Obese to Beast

John David Glaude runs the YouTube channel “Obese to Beast” to help people move from sickness to fitness. Glaude, who once weighed 360 lb., reclaimed his health with nutrition and CrossFit.

“I got to a point at my heaviest where I was OK with dying before I was 40,” Glaude says.

When Glaude realized his weight was preventing him from doing things he wanted to do, he implemented what he calls the “common sense diet”: He cut out soda, junk food and fast food.

“When you’re as heavy as I was, if you just make a small change, you’ll see a big result,” Glaude says. “I made that small change, saw a big result, was more motivated to make another change to see more results, and … it was like a domino effect.”

After dabbling in fitness competitions, Glaude found CrossFit Dark Side in El Cajon, California, and “fell in love,” he says.

“CrossFit has that community aspect of, like, you are doing the same workout as all these other people. You’re suffering together, and it makes the gym less of an isolated thing,” Glaude says.

When Glaude posted a video showing the loose skin he had left after his massive weight loss, it went viral. Today, “Obese to Beast” has 529,000 followers and counting.