By Kym McNicholas, Emmy Award-Winning Journalist & CEO of Global PAD Association
In my twenty years covering medical innovation, I’ve stood in countless operating rooms watching brilliant surgeons deploy stents, perform bypasses, and restore blood flow to dying limbs. These are the moments that make headlines and medical journal covers.
But today, I want to share a different kind of breakthrough—one that won’t be featured in medical textbooks but might just change how we think about vascular disease. It’s the story of Jose, a man whose transformation began with a simple question in our PAD support group: “What does everyone do when your feet get cold?”
That one question, posted five years ago, marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey that would lead to Jose losing over 300 pounds and quite literally saving both his legs and his life.
When Medical Doors Close: The Reality of Care Barriers
When I first connected with Jose, his situation was dire. At approximately 664 pounds (though he believes he was closer to 700), he was suffering from severe peripheral vascular disease affecting both his arteries and veins.
“My feet would feel cold, but they were really cold to touch,” Jose told me during our recent interview. “And then they would get hot. Then I would start feeling numb. That’s how it all started.”
The symptoms went far beyond temperature fluctuations:
“I noticed that my toenails wouldn’t grow,” Jose explained. “I was so big, I couldn’t take care of my feet. My feet were so dry… I wouldn’t have to clip my toenails.”
When I asked about the hair on his legs, he responded: “It was completely gone. My legs were so swollen that my skin literally felt really smooth.”
As CEO of the Global PAD Association, I was desperate to help. I personally reached out to two different vascular specialists in Southern California. Both doctors delivered the same heartbreaking message: they simply could not intervene surgically until Jose lost hundreds of pounds.
“I actually went to a vein specialist, and he told me the same thing,” Jose recalled. “He told me, ‘Look, man, I could work on you right now, but the weight limit for my outpatient clinic bed is 250 pounds.’ My heaviest was 664 recorded. I know I was closer to 700.”
This scenario represents one of the most troubling realities in vascular care: those who most desperately need intervention are often the least eligible to receive it. According to a 2023 study in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, nearly 40% of patients with critical limb ischemia and severe obesity face significant delays in receiving appropriate care due to equipment limitations and procedure contraindications.
The Psychological Journey: Breaking Through the Wall of Resistance
What makes Jose’s story particularly compelling isn’t just his physical transformation, but his psychological journey. When our support group members first offered assistance, Jose put up walls higher than his medical barriers.
“I was so close-minded that I didn’t want to give out my address,” Jose shared candidly. “I wasn’t open-minded enough to realize that people I never met in my life, complete strangers, actually cared enough to help me.”
I knew Jose needed help. Our community connected him with coaches and fellow PAD warriors who offered support and motivation. We set simple goals: eat healthier, drink more water, move a little more each day. But as Jose himself admits, having goals is one thing—taking action is entirely different.
“You offered me a lot of resources,” Jose told me. “You offered to send me a box with healthy snacks, but I was so close-minded that I didn’t want to give out my address. I wasn’t open-minded enough to realize that people that I never met in my life, complete strangers, actually cared enough to help me. So that’s why those resources never went over. I kind of self-sabotaged.”
Despite his resistance, the support continued. We never let up the encouragement for him to find his way to readiness.
The turning point came when Jose realized his health wasn’t just affecting him—it was impacting his entire family.
“In my mind, I had originally thought I’m not hurting anybody else but myself,” he explained, his voice breaking. “I thought that me hugging and kissing my 8 and 10-year-old was enough, and it really is not enough. An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old really deserve a father that’s going to be there, take them to school, pick them up from school, take them to sporting events. And I finally realized that I’m really hurting them by not being there for them.”
His wake-up call intensified when his blood sugar readings became consistently alarming.
“One day I woke up and my sugars were 225.
And 225 another day.
And then the next week, it was like 240,” Jose recalled.
His wife didn’t mince words:
“You do something, you’re going to die. You’re going to leave me here with these kids? What am I going to do?”
In that moment of crisis, Jose turned to faith. “One day I prayed to God. I don’t know if people believe in it, but I believe in God. And I said, I need your help. And a month later, the help came.”
