A former contestant on ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss, Ryan Sawlsville shares his story of overcoming the odds and taking control of his life.
By Kavita Sabharwal
Ryan Sawlsville has had to overcome some major obstacles in his life. A serious car accident in 2009, which he says should have taken his life, cost him his left arm. Already struggling with his weight since childhood, the accident left the 25-year-old Appleton, Wisconsin native unwilling to leave his home. He made a habit of eating late at night and rarely exercised until a friend pointed out that something had to change.
“I realized being overweight was more of a disability than losing my arm and something had to change,” says Sawlsville. “I wasn’t in control of losing my arm. It was gone and it wasn’t coming back. I was in control of my weight, however, and I felt like I was letting myself down and letting my family down.”
Committing to a Change
A friend challenged Sawlsville to try out for the third season of Extreme Weight Loss and helped him through the extensive process of interviews, paperwork and a video application to be considered for the show, including an emotional visit to the scene of his car accident. Following rounds of cuts, Sawlsville was surprised by a Green Bay Packers jersey-wearing Extreme Weight Loss transformation specialist Chris Powell while at the Packers Hall of Fame at Lambeau Field, announcing that he had made it on the show.
The two-hour episode (which aired on June 26, 2013) started with Sawlsville weighing in at 410 pounds. The episode followed Sawlsville for one year as he hiked, did CrossFit workouts and spent hours at the gym with Powell and Powell’s wife Heidi. They started by making small adjustments to workouts so he could do them one-handed, but he continued to push himself, not wanting to let having one arm become an excuse for himself. Sawlsville paired his exercise regimen with clean eating according to Powell’s food plan of consuming 1,800 to 2,000 calories throughout five small meals per day. Sawlsville chose to not consume junk food to avoid going back on his goals, although contestants were given a “free day” where they were not required to work out or rigidly stick to the food plan.
By the end of the episode, Sawlsville had lost 217 pounds, or 53 per cent of his former body weight to finish at 193 pounds, surpassing the results of any other contestant on the show and earning him the nickname ‘Juggernaut’ from Powell for hitting all his goals. As a reward for working tirelessly to achieve his goals, Sawlsville received a state-of-the-art prosthetic from Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics from the show.
Since leaving the show, Sawlsville’s weight sits at about 220 to 230 pounds, which is where he wants to stay. He has built up more muscle since leaving the show and says this range is what works best for him. To maintain his new shape, Sawlsville usually works out for an hour per day running and lifting weights, and continues to eat clean. The show connected him with Ryan Dart of CrossFit Appleton, who Sawlsville works out with as Dart helps him achieve his personal training certification. Sawlsville’s dream is to one day open his own gym as a certified personal trainer, alongside his future wife and children.
Giving back
Sawlsville will be speaking at the Symphony of Wellness Canada event on May 29 and 30, 2014. Created by Felicia Pizzonia, a registered nutritionist with certifications in fitness and exercise, the Symphony of Wellness is aimed at educating people on how to lose weight the healthy way and keep it off.
Sawlsville knows first hand what a struggle it was to even get to the point of wanting to losing weight, and believing that he could. To support others, he has started a 21-day challenge on Facebook where he provides advice and support for people looking to lose weight and make a positive change their lives.
Sawlsville believes the biggest obstacle in losing weight is lacking confidence in yourself, the fear of the unknown and the fear of failure. “People get hung up on what could happen, causing them to not try,” he says. “What they need to do is have somebody come into their lives that believes in them, builds them up until they start to believe in themselves. That’s what Chris Powell, Ryan Dart, my family and the show did for me. They all believed in me and then I got to a place where I believed in myself.”
If you want to lose weight you need to know that it will take a lot of hard word and dedication – and you have to be consistent. “Honestly, the first time I’ve been consistent was on the show,” says Sawlsville. “Looking back now, I think me not putting effort into anything is what got me where I was,” says Sawlsville. “After the car accident, I had a chance; I could take control of my future. I realized that as long as you’re not dead, you can still fight; you can still transform your life.” And now that he’s learned how to fight, there’s no turning back. VM
