Big Boy Explains His Weight Loss Secret

Before and after: Big Boy's weight loss

 It wasn't until world famous radio host Kurt "Big Boy" Alexander nearly died that he finally understood how serious his weight problem was. The Los Angeles-based personality and author of new book An XL Life: Staying Big at Half the Size (Cash Content) said his wake-up call came after serious health complications stemming from Duodenal Switch, a gastric reduction surgery extreme, to which he submitted. last month September. 2010 to shed over 200 lbs. of the old 500+ lbs. frame.

“I had to fight for my life a couple of times [after the surgery],” admits Big Boy. “I was in the intensive care unit for 10 days. I had to be fed through a feeding tube, have multiple blood transfusions… It was awful. That’s why I tell people that surgery [for weight loss] should always be your last option–if at all.”

Big Boy said that while he didn't go for weight-loss surgery as his first attempt, he now hopes to work harder to lose weight on his own. In 2002, he was able to lose some weight after an on-air challenge from longtime friend and superstar actor Will Smith, who offered to donate $1,000 for every pound Big Boy lost to a charity of his choice. "I was able to lose over 111 pounds through diet and exercise," explains the media titan, who admits the health-conscious path is short-lived. “The first thing I did after weighing in and getting the $111,000 check was go straight from the radio station to this Mexican restaurant for chicken nachos. My thoughts are still not correct about my eating habits.”

The impact of Big Boy's poor diet was immediate and severe. "I can feel all this new weight on my back," he said, admitting he gained 111 pounds and then some. “My legs started to go numb and once I walked through the Burbank airport I got short of breath and had to stop walking. It never happened to me before. It scares me."

Despite having seen others in his life, including his mother, fall victim to obesity, it wasn't until his health was threatened that Big Boy finally understood that he was literally eating himself to death. "I've had several 'aha' moments about my weight over the years," she shares. “Initially, my mother died at the age of 57. I have high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes, all these weight-related issues.

"Also, my friends who weighed less than me died," Big Boy continued, referring to the late rap star Christopher "Big Pun" Rios, who died in 2000, even after losing 100 pounds. "I remember being on the phone with him and saying, 'My God, we have to fix this. After he died, I started thinking, Do I have more years behind me than ahead of me? That's a good question.

Fortunately, for Big Boy, the answer is no. In recent years, the married father of two has vowed to keep his weight down, with the help of basketball, martial arts, weight loss support groups, guidance from doctors and nutritionists. “While writing this book, I realized that food, like in many African-American families, was a source of comfort [for me],” he says. "Now I still love food, but I know a lot more about nutrition, portion sizes, and exercise, and I'm passing these new eating habits on to my kids."