Football player loses 135 lbs., tackles U.S. obesity trend

By Kiara Clark of Cristo Rey High School

Busch holds up an apple, an example of something he'd choose to eat with a meal today instead of something unhealthy like chips or candy.

The rate of obesity among adolescents ages 12-19 increased from 5 percent in the late 1970s to 18.1 percent in 2008.

At a young age John Busch, 21, wanted to play fullback like his older brother Tom, but he was always put on the offensive line because he was overweight.

Busch, a senior at the University of St. Thomas, weighed about 200 pounds in 6th grade. He can’t remember a time when his eating habits were healthy.

By the beginning of his senior year, Busch weighed 360 pounds. After the death of a close friend’s mother due to weight complications, his two older brothers, who weren’t overweight, challenged the rest of Busch’s family to get healthy.

The Busch Family challenge — six weeks of strict dieting and fitness — began June 15, 2009.

“A week or two through the challenge I decided I wanted to go big with it and take extreme measures,” Busch said.

Those included eating the same meal every day and working out for one to two hours a day.

By June 15, after one year, Busch had lost 135 pounds.

“I felt like a new person. My confidence levels grew drastically,”
Busch said.

According to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Busch was far from alone when it came to being obese. The rate of obesity among adolescents ages 12-19 increased from 5 percent in the late 1970s to 18.1 percent in 2008.

The increasing rate of obesity among children and adolescents places them at greater risk of getting high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and more, according to the Minnesota Health Department.

“This is the first time in US history where, teens aren’t going to be as healthy as their parents,” according to Cara McNulty with the Statewide Health Improvement Program.

Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) is with the health department. Cara said that obesity does not discriminate; anyone at anytime in life can be affected by obesity. Babies from 1- to 5-years-old who are overweight or obese will almost always struggle with this later in life, McNulty said.

“It starts at such a young age,” Busch said.

His bad eating habits were hard to kick, but Busch went from things like pizza, burgers and macaroni and cheese to eating the same modest three meals and three snacks every day.

“People asked, ‘John, do you get tired of your routine?’ ” Busch said. “I quickly replied: ‘I do it because I have a goal and I’m going to reach it.’ ”

Before the challenge, Busch would have eaten a lunch of a bacon cheeseburger with fries, two packets of ranch dressing, chips, Starburst, and a large Mountain Dew. And if he were really hungry, he would’ve eaten a cold cut sandwich too.

Last year’s lunch probably had more than 2,000 calories, Busch said.

Today, if he goes out to eat, Busch chooses a turkey sandwich with veggies and no cheese, soy milk and an apple. Busch estimates that lunch to be about 750 calories.

Busch wouldn’t recommend cheating on your diet until reaching your goal weight. Now that he’s reached 225 lbs., he’ll eat pizza once in a while, but always returns to his diet.

“I wouldn’t recommend it, though. If you can stick to your diet, then that’s best,” Busch said.

Busch lost all this weight even though his friends didn’t believe he could do it. A buddy’s girlfriend went so far as telling him she thought he’d only last a week. Busch wanted to prove everyone wrong.

“I am completely brainwashed to get where I have to go. I had no time to look back,” Busch said.

Busch’s friends finally realized he was serious when they went on a three-day trip. Busch packed healthy meals and refused to eat barbeque and drink beer like his friends.

By the time football season came around, Busch realized that although football had helped motivate him to lose weight, now just being healthy was his biggest motivator. Instead of playing football this coming year, he’s decided to focus on school and his health. Without the incentive of trying for the new position, though, “I wouldn’t have lost 135 pounds,” he said.

“I realized that it’s way more important to live well, feel better. (To) feel better about yourself is way more important than playing a sport,” Busch said.

Busch has a new love of life.

“I can’t even remember what I felt like. My confidence levels have risen,” Busch said.