Man Who Lost Nearly 300 Pounds Shares Story on The Doctors TV Show

OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- After losing 290 pounds and then gaining 75 pounds of lean muscle, 23-year-old Iowa native Rich Branscum will share his life-changing transformation story on the nationally syndicated daytime TV series "The Doctors," this Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Rich weighed 455 pounds four years ago. Now, he's training for a body-building contest and bench presses 460 pounds. Rich hopes to inspire others to make positive life changes through sharing his dramatic transformation, which was jumpstarted with the support of Omaha-based Complete Nutrition, a national nutritional retail chain.

"I remember feeling hopeless, that I couldn't lose weight," said Branscum. "But my best friend and Complete Nutrition were there for me, and now I want to pay it forward and help others change their lives."

Rich's weight issues began spiraling out of control after he came home from football practice during his freshman year of high school to find his father dead on the floor. Compounding his loss, his mother became seriously ill and was hospitalized for more than two months the summer before sophomore year, essentially leaving the teenager alone to mourn his father's death.

To cope, he turned to food, trying to replace the void left by his father with pizza and other junk food. By senior year, his doctor told him he could die by age 21 unless he made drastic lifestyle changes.

After reaching his breaking point, Rich turned to his best friend Zach Gaskill for guidance. With Zach's encouragement, he lost 40 pounds by making subtle improvements to his exercise and diet, including eliminating soda and working out for short periods of time.

Shortly after, Rich discovered Complete Nutrition in West Des Moines where he met with consultant Dan Zimmerman, a certified sports nutritionist, with whom he would develop a strong bond in the years to come. During the initial consultation, the pair discussed Rich's health and fitness goals for more than an hour, and Dan mapped out a comprehensive diet, nutrition and exercise plan for Rich. Throughout the next year and a half, Rich got down to 165 pounds with the help of Complete Nutrition's expert advice, support and safe, industry-leading nutritional supplements.

"We tell people there's no magic pill to lose weight or gain muscle," said Zimmerman. "Complete Nutrition helps people like Rich who want to improve their lives but just don't know where to start. I'm extremely proud of him and hope every consultant has the opportunity to work with someone like Rich."

Watch Rich recount his inspirational story this Tuesday, Feb. 18 on The Doctors TV Show. For show times and networks, visit TheDoctorsTV.com or check local TV listings.

About Complete Nutrition:
Complete Nutrition is a network of consultative nutritional supplement retail stores whose mission is to help people transform their lives through fitness, health and wellness advice.  Complete Nutrition's consultants, many of whom are athletes, certified personal trainers, nutritionists, and others experienced in the health and fitness industry, work individually with customers to help them reach their goals by creating diet and exercise plans and recommending safe and effective weight loss, sports nutrition, and general health supplement programs to boost results. Founded in 2005, Complete Nutrition is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the health and wellness industry. For more information, call 866-366-5766 or visit CompleteNutrition.com.

SOURCE Complete Nutrition