Showing the world that it’s never too late to take your life in a completely new direction, a man from Detroit (US) who was grossly overweight recently completed a full marathon after losing a staggering 230 kgs. Carlos Orosco, 43, took three years to achieve this goal, after being told by his doctor that his prospects for living much longer would be very bleak if he didn’t do something drastic. At that point Carlos was having to go to a clinic twice a week for wound care, because his obesity had caused his legs to swell so much. The skin had cracked and it refused to heal, plus he had painful gout, high blood pressure and more.

Then everything changed. He went from heavy drinking to no drinking, from three fast-food stops per day to none, and from huge meals to small portions of healthy fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken. He started exercising and lost 50 kilos rapidly. This not only increased his strength and health, but it prepared him for a surgery called sleeve gastrectomy which removed about 80% of his stomach. The final helping hand to get him in tip top shape came from a fitness boot camp where the owners greeted Carlos like a son. He told them of his goal to run a full 42 km marathon and they made it happen for him with special training and constant support. "It's been a blessing. It gave me my life back," said Carlos in an emotional interview, where he added that he was dedicated to keep on running and staying healthy.