Stronger Every Day: The Connection Between Movement and Mindset

Food as Love

Food is an important part of Mexican culture, so perhaps it was no surprise that growing up, Sal equated food with comfort.

“Food has been my happy place since I was a little kid,” he said. “Anytime I needed a boost — sad, overwhelmed, depressed — I’d grab a doughnut or a burger. And it worked. I’d feel better.”

At the time, Sal didn’t worry about how his habits would affect him in the future.  

“I’ve struggled with weight my whole life, especially because I dislike exercising. The only time I wasn’t overweight was when I was being paid to work out,” said Sal, who joined the Marine Corps in 2003.

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Swallowing the Pain

If all you hear is negativity, even from yourself, it eats away at you.

Sal joined the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines as a machine gunner, and a year later, in the fall of 2004, he deployed to Iraq. Not long after his arrival, Sal was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), causing significant trauma that put him in a coma for a week and resulted in the loss of his left leg below the knee.

But the pain and trauma of his time overseas followed him home. “When you get blown up, it does something to your body, your brain. I came back changed,” said Sal.

He tried to power through the pain — both physical and emotional – but he relied on familiar coping strategies.

“I was eating like crazy. It wasn’t just comfort food — it was survival food,” he said. “Pizza, fast food, late-night snacks. I was just trying to get through each day.”

According to the Wounded Warrior Project Warrior Survey*, more than 8 in 10 warriors are overweight or obese. It is not uncommon for military veterans to become less active after transitioning to civilian life. However, a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of physical and mental health challenges. 

Weight gain wasn’t Sal’s only challenge, though. He also turned to alcohol for relief. “I was self-medicating with alcohol just to be able to go out at night to play guitar and hang with friends. Then I’d drink myself to oblivion to go to sleep,” he recalled.

With each pound gained, feelings of self-doubt, depression, and questions about the future started to creep in. The pinnacle came when Sal looked down at the scale and read 298 pounds.

“At 250, I could still do a lot athletically. But nearly 300? That’s when I knew something had to change,” he said. 

A Prescription for Better Health

Sal’s moment of clarity came during a vulnerable conversation with a friend. “We were talking, and I said, ‘I wonder if I have low testosterone,’” Sal recalls.

His friend encouraged him to get checked and even recommended a physician. Sal agreed. He was soon shocked to learn that his hormone levels were indeed out of balance. “My testosterone was that of a man nearly three times my age.”

The doctor also told Sal he was prediabetic and urged him to make changes to his diet and physical fitness.

Sal was not enthusiastic.

Changing how he ate and forcing himself to move didn’t sound like fun. But he was a father now and being present for his family motivated him.

“At the end of the day, I realized I was going to feel better. But I began to have a lot of anxiety and depression over how to get to an ideal weight,” he recalls.