This Guy Lost 30 Pounds and Has Kept it Off for 2 Years!

One day in Miami, Yordanis Comejo was celebrating his birthday at the pool when he looked around and noticed that all of his friends looked very fit, as if they took care of their bodies and cared about how they looked. Yordanis felt like he didn’t fit in. 

A man of decisive action, he pulled out his phone in the middle of the party and looked for a personal trainer. If not now, when? He was going to take steps toward his goal right now, no matter the circumstances. 

Within minutes of submitting his survey responses to Kickoff, Craig, a certified personal trainer who trains clients on Kickoff, reached out to Yordanis. Almost two years and 30 pounds later, Yordanis continues working with Craig and progressing on his health journey — which has become about so much more than just losing weight. He keeps going to gain more muscle and look sexier for himself and his husband.

Yordanis is a 38-year-old software developer living in New Jersey with his husband. He works long hours at his job, which can be incredibly stressful. 

Yordanis tried to lose weight in the past, but when he started working with Craig through Kickoff, he knew this time would be different. “Craig puts a lot of effort into getting to know me, understanding which exercises work for me, and checking in on me daily,” says Yordanis. 

Yordanis used to dread going to the gym, but now he’s excited about the new exercises Craig assigns to him. After reviewing Yordanis’ workout statistics from his Apple Watch, Craig will send follow-up notes that can be paragraphs long. This kind of commitment keeps Yordanis coming back. If Craig is this committed to Yordanis’ fitness journey, Yordanis knows he can be that committed too. 

He’s transformed from a gym avoider to a habitual morning workout maven. If Yordanis doesn’t get his workout in early in the day, it’s less likely to happen. Craig’s encouraged him to add more movement throughout his day; he takes walks in the afternoon and evening too.

Variety is a key component of Yordanis’ workout plan. Each workout Craig sends is different, which maintains freshness and excitement. Craig cycles Yordanis between using high and low weights to help him increase muscle mass. When Yordanis started with Kickoff, he was able to squat with 135 pounds — and felt like dying after 12 reps. Now, he can squat with 255 pounds without a problem.

Before Kickoff, Yordanis wasn’t a runner. “Run where and from whom?,” Yordanis would joke with a friend who is a distance runner. Yordanis can now run comfortably. He dedicates one day a week to cardio, often on a treadmill. “Craig taught me how to run while being nice to my body,” says Yordanis. “We started slowly and worked up to more.”

While Yordanis doesn’t follow any specific diet, he uses the food tracking ability in the Kickoff app to share what he eats with his trainer. He also uses it to keep himself accountable to his goal: to eat anything he wants within moderation. Through sharing his food journal with Craig, Yordanis has learned more about macros and finding the right balance of proteins, fats, and carbs for his body. 

Craig tells Yordanis to expect highs and lows in his journey, but the goal is to keep showing up and taking another step. “If you falter, if you eat too much, if you skip the gym one day, that only shows that you’re human. There’s no need to beat yourself up for it. Simply be aware and get up and try again the next day,” says Yordanis.

This mindset helped Yordanis stick with his program and continue showing up. When there’s someone on your team who cares about your health journey as much as you do, it’s easier to stay accountable. While Yordanis has reached some of his health goals, he’s not going anywhere. Tomorrow morning, he’ll be at the gym doing the workout Craig sends him.