Dad of Three Loses Nearly 80 Pounds With 'Cheap and Easy' Exercise

A father of three has revealed how his late mother's words inspired him to go on a dramatic weight loss journey with the help of a skipping rope.

In 2022, Joseph Graham Jr., 32, of New York City was struggling. A proud father of an 8-year-old son and two daughters aged 6 and 3, he was overweight and dealing with mental health challenges.

Like many dads, Graham had put on some pounds. A study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine found that over 15 years, dads gained an average body mass index of 2.00 kg/m2, compared with men who did not have children.

His situation was a little more complicated than that, though. He had once been an avid runner. He remembers losing 35 pounds during the summer and fall of 2012. That success sparked a renewed interest in fitness at the time. But that interest was all but extinguished by a series of events that left Graham reeling. First, his mother died in 2019. Then, just a year later, the pandemic struck, with gyms closed and Graham and his family isolated in lockdown.

"I was dealing with severe stress, depression and anxiety," Graham told Newsweek. "My mom had always been there to help me through tough situations. With her gone, I felt alone. My children were always there and I always made time for them, but I couldn't communicate with them about certain things the way I would with my mother."

As a result, Graham found himself turning increasingly to food as a source of comfort. "I began overeating and consuming sugary drinks and snacks. My weight had climbed to 247 pounds, and I wasn't happy with who I was as an individual or the way that I was living. I was most disappointed by the fact that my children were witnessing me spiral downward," he said.

It was during one of those dark days, completely out of the blue, that Graham remembered one of the final things his mom had said to him before she died: "Never remain stagnant."

"My mother's words resurfaced in my mind and sparked a drive and focus that pushed me to start moving again," he said. He eventually ordered a jump rope online and began skipping at home every day.

"I'd always admired the way boxers would skip rope, and as a child in school I liked jumping rope but never knew how to do much beyond a basic skip," Graham said. He cited videos of Muhammad Ali and Michael B. Jordan in Creed as inspirations.

In terms of his form of exercise, Graham couldn't have chosen much better.

Scott Harrison, a personal trainer and nutrition expert, told Newsweek: "Skipping with a rope is an excellent exercise that can help improve heart health, increase endurance and enhance overall cardiovascular fitness. If you master this quite difficult practice, you can burn a significant number of calories in a relatively short amount of time, making it an effective exercise for weight loss."

The only drawback to skipping rope Harrison mentioned is the difficulty of mastering it at first. "It requires good coordination and good timing and on that basis can take some time to master," he said. "But one of the great things about this type of exercise is that a rope is cheap, easy to carry, can be done pretty much anywhere and is quite fun when you get fancy at it."

Crucially, Graham was eager to give skipping rope a try and didn't worry about being perfect. "I became self-taught by spontaneously trying new moves through various bouts of trials and error," he said. "I also incorporated push-ups into my workout because there was once a time where I could only do one."

He admits that getting back into regular exercise and balancing it along with the demands of work and parenting took "a lot of time management," and there were setbacks along the way.

"I sprained my ankle in the very beginning when I was at my heaviest. I had to wear a boot and was sidelined from exercise for about a month," he said. "Having to sit down again and wait to recover while dealing with the stress of not feeling fulfilled and, again, observing my children seeing me at my lowest point began to burden me."

His mother's words continued to go through his mind, though. Once he recovered, he was ready to push on. "I fought through the discomfort of anxiety, burnout from work and other stressors and pushed my body to exercise regardless," he said.

Graham also began prioritizing sleep, with bedtimes set between 9:30 and 10 p.m. so he would be fresh for a workout first thing. He cut sugar and junk food out of his diet almost entirely. Meals consisted of protein and carbohydrates, preferring foods like turkey, chicken, vegetables and rice.

Though his mom played a part, Graham credits his kids as being the main reason he continued to drive forward on his weight loss journey. "I truly wanted them to be proud of their dad," he said.

After losing nearly 80 pounds, Graham weighs 170 in 2024. His story has also become a source of inspiration to others on social media, with Graham posting snippets of his weight loss journey to TikTok under the handle theguywiththepinkshoes.

"My three children see me now and they are so happy and inspired by what I do, and my mental clarity has improved and made me feel so fulfilled in life," he said. "The fact that others have been inspired by my video has encouraged me to teach others that moving your body will vastly improve your mind."

Graham has some advice for anyone wishing to replicate his success. "Try your best to keep a positive mindset, even in the darkest moments," he said. "Find a workout that is fun for you. If you choose a workout that you have no passion for, you'll have a hard time enjoying the process and ultimately sticking with it."

He went on: "There were so many times where I'd feel discouraged or unmotivated to exercise. Then I would tell myself to wait until tomorrow, and then tomorrow turned into next week, then next month, and ultimately I became complacent. It's essential to lift yourself up during those moments and do it anyway, and I guarantee that a few minutes into your workout you'll be glad that you rose to the occasion."

Graham has no plans to stop his rope skipping anytime soon and hopes to find new ways to inspire others to do the same.

"I skip to maintain my fitness, both physically and mentally, because I feel like moving your body plays a huge role in one's mindset on a daily basis," he said." I do also want to eventually establish a group exercise program where I help others with skipping and nutritional life coaching."