How a Low-Carb Diet and Weekly Meal Planning Helped a 37-Year-Old Dad Lose 95 Pounds and Start Running Marathons
Reaching a personal breaking point is often the catalyst for lasting change. For Wes Whitaker, a 37-year-old dad from Indiana, his breaking point came in the form of a 95-pound weight loss journey. After reaching his heaviest weight, Whitaker lacked energy, faced constant migraines, experienced shortness of breath doing routine activities, and felt a growing sense of discomfort in his own skin. Ultimately, such conditions prompted him to completely rethink his health.
"I was a new dad to a beautiful baby girl, and that truly changed my perspective in wanting to take charge of my health so I could be present for her as the best version of myself," Whitaker says. "I also have a family history of diabetes and was seeing the devastating impact that poor health choices were having on people closest to me who I cared about deeply."
Whitaker says he didn't want that same trajectory for himself and decided to take responsibility by changing his habits and building a healthier future. Read on to learn about the exact changes he made along his weight loss journey.
Diet and Nutrition
Through working with Virta Health via his employer, Whitaker adopted a low-carb diet, eliminating sugar and monitoring his ketones and glucose daily. He limited his carb intake to 30 grams or less per day to allow the body to rely on fat for fuel instead of carbs.
"I've found there are lots of replacement or substitution items that give me opportunities to still eat 'normal' food while maintaining my nutrition plan," he says.
Weekly Workouts
When Whitaker began his fitness journey, he started with running and walking workouts to build consistency and establish a routine. But after losing 40 pounds, he pushed himself further by training for and completing his first triathlon. Seven months into his transformation, he set his sights on a full marathon, which he completed in November 2025. Now, his longer-term goal is to complete the seven Abbott World Major marathons.
Today, Whitaker's training weeks vary depending on whether he's training for a marathon. When he's not in a training block, he'll do three to four-mile runs with five days of weight training. During marathon training, he'll run five days a week with one cross-training day and one rest day.
Helpful Habits
Two of the most important habits in Whitaker's weight loss journey were meal planning and prepping, along with having a strategy for eating out. By mapping out meals for the week, he was able to stay better aligned with his nutrition plan and reduce the temptation to make less healthy choices.
Because he travels a lot for work, Whitaker created a habit of looking at restaurant menus ahead of time to determine what fits in with his nutrition plan. This would often look like making menu modifications or even bringing a few staples from home.
"I think there's a misconception that if you want to lose weight, you have to deprive yourself of food and be hungry all the time. The human body is amazing. I've found over the last two years that if you fuel your body properly, you can still eat amounts of food that satisfy your hunger and give your body what it needs to help you be healthy. It's all about making the right choices and transforming your lifestyle that will make the difference," Whitaker says.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fitness section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 5:08 PM.