Brown Karl Wealth Is Health

What one event changed your life?

It was an extremely cold morning with about six inches of snow. I remember my dad, brother, sister, and several close friends being at the hospice in Blue Ash, Ohio, when I arrived. About an hour after my arrival, I remember the hospice nurse coming into the waiting area where I was with my brother and saying to us, - “It’s happening, Your mom’s legs are getting cold, and her breathing is very labored.” Words I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Walking into the room, I immediately stood over my mom and started crying and saying, “I love you, mom!” She just laid there full of morphine and pain meds. I said “I Love you” again and again, and nothing. I needed closure, so I shouted “I love you”, and my mom’s eyes opened. She looked at me and said, “I love you too, son.” Then she went back down into a sleep-like state and eventually died. Not many people get to hear their dying mom say, “I love you,” and for that, I’m thankful, but the death of my mom was a traumatic event I was not ready for.

How did you gain over 100 lbs, especially being a trainer?

The death of my mom really sent me into a deep depression as I was also dealing with a divorce. Dealing with these two things, I stopped exercising and began drinking and gaining weight because of out-of-control eating. As I began gaining weight, I would wear bigger clothes and tell people I was getting into powerlifting and bulking up. When in actuality, I was depressed, anxious, and had zero energy to dedicate to my workout. Excessive eating was the way I soothed myself. The combination of all these things led to me gaining over 100 lbs.

When did you make the connection between physical health and mental health?

The actual moment came when I blacked out at home twice, hitting my head on the wall and floor both times. It was then I realized that I had to snap out of this depression and get myself in some sort of shape as I come from a family with a history of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

What physical changes started happening to your body as a result of the weight gain?

At 311 lbs, it’s hard to have a nice phy- sique, and mine was absolutely awful. I had love handles, the fatty tissue in my chest area made me look as though I had developed breasts, I gained weight in my face, and I couldn’t run a quarter mile.

How did you begin the journey to losing over 100 lbs?

Losing over 100 lbs was not easy as I would lose the weight in 5 lb increments. In doing this, I began to understand that change starts from within with your mindset. Once you believe in yourself and do not let anything or anyone get in your way, change is inevitable. When I first started on my journey, people were happy. As I lost 30-40-50 lbs, people would tell me; - “You look great now. Don’t lose any more weight.” As I began to drop upwards of 60-80-90 lbs, those people said to me, -” You’re too skinny,” “You look like your sick,” and “What are you trying to prove?”. Then soon as people found out I was modeling, those same people would say, “You look amazing!”. I say that to say only you know what you want to accomplish, and whether people are praising you or ridiculing you, you have to stick to what you believe.

What motivates you now?

My motivation is my mental health and the fact that a lot of opportunities I had in my 20s and were too insecure about taking advantage of are coming back to me now in my 50s, which is crazy in its own right. That’s what motivates me now. I want to see how far I can push the envelope. Who knows, I always dreamed of performing in a Cirque de Soleil, maybe just maybe.

Follow Karl: @Mochaskinmodel