While there’s no questioning James Sampson’s culinary chops, the task of navigating a food truck at over 800 pounds is burdensome.
“I couldn’t stop and pity myself because I had gotten so big. I still had to go. I still had a mortgage to pay. I still had bills to pay,” said Sampson.
Growing up, Sampson was active, but his weight began to spiral as a young adult. Efforts to cut weight were often fruitless; he’d lose some weight, but gain more, a cycle that would continue for years.
When he launched
in 2015, he weighed 700 pounds. Medication for heart issues led him to retain water weight, eventually leading him to his high-mark of 819 pounds.
James Sampson loses more than 500 lbs in less than 3 years.
“At that weight, you deal with death on a daily and you don’t really focus too much on everything else,” said Sampson.
A fall in his shower spurred him to take serious action.
“I was so obese, it took me 3 hours to get off the floor just to get in my bed. And that broke me,” said Sampson.