Local 12 - Local man on mission to lose half his body weight one step at a time

FORT THOMAS, Ky. (WKRC) - A local father of three is on a mission to lose half his body weight, and thanks to a generous donation, he’s more motivated than ever.

James Henline, a Fort Thomas resident, weighs more than 400 pounds and recently decided to make a change.

“The main thing is, I need to be here for my kids,” he said. “I need to make sure that they have a father going forward. I’ve got a 17-, 14-, and 9-year-old. I’ve got a lot of time left before they hit college and have kids of their own and grandkids and I want to be there for all of it.”

Three months ago, Henline began changing his diet and logging everything using the MyFitnessPal app.

“If I was going over 2,000 calories, that was it,” he said. “I stopped eating. It was as simple as saying, ‘That’s it. I’m done for the day. I’ve had enough. I’m not going to starve. I’ve had enough.’”

Henline dropped 50 pounds, but with a goal of losing about 200 more, he knew he needed to incorporate fitness as well.

“I scoured Amazon and every other online retailer for hours, looking for a treadmill that would work for someone who’s 400+ pounds,” he said.

Unfortunately, the ones that hold someone of his weight cost thousands of dollars.

He wrote an email to Planet Fitness, asking if they had any discounted treadmills, and they delivered him a brand new Precor treadmill for free.

“It’s about him wanting to be better and more healthy and better to support his wife and children,” said Teddy Savage, head of Planet Fitness Health & Fitness Excellence. “And showing an example that you don’t have to be perfect. He’s not trying to be perfect. He’s just trying to progressively get to where he wants to be.”

Savage wants Henline’s story to serve as motivation for others.

“No matter who you are. No matter where you are. No matter your circumstances, you can do it,” Savage said. “This treadmill is just going to be a component of that. It’s not going to be a super power or secret sauce that’s going to automatically get him to his fitness goals. It’s just one element of it.”

Three months into his weight loss journey and Henline has already seen that hard work pays off.

“I’m wearing suspenders because my belt no longer fits,” he said. “I had to go to suspenders because my pants fall down. And I don’t plan to change my pants size until I’m absolutely forced to. And that’s part of my motivation.”

“One day at a time. One step at a time,” Savage said. “It’s okay if you fall, right? As long as you fall in direction of that goal, you’re moving in the right direction.”

For Henline, that goal isn’t just about the number on the scale. It’s about being there for his kids.

“I want to see what they accomplish,” he said. “I don’t want to be a memory to them. I want to be part of their memories.”