Once 300 pounds, man loses 165 pounds so he can enlist in the U.S. Army

KISSIMMEE, FL -- The Army's tagline is "be all you can be." But for all 300 pounds of Christian Montijo, he was not able to be what he wanted to be.

The 28-year-old father of two battled his weight throughout life and it was the main struggle in keeping him from accomplishing his dream of joining the Army.

"I got to a point to my life that I thought if I keep going on this path I'm just going to keep gaining weight and get to a point that I'm either going to die or be in a wheelchair something like that," he told WKMG.

Since he bottomed out at more than 300 pounds, Montijo has lost about 165 pounds. He prepares his own meals, drinks plenty of water and cuts out soda.

Initially, there was solid progress. He started losing weight, but found out he still had 30 pounds to lose after a trip to the recruiting station in Kissimmee, Florida.

"You don't gain weight 100 pounds in a week or in a month," Montijo said. "It's over time so the same way that it takes time for you to gain weight it's going to take time to lose the weight."

In October, he got the call he's been waiting for. He'll head to South Carolina for military training in the coming days.