{"id":485453,"date":"2026-02-19T14:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/485453\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:19:08","slug":"local-man-loses-300-pounds-hopes-to-inspire-others-through-national-fitness-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/485453\/","title":{"rendered":"Local man loses 300 pounds, hopes to inspire others through national fitness competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

ELMWOOD PLACE, Ohio (WKRC) – Inside a small, cold, and dark garage behind his house is where Chris Reiff\u2019s fitness journey began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very nervous and anxious about going to the gym,\u201d Reiff said. \u201cSometimes you don’t really know where to start, and so, I decided I had to start here.\u201d<\/p>\n

At his heaviest, Reiff weighed 511 pounds.<\/p>\n

Inside a small, cold, and dark garage behind his house is where Chris Reiff\u2019s fitness journey began. (WKRC, Provided)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn’t make a grocery store trip. I needed help putting on my own socks and shoes. I needed help for so many things,\u201d said Reiff.<\/p>\n

He got tired of being in his own way and realized he had to change to be around for his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would watch my kids get tired of helping me, and I couldn’t put the blame on them. They’re just kids. And I didn’t want that for them anymore. I want to be desirable for my wife,\u201d said Reiff. \u201cI want to be around for my kids, my family, and my friends. I want to enjoy my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

In six years, Reiff has dropped more than 300 pounds. Bariatric surgery helped turn his life around. The procedure treats severe obesity by restricting how much people can eat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were times where I would feel like the bariatric surgery was like a cheat,\u201d said Reiff. \u201cI needed a tool, and some people need a tool, and there’s nothing wrong with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He’s put in the work every day since. His transformation is striking, but he says he has also changed as a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe difference in me then and me now is I don’t make the excuses,\u201d said Reiff.<\/p>\n

Reiff never imagined competing for a national fitness title, especially not for a magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n

He now stands to win $20,000 and a feature in Muscle and Fitness magazine. But it’s not just about winning. He hopes his story inspires others who feel stuck like he once did.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you feel like you’re alone, you’re not,\u201d said Reiff. \u201cI’m living proof that it’s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Inside<\/p>\n

Inside a small, cold, and dark garage behind his house is where Chris Reiff\u2019s fitness journey began. (Provided)<\/p>\n

His family sparked\u2014and continues to fuel\u2014his motivation. He admits it’s not easy, and some days motivation alone isn’t enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscipline has been the biggest tool in my tool belt,\u201d said Reiff.<\/p>\n

His advice is to start small and keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started by taking the 10-minute walk a day,\u201d said Reiff.<\/p>\n

If he wins, Reiff hopes to build up his home gym so he can start personal training.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help people that were in the same position that I was in. Not everybody wants to be able to go to the gym. Not everybody wants to be showcased around a lot of people. And I understand that because I was there myself,\u201d said Reiff.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d also get his daughter a reliable car.<\/p>\n

You can help him move on to the next level in the \u201cMen\u2019s Health and Fit 2026\u201d competition. Voting for the top ten ends on Thursday, February 19, at 10 p.m. EST.<\/p>\n

Click here to cast your vote directly.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ELMWOOD PLACE, Ohio (WKRC) – Inside a small, cold, and dark garage behind his house is where Chris…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":485454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-485453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}