In 2019, MarketSource District Manager Slaten Burney found himself returning to the emergency room on a monthly basis because his heart would randomly stop beating. He had a moment of realization that if he didn’t make a change to his 500-pound frame, there would be dire consequences. “Either I did something, or I was going to die,” Slaten recalls. “My heart was under tremendous stress, and my legs were so swollen from fluid that my body was very weak—so I chose to live.”
Slaten knew it would be an uphill battle. “I started this journey fully expecting to not make it through to the end. I just knew in my heart that it was too late…but if I was going to go down, I wouldn’t go down without a fight.” The first change he made was cutting out all fast food and soda. He stopped going to birthday parties and events because he knew he wouldn’t be able to control his eating. “I actually lost friends because I was focusing my time on my health versus maintaining my relationships,” he explains. “That was hard.” He lost his first 100 pounds by simply changing his diet. “I did zero exercise,” he says. “I was too frightened my heart would give out. But as the weight continued to fall off, I became more confident that my heart could handle it, so I started an exercise regimen.”
As of now, Slaten has lost a whopping 283 pounds—without surgeries or pills—and credits this feat to his competitive side, which motivated him to push further than he ever thought. After crushing goal after goal after goal, Slaten says he is only two to three pounds short of his goal weight of 215.
Says Slaten, “My weight loss has affected everything I do. Mainly, it’s given me the confidence to know that hard things can be done with a consistent and steadfast mentality. I also gained my independence; it’s hard to be a self-reliant, do-it-all person if you can’t stand up out of your own recliner!
More specifically, Slaten says his weight loss has had a profoundly positive impact on relationships in his personal life, as well as at MarketSource. “My family and friends, and the experiences and memories we create, are the most important part of my personal life. So, naturally, I find myself making those same relationships with the people I work with. With every goal met and strategy produced, there are a million laughs and conversations behind those accomplishments, and that’s what fills my bucket.”
He adds, “I honestly can’t believe it some days. I don’t recognize the ‘old me’ in pictures or even the ‘new me’ in the mirror. Sometimes, it can be a bit overwhelming thinking back to what I was dealing with and how many milestones I’ve crossed over the past five years. It’s both the hardest and best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Keep on laughing and winning, Slaten!
#Weightloss #HealthyLife #MarketSourceProud
“Either I did something, or I was going to die,” Slaten recalls. “My heart was under tremendous stress, and my legs were so swollen from fluid that my body was very weak—so I chose to live.”