The Catalyst: When the Medical Student Becomes the Teacher
That additional help arrived in an unexpected form. While browsing Instagram, Jose started following an account posting appealing meal prep ideas. When the account owner, Johnny Haddock, posted an “ask me anything” story about weight loss, Jose took a chance.
“I put, I need to lose weight. I’m currently 650 pounds. I can only walk about two minutes at a time, and I don’t want to die,” Jose shared. “He answers back: ‘Give me your number. I’m going to call you at 7 p.m. Eastern time.’”
That call on April 14, 2023, changed everything. Johnny, a medical student specializing in nutritional medicine (who has since become a doctor), provided Jose with a comprehensive nutritional protocol and ongoing support.
“He’s not even 30 years old,” Jose marveled. “He called me… By April 15th, I started my journey.”
What makes this story particularly remarkable is what Jose didn’t use: despite being offered GLP-1 agonists (medications like Ozempic and Wegovy) by his doctor, he declined, opting instead for purely nutritional intervention.
“Losing 330 pounds hasn’t been hard,” Jose insists.
“He gave me the keys, which is not hard at all. It’s basically low carb, low fat, and low calorie. No snacking, no junk food.”
The Blueprint: A Simple Approach to a Complex Problem
The nutritional approach Jose adopted centered around a few key principles:
Three structured meals daily plus one protein shake
Low carbohydrate, low fat, calorie-restricted meal planning
Complete elimination of snacking and processed foods
14-16 hour fasting periods
Weekly meal preparation to ensure compliance
Jose showed me the book that became his bible: “Total Weight Loss Cookbook 2.0,” containing recipes, shopping lists, and hydration guidance.
“This is the only thing I’ve used,” he explained. “I eat three times a day and I have a protein shake, and I’ve steadily lost about 12 pounds a month for the last two years. The scale hasn’t gone up. I haven’t hit a plateau.”
His commitment has been absolute: “I don’t have cheat meals. I don’t have a cheat snack. I haven’t touched a pizza, a burger, cookies, ice cream, nothing for over 26 months.”
This approach aligns with recent research in the Journal of the American Heart Association showing that intermittent fasting combined with protein-prioritized nutrition significantly improves cardiovascular markers and reduces inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome—factors critically important for vascular health.
What makes Jose’s approach particularly effective is his weekly meal preparation ritual. “I prepped 14 meals, so six or seven lunches and six or seven dinners in about an hour,” he explained, showing us his protein chili—a simple combination of ground turkey, bell peppers, onion, low-sodium black beans, and low-salt diced tomatoes.
“One cup and a half is about 400 calories,” he noted. “And then sometimes I drizzle some cheese and I’ll do like two low carb tortillas. So it’ll be like 350 to about 500 calories for my dinner. My breakfast is about 450. So it’s all under 2000 calories with my protein shake added.”
The Transformation: By the Numbers
The results of Jose’s nutritional intervention have been nothing short of extraordinary:
Weight loss of approximately 330 pounds
A1C reduction from above 9.0 to 5.1
Normalization of blood pressure to approximately 115/75
Discontinuation of all diabetes and hypertension medications
Improved wound healing
Return of hair growth on lower extremities
Increased exercise tolerance from 2 minutes to 30+ minutes of continuous walking
These are incredible results, more significant and durable that that of gastric bypass surgery he’d undergone in 2011, where he had regained all the weight and more.
“I had it,” Jose explained about his surgery, “but I never changed this,” pointing to his head. “The reason why it worked for me is because you can’t eat. But I was still big in here. I would still chew food and spit it out.”
This time, without surgery or medications, the results have sustained—driven by a fundamental shift in mindset.
“I don’t focus on whether it tastes like a real chocolate cake,” Jose explained when discussing food substitutions. “I’m just, I just know it’s working for me. So I focus on that. I honestly, now I eat for fuel for my body.”
The Mind Shift: Overcoming Addiction
Jose’s words are powerful. What we heard late in the interview versus at the start — was day and night. It highlights the psychological component of vascular disease management and the tough journey both physically and mentally. For Jose, he openly shared, his success physically was about overcoming an addictive mindset with food. He had overcome his addictive mindset before, and knew he could do it again.
