McLaughlin had struggled with weight his entire life. At age 10 he weighed 140 pounds; at age 20 he was 280 pounds. By 30, he had reached his heaviest weight of 330 pounds.
In 2010, McLaughlin moved from Ireland to New York, after landing a job as software architect for the New York Stock Exchange. He went out for lunch and dinner with his new American co-workers in an attempt to socialize and make friends — sacrificing all hopes of eating healthy.
“I was living a bachelor lifestyle,” says McLaughlin. “I would eat and drink a lot, which played havoc with the weight.”
He tried The Atkins Diet and Weight Watchers but nothing seemed to click.
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