Weighing a hefty 500lb (33st) with a dangerously high BMI of 60, he felt like he was ‘playing Russian roulette’ with his life.
Zach Moore, 36, even recorded a ‘goodbye’ video to eight-year-old son Zach Jr, because he believed his weight would soon kill him.
After being hospitalised with food poisoning in 2013, Zach realised he had to change his life – and turn his life and health around for his child and wife Amber, 30.
So he quit smoking, stopped drinking fizzy drinks, cut out sugar and sought out weight loss surgery.
Zach Moore, 36, has revealed his amazing transformation from 500Ibs to 150Ibs
The mixed martial arts fight card promoter even recorded a ‘goodbye’ video to Zach Jr
He lost the incredible amount of weight in just under two years, after having a gastric bypass and walking 10,000 steps a day.
But his extreme weight loss left him with horrific hanging skin all over his body that left him with sores, infections and difficulty moving.
Since then he’s been under the knife ten times to remove the skin and after recovering from his last surgery – a belly-button revision five months ago – he’s revealed his body for the first time.
After losing 350Ibs, he was left with 28Ibs of excess skin and fat which impacted his mobility
Now he has had the multiple surgeries he said he has a new lease of life
Zach said he is now able to play, run around and have fun with his young son
Zach, from Pierson in Florida, US, said: ‘In the video from 2013, I was reading my son Dr Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham story, I believed it would be my last Christmas with my family.
‘We filmed it so that Zach Jr. could grow up with memories to remember his dad by.
‘I truly felt like my life was coming to an end. I knew it was near. It’s not a good feeling knowing that all you have left to offer your family is memories.
‘I almost ate myself to death, but instead I found inner strength and worked very hard to get to where I am today.’
ZACH’S OBESITY-BATTLING SURGERIES
Gastric Bypass – May 2014
Fleur de lis tummy tuck – December 2016
Muscle repair – December 2016
Umbilical hernia repair – December 2016
Butt lift – December 2016
Breast reduction with nipple reconstruction – December 2016
Umbilical hernia revision – May 2017
Belly button revision – May 2017
70-inch waist
At his heaviest weight, Zach was an excessive eater, consuming whatever takeaways he fancied as well as drinking at least two liters of cola each day.
After making changes following his food poisoning hospitalisation, he lost 110lb (7 stone 8Ibs) in 100 days.
It kickstarted his journey back to health and gave him the courage to seek out weight loss surgery three years ago.
Zach said: ‘I was having issues walking, breathing and getting around every day, I had lost all of my sexual desire and was just miserable in life.
‘I also had issues while sleeping and had to use a lot medication for health concerns along with a lot of visits to the doctor.
‘I had a 70-inch waist, my legs alone were bigger than most people’s bodies and definitely larger than my entire body today.’
Zach, a mixed martial arts fight card promoter, said his muscles had begun to waste away after years of being so inactive.
‘I had to start from scratch, slowly building up muscle mass in my upper body, core area, back and legs,’ he said.
He has had an ‘extreme’ type of tummy tuck known as a feur de lis which leaves scars horizontally and vertically
‘Injuries and downtime due to wheelchair and crutches usage, plus years of inactivity, had caused serious muscle atrophy.
‘The weirdest thing is how fit I am, I never expected myself to go from extremely obese to healthy, most people are surprised by how I look and can’t tell I used to be obese.’
‘I’ve gone from an enormous stomach to having abs, it’s weird being able to tone my body.
Multiple surgeries
But despite all his hard work and progress, Zach was left feeling down-heartened by his excess skin.
He went under the knife for an ‘extreme’ type of tummy tuck known as a feur de lis, which is reserved for people who have lost an extreme amount of weight.
It is a complex surgery requiring two incisions vertically and horizontal, to get rid of more excess skin and fat than the standard abdominoplasty.
Zach has also had surgery for muscle repair, butt lift, breast reduction with a nipple reconstruction, belly button revision and more.
Zach has revealed years of being inactive had started to make his muscles waste away
He still hopes to have upper thigh and upper arm skin removal surgery in the future.
‘I have went through one phase of surgeries, thanks to that phase of skin removal I will not have rashes or itches for the next 40 to 50 years of my life in those areas,’ he explained.
‘I feel like I was playing Russian roulette with my life for the last two years, I’m fortunate to be this far along.’
A new life
Zac said the weight loss and surgeries have completely transformed his life.
‘There are a lot of simple everyday things I’m able to do now, that I couldn’t do when I was obese,’ he said.
‘Things like driving a car, sitting comfortably in an airplane seat, walking through the market without stopping to catch my breath, going on field trips with my sons class, and making plans with friends and not cancelling on them.
‘I’m even able to do more daring things like 5k runs, going to the gym, and heading to the beach and theme parks with my family, I’m just so much more confident.
Zach is now making the most of being able to engage in physical activities with his son.
He said: ‘The thought of not being around kicked me into gear. I didn’t want my son growing up with a tombstone for a father and it pushed me to keep fighting during the hard moments.
‘I watch that video all the time. It’s brought me to tears thinking I was so close to not being here. Because I fought so hard I can now tell my story to others.
‘It’s been worth every moment of the last year. It’s definitely given me access to different things I couldn’t do before like running, playing with my son, hiking, swimming and more.’
Appeal for help
Now Zach is fundraising to remove part of the excess skin on his thighs.
He hopes that it will help him fit into clothing better in the future and boost his confidence.
The father-of-one is now appealing for funding for a final operation to remove excess skin at the top of his thighs
He says the hanging loose skin makes him look like he has an extra pair of testicles
He said: ‘Once you lose so much weight you fully run out of elasticity in your skin.
‘Due to the skin sagging below my underwear it looks like I have an extra pair of testicles.
‘It’s kind of funny, although it’s also quite challenging to have to wear compression garments every day to keep the excess skin from flapping around and falling out of my shorts.
‘It’s hard to go clothes shopping for shorts and pants. I have a lot of issues with my thighs and upper arms. Someday I’m hoping my skin removal surgery will be complete.
‘It will help complete my journey, and make me feel a lot better about myself.’
To donate to Zach’s cause, visit here.
