Dave Danna Lost 100 Pounds and Isn’t Done Yet

It was May 2022 and Dave Danna boarded a plane for the first time since the pandemic. He was getting settled in when he realized that the seat belt didn’t fit.

“This was the first time I needed a seat belt extension,” he said. “It was the most embarrassing moment of my adult life.”

Shortly after, Danna got on the scale to check his weight. It gave him an error message. He’d recently moved and assumed that the scale got damaged somehow, so he ordered another one on Amazon.

“I got an error message on that too,” he said.

He quickly realized that the scales could only go up to 400 pounds and he now weighed more than that.

“I was very good at lying to myself about my weight,” Dave said. “I had been avoiding going to the doctor for upwards of a decade.”

Dave now saw he had a serious problem. He considered this his rock bottom.

He reflected on how he got to that point. He didn’t have a weight problem growing up, but he did put on 20 pounds in college. Then once he started a stressful accounting job and did grad school at the same time, his weight kept climbing. From 2014 to 2022, he gained 200 pounds.

Dave never set foot in a gym or participated in any team sports. He was stressed out and under pressure at work. He turned to food for comfort.

“When I had a good day, I’d turn to food as a celebration, and on a bad day, I turned to food as a coping mechanism,” he said.

“There was substantial overeating and mental health issues,” Dave said. “There had to be binge eating and depression going on.”

He was eating fast food and highly processed junk food, as well as drinking a lot of calories. At the same time, he couldn’t do basic things like go upstairs without getting winded or tie his shoes without putting in a lot of effort. Every time he sat down, he was scared that the chair he was on was going to collapse underneath him.

The error message on the scale was a call for action.

“I felt I wasn’t living up to my potential or living how God would want me to,” Dave

said. “I wanted to become a husband and father and be a healthy role model for my children. I didn’t want my parents to have to bury their son. I wanted to become more content with my faith and look into doing real estate as a full-time career. All of these things were slipping away from me.”

The error message on the scale was a call for action. He decided he needed to do a complete overhaul of his lifestyle by adjusting his diet and going to the gym – and investing in other important parts of his life.

“I was going to change my physical health, along with my mental, financial, and spiritual health too. This wasn’t the first time I was attempting to lose weight, but I never incorporated the other aspects of my health. Since I didn’t do that, I wasn’t successful. I decided to take a radically different approach.”

Dave started eating a low carb, high protein diet, going to bed early, and waking up at 4 AM to go to the gym. He stepped away from technology and social media on the weekends and deepened his spiritual connection to get him through the tough times.

“I relied on prayer and God when I was in a moment of weakness or having bad day,” he said.

He also began documenting his journey on Twitter and Instagram, amassing over 70,000 followers along the way. On social media, he describes himself: “Life is good, Dave is fat, for now. Aspiring supermodel. Accountant. MBA.” He proudly displays an American flag and Star of David next to his name and posts photos of himself working out, pictures of his food, and messages about his progress.

“Lifted 10,600lbs,” he recently wrote. “2-3 times a week I do a workout from the pump app (not paid, just like the app!) Keeps me learning & tracking my training. I don't do anything intense, I'm not interested in heavy ego lifting, I like to do more than cardio so I get stronger as I lose weight.”

Today, Dave has lost just over 100 pounds and is halfway through his weight loss journey. His goal is to get to under 200 pounds. He exercises 30 to 45 minutes, five days a week, and eats mostly protein and vegetables. Even though he’s made a lot of progress over the past year, it isn’t always easy, and he isn’t afraid to open up about his journey or be vulnerable. He also deals with people who criticize him – they take shots at his methods – in a kind way, never putting anyone down. When someone said it was not a good practice to get up at 4 AM to work out, he said that he’s not an expert and he’s tweaking what he does and learning as he goes. Thankfully, most of the feedback he gets is positive.

“The fitness and gym bros are more inclusive and supportive than I ever could have imagined, and 99% of them want to see me and everyone else reach those goals,” he said. “They are there to help. So is my doctor. I wish I had known that earlier or I could have convinced myself to start a year or two ago.”

Now that Dave has lost so much weight, he’s tackling more goals, like learning how to cook, paying off his debt, pursuing real estate, and planning to find a synagogue to join as well.

“It’s the biggest part of my journey that’s still a work in progress,” he said. “Those Chabad rabbis slide into my DMs on Twitter all the time, so I’ll find the closest shul when I’m ready. I’d like to pray and be closer to my faith.”

Dave is happy to offer inspiring words to others to encourage them to change their lives like he did. He believes it’s important to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, whether you’re going to a gym, a health food store, or a therapist, or trying to reconnect with your faith. He also stressed that getting starting is the most difficult part – but you have to start somewhere.

“The first few steps are definitely the hardest,” he said. “Be okay with being uncomfortable, and we will be there for you. That’s been the most eye opening and amazing part of the journey for me. No man is an island. I’m realizing how supportive, positive and insightful people can be.”