I know that I do a lot of stuff here ripping on people and pointing out the stupid shit that they do, but every once in a while, it's worthwhile to point out something cool that someone has done. Case in point:

Army and Navy recruiters took one look at 330-pound Ulysses Milana and told him to forget about joining. "'You've got to lose weight,'" Milana remembers them saying. But Marine recruiters were willing to work with him as he began his weight-loss journey in December 2007.

Now, 11 months later, Milana is 140 pounds lighter as he leaves Monday for Parris Island, S.C., to begin boot camp.

It wasn't easy, Milana said, but he managed to slim down through exercise, healthier eating habits and forgoing an occasional beer after work. The 23-year-old said he even refused a beer at his going-away party Saturday night.

Milana said he always wanted to follow in his family's footsteps by serving his country. His wife, Latoya, also comes from a military family.

Much of his weight-loss motivation came from Latoya, a nurse, who helped him reduce his calorie intake when he began his effort in earnest last December.

"It was really difficult for him at first. He always said, 'I'm gonna lose weight.' But I never took him seriously," Latoya told the Sun Journal newspaper. "Then, when he started to do it, I told him he needed to cut his portion sizes way down."

The man apparently gave up things like pizza, hot wings, and even beer to slim down enough just so that he'd be able to make it into boot camp. That's fucking awesome.

I hope he makes it through basic training and becomes a full-fledged Marine.

Posted by: Sean M. at 05:35 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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