Derrick Bona, a Nova Scotia man, weighed 600 pounds 10 months ago. Now, not only has he lost 180 pounds, he’s found a new lease on life at the gym.
“Not only did I get a bunch of new friends, especially for someone who would hide in the house because I was too large to go anywhere and I felt out of place — I feel like now I have, more so, a home and a family (at the gym).”
Bona says he could not have done it without people like Rick Horsman, his personal trainer, and the group at his gym.
“I couldn’t thank members and Rick enough for what he’s done for me. I love them all dearly, and it’s been the best part of my journey so far.”
Bona started his weight-loss journey on his own. He was eating better, which helped him gain some mobility, but wanted to push himself further. So he reached out to Horsman for help with a regimented fitness routine.
“He asked if I could help, and we took the chance on him,” says Horsman.
“He’s easily my most-accomplished client. We’ve changed his life in eight-and-a-half months. It’s kind of crazy.”
VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Bona originally went viral online in April when actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger shared his social media post.
Bona’s weight-loss journey started on New Year’s Day, when he fell outside. When reflecting on that time in his life, Bona says he went into a dark place and “decided to abandon himself.”
But, by late January, he decided to make a change and went on a diet, losing 55 pounds by mid-April, he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Bona, who has been a chef for 23 years, has had a “love-hate relationship” with food, he told CTV News in April.
“I love creating dishes and making people happy,” said Bona. “And, in turn, I use food as almost an addiction, a way to cover pain and any negative things I had going on in my life.”
“THIS IS A JOURNEY”
Horsman says, when Bona started training, he couldn’t lay on the floor because he had a hard time getting up. For the first couple months of training, they didn’t do any floor exercises.
“Recently, the curve on his intensity has really, really increased because he’s gotten lighter. He’s gotten fitter. He’s gained mobility. His strength has skyrocketed,” says Horsman.
Bona says he is very excited to see what the future yields for him.
“This is a journey,” says Bona. “They call it a journey for a reason, because I know this isn’t going to be a quick fix and done. I’m going to have to learn to maintain this for the rest of my life.”
With files from CTV's Jim Kvammen.
