Aviano Airman sheds pounds to join AF

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. R.J. Biermann
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  The path to creating a healthier you can often be a long one, full of potholes, roadblocks and detours.

For one 731st Munitions Squadron munitions support crew member, his grueling, uphill journey eventually led him enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Tyler Llewellyn, 29, grew up in Durham, N.C. His father was a U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran, and his mother was a nurse. Both led very busy lives, so it was common for Llewellyn to spend late nights in front of the TV, eating snack, after snack, after snack.

"I was very lazy and my parents worked a lot, so I had easy access to all the junk food I wanted," recalls Llewellyn. "They were busy enough, they didn't realize when several snacks went missing at a time."

Llewellyn eventually picked up a part-Southern, part-Cockney accent from watching so many British TV programs.

"I tried to mimic the actors so, I focused a lot of my attention to how they spoke," said Llewellyn. "I thought it made me sound more noteworthy. Put me next to my parents now and you'll definitely hear the difference."

Slowly but surely, Llewellyn began to pack on the pounds and eventually peaked at about 320 pounds.

"When you're that big, you try to avoid the scale," he said. "It got so bad that I remember watching people play basketball and I got a side stitch."

At 19, working at a frozen yogurt parlor and living under his parents' roof, Llewellyn was ready to make some much-needed life changes. His first step was to find a new job.

"My dad was a Marine, so he told me about all of the services," Llewellyn said. "I went and spoke with all of the recruiters and the Air Force was most willing to work with me. Of course, he told me I had to be below a certain weight before I could join."

Llewellyn was determined to lose 120 pounds in just three years so he could join the Air Force. He knew the journey wasn't going to be easy, but he was going to make it a fun one.

"I hated treadmills and was too embarrassed to run outside, but I loved Dance Dance Revolution," he said. "I started doing it five or more times a week for an hour a day and I started to see progress."

The video game employs a dance mat with four arrows laid out in a cross pattern. Players pick a song and dance to visual cues that appear on their TV screen. To most, DDR is a form of entertainment, to Llewellyn it was his high intensity trainer.

"I started [the process] with two friends who eventually moved on, but I kept doing it," said Llewellyn. "It sounds crazy, but I developed this voice in my head that would keep me accountable. When I was sitting on the couch, it'd tell me, 'Do some exercises while you're sitting here.' When I went out to eat the voice would tell me, 'You're not eating that.' Needless to say, my friends got a lot of free meals out of the deal."

After four months Llewellyn started to see a difference, but the scale wasn't showing him the results he expected. Fortunately, his father intervened before he threw in the towel.

"I didn't realize muscle weighed more than fat," Llewellyn admitted. "If my dad hadn't helped me realize that, I probably would've quit."

Llewellyn hit many plateaus along the way, but his longest came when he was about two years into his journey. He'd lost nearly 60 pounds, but hadn't seen any progress in two months.

"I realized I had to start doing something in addition to DDR," he said. "So, I got the most expensive gym membership I could and started lifting weights. If you pay for it, you're going to care about it."

His return on investment took him all the way to his 120 pound weight-loss goal. He was ready to join the Air Force.

"I saw the same recruiter throughout the entire process and he couldn't believe my transformation," Llewellyn said. "I remember this feeling of relief when I weighed in at [the Military Entrance Processing Station]."

Llewellyn's weight loss journey taught him invaluable life lessons - lessons he wants others to know.

"Let me be your voice of experience - if you care about yourself, be the best you can be," he said. "Set sensible, realistic goals. Tune out what's popular, like "Do this to lose 10 pounds in a week." That's not safe or healthy. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. That will distract you the most. Let your goal drive you, not the number."