"Dancing Kevin" opens up about 162 pound weight loss on life-changing anniversary
The Columbus Blue Jackets are doing a lot of winning this season, while one of the NHL team’s biggest fans has spent the past year doing the most losing.
Kevin Schroeder earned the nickname Dancing Kevin as the guy who proudly bared his belly and showed off his signature dance moves in front of the hometown crowd at Nationwide Arena. For years, Blue Jackets fans would erupt with excitement the second his painted stomach popped up on the big screen.
Those days are over.
In just 365 days, Schroeder has undergone a dramatic transformation – losing nearly half of his body weight. Now he’s enjoying the Blue Jackets' historic season as well as the perks of his new body.
“It’s the little things like being able to fit into the seats at Nationwide Arena," Schroeder said.
That wasn’t the case just one year ago. Schroeder stepped on the scale and weighed 358 pounds. He was feeling miserable and worried about his health.
“I hit rock bottom,” Schroeder said. “I was wallowing in self-pity and despair.”
But the big wake-up call came when Schroeder’s sister suffered a series of brain aneurysms and strokes.
“That could be me,” he thought.
The dangerous consequences of his lifestyle now a reality, Schroeder was ready to get serious about his health. With the help of a life coach and a trainer, he changed his diet and started working out. It didn’t take long for the pounds to start coming off at a rapid rate.
In only a year, Schroeder is now down to his target weight after losing 162 pounds.
“It’s weird,” he said. “I still look in the mirror and I don’t believe it’s me.”
Schroeder doesn’t plan to lose any more pounds. Instead, he wants to maintain his weight by staying active. He lifts weights at least three times per week and mixes in cardio, yoga, and pilates.
Though he admits he doesn’t love to run, Kevin will celebrate the one-year anniversary of his weight loss journey by taking part in ‘The 5th Line 5K’ on February 5, 2017. Crossing the finish line on the ice at Nationwide Arena will be extra special – he kicked off his new healthy lifestyle at the same race last year.
“I’m going to be flooded with memories of where I was last year and where I am now,” Schroeder said. “You might even see Crying Dancing Kevin.”
