More than a decade ago, Justin Willoughby was part of the 700 “club,” weighing in at 799 pounds.
This week, the Bradford man will make an appearance on “The 700 Club” TV show, sharing about how he lost much of that weight.
In June, a crew from The Christian Broadcasting Network journeyed to Elk County to shoot footage for Willoughby’s appearance on the talk show. He will be on the show Wednesday, at 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Freeform and at 3 p.m. on Trinity Broadcasting Network.
His story isn’t simply about weight loss. Over the course of several years, he shed hundreds of pounds. When he was 16 years old, doctors told him he would have to lose weight, or he could die. He weighed in at 799 pounds. Today he is in the 200s.
“It’s really important for me to tell my story, because as we all know, many people struggle with food addiction and morbid obesity,” he said. “My hope is that my story will motivate others to embrace a new way of life. One that isn’t full of addiction to food, but addiction to (God) who created life.”
Willoughby said he didn’t rely on drugs or surgery. His faith played a major role in his weight loss.
“God never created us to be addicted to anything else but Him,” Willoughby said. “When I stopped living life the way that I used to live it, and I embraced God’s design of life, it was then I began to allow God to mold and shape me into who he wanted me to be.”
He said he always desired to appear on “The 700 Club.”
“In the back of my mind, I knew it would happen one day. I just didn’t know when,” he said. “But it was such an honor to be able to share my story with the millions of people who will be viewing it.”
During the taping, he felt nervous, his heart beating a little faster, Willoughby said.
“But it faded after a few minutes –– once I got my focus on why I was there. It wasn’t about me. It was about sharing my story to help others,” he said.
Willoughby is no stranger to TV appearances. He’s appeared on “The Today Show,” “Inside Edition” and “The Doctors.”
He has made other media appearances, too, including The Huffington Post as 2015’s most inspirational weight-loss story of the year as well as the National Enquirer, Woman’s Magazine (UK) and Teen People Magazine.
“This (‘700 Club’ appearance) was my favorite, because it allowed me to share my full story,” Willoughby said. “Many of these TV shows/magazines end up wanting to edit out my faith. Usually because they don’t see it as a value. They just want to see my story as a good weight-loss story. However, without Jesus –– there would be no story. Period.”
Willoughby is a health coach, a motivational speaker and an author. He wrote a book called “One Step: How I Took One Step to Lose 600lbs.”
For more information on Willoughby and his journey, see www.onestepnation.com.
