Everyone has their breaking point. Over the years, Tony Bussey of Alberta, Canada, has gained so much weight, that he took up 2 plane seats when being evacuated from the flames and terror that was the Fort McMurray Wildfire. This shameful experience pushed the 567-pound dad to promise himself he'd lose weight, and holy smokes did he deliver.
In May 2016, everyone in Tony's area believed that the worst of McMurray fire was history. But just as Bussey and other folks were returning to their daily lives, the fire returned with all of its devastating strength. Planes were brought in to evacuate the site.
At that point, Bussey was so obese, he struggled to put on his socks, not to mention his size-66 pants. When the man arrived at the airport, he was put to the very front of the line because of his weight. It was yet another example of how much additional attention Tony's body was getting. And, unfortunately, it was something the man was growing used to.
Everything changed when the rescue team had to provide Tony two seats in order to take him to safety. Physically preventing someone else from joining the flight was something he couldn't live with. "I kept thinking, 'Here it is: somebody's wife, somebody's husband, somebody's family member is waiting for their mom or dad or their loved ones to come home, and their loved ones have to wait longer now because I'm too fat to sit next to.' That had a profound effect on me," Bussey told CBC News.
"Seeing people having to wait because I was too fat to sit next to, that was it for me," he said. Bussey started his weight loss immediately after the evacuation. When he arrived at the hotel room for his temporary stay, he peeled off the skin from his chicken and ordered veggies instead of fries. Tony had transformed "one day" into "day one."
Soon, he started walking and gradually increasing the length of his exercises - from five to ten minutes, and so on. "Three-hundred and twenty-six pounds gone. All naturally. No surgery, no anything. Just watching what I eat and walking," he said. "I basically went on a low-carb, high protein diet."
"Two years ago, I could barely walk to my car," Bussey said. "I could barely fit in my car." Now, he's planning to run a marathon. "The fire, for all the destruction, and for all the hell that it caused... it saved my life." The man is also looking to remove the 20 to 30 pounds of excess skin, which is the result of his unbelievable weight loss.
In 2016, Tony Bussey found himself by the Fort McMurray Wildfire which forced the biggest evacuation in Alberta’s history – over 88,000 people had to leave home
Image credits: Gila National Forest
The rescue team had to provide Tony two seats in order to take him to safety, and it was his breaking point
Image credits: TravelingOtter
At the time, Bussey was so obese, he struggled to put on his socks, not to mention his size-66 pants
Image credits: Tony Bussey
"I kept thinking, 'Here it is: somebody's wife, somebody's husband, somebody's family member is waiting and their loved ones have to wait longer now because I'm too fat to sit next to'"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
“Seeing people having to wait because I was too fat to sit next to...”
Image credits: Tony Bussey
"That was it for me"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
Soon after, he started walking and gradually increasing the length of his exercises - from five to ten minutes, and so on
Image credits: Tony Bussey
"Three-hundred and twenty-six pounds gone. All naturally. No surgery, no anything"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
"Just watching what I eat and walking"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
These side-by-side pics perfectly reveal just how big Tony's transformation actually is
Image credits: Tony Bussey
"Two years ago, I could barely walk to my car. I could barely fit in my car"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
"The fire, for all the destruction, and for all the hell that it caused... it saved my life"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
As his next goal, Bussey plans to run a marathon! "There is hope. I was 41 when I started this, almost 600 pounds. If I can do this, anyone can"
Image credits: Tony Bussey
People were quick to congratulate Tony on his hard-earned results
