time. Imagine a college student eating whatever, but I was in my 30s and not in college. I’d come home, sit on the couch or in front of my computer and play games in my downtime. There’s a fast-food burger joint up the hill from where I live, so if I got a craving in the middle of the night, I made the trip.
I remember one Saturday, in particular, where I ordered a large pizza and ate it over the course of the day while sitting in front of my computer. I sat there for more than 14 hours, doing nothing but gaming.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT MYFITNESSPAL? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP?
A friend of mine from work was using it and, more or less, sold me on the virtues of the app. I figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. It costs nothing to sign up and use, so if I don’t like it, I’m not out anything but the time it takes to install and uninstall.
TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU USED THE APP ALONG YOUR JOURNEY.
It was great! I used the app originally just to track my food. Then I saw the recipes and such, and started finding healthier ways to eat. I’ve also participated in the in-app challenges along the way. It was always so cool to see how my food changed over time and how my exercise chipped into my calorie intake. You’d be surprised how many calories are hiding in plain sight.
WHAT FEATURES WERE/ARE YOUR FAVORITE?
Definitely healthy recipes. Food history has also been interesting as it really showed me how I was eating. I love being able to keep up with my friends in the app so we can hold each other accountable for how well we’re doing on our respective journeys.
WHAT LESSONS/EDUCATION/REALIZATIONS DID MYFITNESSPAL HELP YOU ACHIEVE ALONG YOUR JOURNEY?
The biggest realization is that I can do better. It is actually possible to eat healthy/healthier, and the food can taste good. One of the things you constantly hear is “good” versus “bad” food, but in truth, food is energy. There are some foods that have more nutritional value than others, and some of it is just empty calories. But all of it is energy.
ANY OTHER HEALTHY HABITS YOU PICKED UP ALONG THE WAY?
Snacking is OK if you plan ahead and portion out what you want instead of eating from the package. When I go out to eat, I eat my sides first and then if I can’t finish my entree, I’ll take it home and make some sides to eat with it. At lunch and dinner, I make sure there’s something green on my plate.
DID YOU FACE ANY CHALLENGES OR SETBACKS ALONG THE WAY?
I would occasionally plateau and sometimes it was very difficult to move off that plateau. So you work out like a monster and starve yourself, but you notice the scale doesn’t drop or you even gain weight. That is emotionally frustrating! It’s easy to get into your head and self-sabotage.
HOW DID YOU STAY MOTIVATED THROUGHOUT YOUR JOURNEY?
I was aided tremendously by losing weight at approximately 10 pounds per month for a year and a half straight. There was also a competition at work where I was financially motivated to win. Our company would announce the winner by handing out a $1,000 oversized novelty check. I thought, “I lost 6 more pounds than this dude. Where’s my check?!?!?” So I entered, and by the time I finally made it to the winners circle, I was down another 80 pounds.
I also look back at my old pictures and tell myself, “I’ll never be there again.” I look at my current crop of photos taken while I’m being active, and I like the way I look now.
CLICK TO TWEET THIS ARTICLE > Read Quiency’s story of losing half his body weight with @myfitnesspal and becoming a dedicated runner. #myfitnesspal
DO YOU STILL USE MYFITNESSPAL ON A REGULAR BASIS TODAY?
Somewhat. I still read the blog posts and use the recipes for inspiration. I still track my activities, but I haven’t tracked my food intake in a while.
WHAT IS YOUR LIFESTYLE LIKE TODAY?
I exercise 6+ days a week for roughly 2–3 hours a day. I’ve taken up running, spinning and weightlifting. I just crossed over my 15,000th lifetime mile as of September 24, 2021. I eat better than I used to, but will indulge in the occasional trip out to eat. If I get a craving for a burger and fries, I’d sooner make them at home since I can control the salt content better and the food is generally better quality than what’s mass-produced.
DID YOU REACH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS/HEALTH GOAL?
I reached my first goal of 190 pounds lost in 22 months. I settled on that amount because my driver’s license listed my weight at 250 pounds since I was 16, but I was already over 300 pounds at 14. So I wanted to say at least that part of my license was true. I reached my second goal (half of my starting weight) after about 5 1/2 years.
IF YOU COULD PROVIDE ADVICE TO SOMEONE WHO WAS JUST STARTING THEIR JOURNEY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The scale is not your friend, and consistency is critical! Just because you are not losing weight does not mean you are not slimming down. Muscle takes up less space. Remember to stick with it! We believe in you!
Inspired by the success of real MyFitnessPal users? Now it’s time to reach your own goals! Take the next step in your journey and go Premium for exclusive tools and guidance from our experts that will help you achieve any goal.