“I’ve also been a drug addict,” Jose revealed. “So that addict mentality goes for everything, including food. I feel if I taste like a pizza, I’ll probably eat the whole thing.”
So what was the key to success?
Same as with drugs.
“I just won’t do it.”
It’s not as easy as it sounds, thought.
When asked how he fights off cravings, Jose’s answer revealed his transformed mindset:
“About two months ago, I struggled for two weeks where everything I seen, I wanted to eat. But my mind was like, I’m victorious. I would say, no, no, no, no. I just stayed firm, no. And then I wake up and I do it again. And fight again. And after saying no so many times, it just went away.”
This approach aligns with research from addiction medicine showing that craving extinction occurs through consistent exposure without reward—precisely the process Jose described.
Beyond Weight Loss: The Vascular Impact
Conquering his mental challenges with food addiction not only manifested into a physical transformation with his weight, but also in his vascular health. Before his transformation, his peripheral vascular disease had manifested in numerous ways:
Temperature fluctuations in his extremities
Severe edema
Cessation of toenail growth
Complete loss of hair on lower extremities
Weeping wounds on his legs
When asked about the current state of his vascular health, Jose shared that his last ultrasound showed slow blood flow in his right leg—a vast improvement from his previous condition, but an indication that his journey continues.
Most remarkably, Jose’s diabetes, which had reached dangerous levels with an A1C exceeding 9.0, is now completely controlled without medication. “I’m off metformin,” he proudly stated. “My A1C is 5.1.”
As Dr. John Phillips, the cardiologist co-hosting our interview noted, this transformation is “the move to the hoop… the fact that you were able to push against the diabetes and not require insulin is a game changer, because once people get on it, they can’t really get off it.”
A Message of Hope
As our conversation drew to a close, I asked Jose what message he wanted to share with others who might be in the position he once was. His words were powerful in their simplicity:
“Once I started losing weight, all that started slowly going away. I had swollen feet, edema. All I can say is that if you’re alive and breathing and you wake up, there’s still a chance for a situation to get better. Some are worse than others, but if you give up, to give up is the worst thing you can do. I had given up on myself, but something dragged me out. Something pulled me out of the darkness.”
He acknowledged the ongoing mental battle:
“I still think I’m 600 pounds sometimes. Sometimes I drop something, I’m like, oh, I can’t bend over. But I’m like, wait a minute, you can bend over and pick it up. I can tie my own shoes. I didn’t wear shoes. I used to wear sandals because my feet were so big.”
His final words cut to the heart of what drives our work at the Global PAD Association: “Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up on yourself. People love you.”
Bridging the Gap: Our Call to Action
Jose’s journey highlights a critical gap in our current vascular care model. When surgical intervention isn’t immediately possible due to weight or other contraindications, patients need structured support to bridge them to eligibility.
At the Global PAD Association, we’re committed to filling this gap. Our support community provides resources, motivation, and connection for patients at every stage of their vascular health journey—especially those who may not yet qualify for traditional interventions.
If your patients need a friend in PAD health or you are a patient who is experiencing symptoms of peripheral vascular disease—leg pain, cramping, neuropathy, temperature fluctuations, burning sensations, or tingling—don’t wait until it becomes a crisis. Our Leg Saver Hotline at 1-833-PAD-LEGS (1-833-723-5347) provides immediate guidance and connects you with resources tailored to your specific situation.
And if you are looking for a community that understands the complex journey of vascular health, I invite you to join our Facebook group at www.padsupportgroup.org. Here, you’ll find people like Jose who have walked this path before you, healthcare professionals committed to innovative approaches, and a supportive community ready to help you take that first step.
Because as Jose’s remarkable journey shows us, sometimes the most powerful innovations in vascular care aren’t technological breakthroughs or surgical techniques—they’re the transformation of minds, the rebuilding of habits, and the rediscovery of hope when conventional doors have closed.
Kym McNicholas is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and CEO of Global PAD Association, dedicated to improving outcomes for peripheral vascular disease patients through education, support, and advocacy.
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