Photos courtesy of Chris Waters.
If you ran into Chris Waters on the street today, you’d never imagine he once weighed 601 lbs, but after a lot of hard work and dedication to his health, Waters proved anything is possible when you set your mind to it.
Waters did so in late June in London, Ont. when he and trainer, Rene Weinkauf, who’s been working with Waters since 2018, took on the best in Canada in the Ultimate Fitness Experience’s (UFE) Transformation competition and won.
Unlike some organizations that host open competitions, UFE is a strictly all-natural fitness group where winners are drug tested after the competition.
“UFE does your traditional bodybuilding and physique competitions, but the one thing that’s really kicked off for them is the transformation division,” said Waters.
“The transformation division is for people who have gone through life-changing physical changes … and for a lot of people, that’s the number-one reason we step into the gym. We’re not stepping into the gym to compete at Mr. Olympia, we just want to get healthy.”
With the Canadian Transformation title in the books, Waters now has his sights set on the World Transformation Championship in Toronto next November.
“I’m hoping to bring the World Championship back to Lloyd as well,” he said.
A win in Toronto would also help Waters punch his pro card to be considered a professional athlete with the UFE.
Roughly a decade ago, Waters wasn’t near where he is now in regard to his health and fitness.
Weighing 601 lbs with a six-month-old son at home, a trip to the doctor in February 2014 became a reality check for the new dad.
“I wasn’t feeling good and the doctor said if I didn’t do something I wasn’t going to see my boy go to kindergarten,” he said.
“I think that was the one that resonated with me the most because I lost my dad at 11 and grew up most of my life without a father. I couldn’t imagine leaving my son at say, three years old.”
Doctors quickly got Waters in touch with the Slim Band clinic in Toronto as drastic action was needed.
“I went through the process there, paid the $25K, flew to Toronto and got the gastric slim band put in May 2015,” he said.
Waters explained he lost 180-190 lbs with the band and dieting alone but plateaued in 2018.
“That’s when I knew I needed to step into the gym,” he said. “I was probably about 380-400 lbs at that point, so going into the gym was daunting. I got laughed at, I got pointed at, you get the ‘what the heck are you doing here’ looks.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, I just started lifting weights.”
According to Waters, the key to his success was the support of his family and friends, while also having the drive to be a better husband and father.
“I stay healthy, not necessarily to compete all the time, but I want to be healthy to be the father and husband I should be,” he said.
When Waters first started the journey to better his health, the drive was to be there for his wife and young son, while also proving to himself and other obese people it was achievable.
“You gotta put the effort and work in, and that first six months in the gym will probably be the worst six months of your life … but the reward is so great,” he said.
“It’s not just physical health I’ve achieved through weight loss, it’s the mental health, my confidence, my self-worth… I’m a better husband, a better father because, for the first time in your life, you’re looking into the mirror and actually seeing something you like.”
