LA Musician ‘Papa Joe’ Loses 250 Pounds On 99 Cent Store Diet

June 18, 2013

Papa Joe Aviance's Inspiring Weight Loss

by Tammy J. Colter

We have all been on just about every diet out there.  Perhaps some of these diets sound familiar to you:  The Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, the South Beach Diet...I could go on and on.  But the 99 Cent Store Diet...who ever heard of that? And who's diet concept is this? Well, meet Papa Joe.

Who Is Papa Joe Aviance?

According to Papa Joe Aviance's official bio, he is a triple threat. He's a musician, clothing designer, and CEO of his LA-based production company, Papa Joe Networks. To say that he is creative and ambitious is an understatement. The Michigan native has been following his dreams (and making them come true) since 2002 when he left his home town and the corporate world behind and set out for Hollywood to become an actor.

Once in the city filled with celebrities and wanna-be's, Aviance found himself working at a video store while pursuing his career.  It was at that store that he met a customer, Eddie Amador, a world famous DJ and producer.  The two would go on to collaborate on a song, entitled Now, which then led to other music opportunities. That song would later come to represent how Papa Joe would vow to live his life, "Stop talking about it, and live your life NOW!"

As it turns out, Papa Joe had no idea just how Hollywood and music would literally change his life.  He would come to embark on a journey he never dreamed of.

The Beginning of Papa Joe's Weight Loss Journey

Having been overweight most of his life, Aviance was steadfast in keeping a positive attitude and strong work ethics-a trait his grandfather had instilled in him. Feeling judged because of his size, he had always been a happy guy and the first to crack a joke.  He thought that it was just expected of him to be that fat, funny guy.

In 2008, the struggling musician had been laid off from his job and was living on a shoestring budget when he released his first house music song, "Last Night a DJ Saved my Life".  The song reached #6 on Billboard Music Dance Charts and things were looking up for Papa Joe.  The music video for the popular song was playing on VH1 and MTV which is a dream come true for musicians around the world.  But despite his hint of success and that to come, Papa Joe was unhappy. As he sat and watched his music video on the TV screen over and over again, he had a wake-up call...a WOW moment that would transform his life. He was looking at his 450 pound frame and was shocked at how large he had become. He was looking at a man whom he no longer recognized.

Life was exciting and dreams were coming true...but this was not the lifestyle and health that he had envisioned for himself and he was determined to change the course of his life.

“I was two cheeseburgers away from diabetes or high cholesterol, I was sick of hating myself. It was now or never,” he says.

After some soul-searching and experiencing a nervous breakdown, Aviance made a move. He cleared everything out of his refrigerator and got rid of most of the foods in his kitchen cupboards, which consisted of a lot of junk food.  He resolved to stock only healthy foods from that day forward. While he once drank a 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew daily, he promised himself to only drink water.  He decided to not return to "where everybody knows your name".  For him, that was the local fast food drive-throughs.

Eating healthy would prove to be challenging.  At the time, Aviance was not able to afford the expensive foods at the trendy health food stores such as Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe's.  A friend told him about the local 99 Cent Only stores which in LA, carry affordable fresh fruits and vegetables as well as other healthy snacks and dishes.  He checked out the store and was excited and astonished to find that he could eat healthy on an affordable budget of only $50 a week.  His 99 Cent store diet was born out of necessity but it would come to play an important factor in his weight loss.

The City is His Gym

If one cannot afford to eat healthy, it is highly unlikely that they can afford a gym membership.  Such was the case for Papa Joe.  But that would not deter him and stop him from reaching the goals he had set forth.  After all, walking is free and that he did.  While listening to his dance music, he decided to take to the streets and walk, walk, walk.  It was a struggle at first to even walk one block but with sheer determination, he was soon walking five miles a day and inspiring others in his neighborhood. These days, he can be seen incorporating push-ups in the street and performing other strength training moves during his daily walks.  He says that the sidewalk is his treadmill and the city is his gym.

Click here to view Papa Joe tearing up the neighborhood!

Papa Joe Today

"City by city, state by state, I'm expanding my walking route to motivate and inspire others to see that they can achieve their goals and LIVE FOR LIFE," he says.

Papa Joe is living proof that sometimes a dream, a career path you have in mind, can turn in to so much more...Your life's dream can take you on a journey to discovering your life's mission. Papa Joe is now is now living a healthier life and living a dream even he never dared to dream.

 

 

 

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