Greenville man loses nearly 500 pounds

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) -A Greenville man is sharing his weight loss journey after dropping nearly 500 pounds.

Jared Burger is talented a musician who has toured across the county with his band, a lifestyle he says contributed to him weighing 675 pounds.

“I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle I would step on the scale and it would max out,” said Burger. “Weighing 675 pounds is just an unsustainable way to live.”

After being faced with a wide range of medical issues it became a life or death situation. He was suffering with liver issues, sleep apnea, severe anxiety, and a thyroid disorder. It was at that point Burger chose life over death and made the decision to start making healthy choices in his daily life.

“I paid attention to what I was eating I cut out sugar, carbs, and I stopped drinking alcohol. I am coming up on 3 years sober now.”

Burger also got a gym membership and started walking on the treadmill and lifting weights every single day. This helped him lose 300 pounds.

“Going to the gym is scary,” Burger said. “It’s not shameful because you are choosing a better situation for yourself.”

After losing some of the weight he took a day trip to Denver, Colorado where he discovered cycling. On his trip, he found a local bike rental shop where he rented a bike and rode around downtown Denver. When he came back to Greenville, he continued to rent a bike until he decided to purchase one of his own.

“At that point I had become obsessed. Cycling is the closest thing you can get to being a kid it is the most freeing feeling ever”.

Burger fell in love with riding along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, climbing Paris Mountain, and competing in gravel races. He now rides his bike more than 200 miles a week and has officially lost more than 475 pounds. Burger has lost so much weight that he now needs to have skin removal surgery to continue living a healthy lifestyle.

“I have more than 40 pound of excess skin on me right now and it has caused hernias and skin infections. It’s really scary you never know when that’s gong to go septic”.

Burger is hosting the Drop the Rash Bash benefit concert to help raise money for his three upcoming skin removal surgeries. He is hoping to raise $19,000 because health insurance will not cover the procedures.

The concert will feature vendors, food trucks, and a raffle drawing. The event is going to be held Thursday May 25th at the Village Wrench. There will be a ride starting at 6 p.m. and then a concert staring at 7 p.m.

For more information how you can donate to Jared’s cause you can visit their Facebook page.

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