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BradCardoza@PinnacleStrength.com

At 450lbs., 30-year-old Andrew Thake of Fairhaven knew he was heavy but didn't realize just how heavy until he had to use the freight scale at St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford for a weigh-in.

"He used to be able to cut his grandmother's yard without rest," his mother, Nancy Brooks, says. "Last year, when he did it, he couldn't go 5 minutes without a rest. Another time we went for a walk on the beach and he couldn't do thatwithout stopping to rest.  He probably knew he was having trouble but wouldn't admit it. I was afraid I was going to lose him."

"I tried a couple of diets but they didn't work," says Thake. "I looked briefly at staple [gastric bypass surgery] but decided against it. I went to a few gyms and eventually met a high school friend of mine, Brad Cardoza, who is a personal trainer and owns Pinnacle Strength. He essentially saved my life.

"Says Cardoza of Thake's arrival at his gym last year: "He could barely walk the 20 feet from the parking lot and up five stairs. He came to the desk huffing and puffing-I thought he was going to collapse right there."

Thake felt an immediate comfort level with Cardoza, who began addressing his friend's unhealthy regime.

"I was still living the college life," explains Thake.  "When I graduated from high school, I weighed about 190 lbs, Each year in college, I added another 25 lbs., and it kept going for about six more years. I was eating a lot of pizza and snack things, drinking beer in college, and I kept doing it after I graduated.

"Brad taught me how to eat, essentially," Thake continues. "He took me to a grocery store and explained to me exactly what I needed to eat to survive. I've made a l80-degree change in my diet." Almost a year later, he has lost roughly 100 lbs. and is still losing.

"He has stopped drinking and is eating better; his lifestyle and weight have obviously changed and his confidence level has risen," exclaims Cardoza. "Andy works out here about three times a week, with me training and overseeing his progress.  He usually does cardio and weight training. He also does low-intensity cardio a few days on his own.

"For the first two to three months, he had a lot of back pain while working out," adds Cardoza. "Once he lost 65 lbs., his pain was reduced; now it's gone. Essentially his lower back muscles were overworked by trying to hold up his stomach, which was pulling him forward."

Thake is a work in progress, according to Cardoza. "The first 100 lbs. were obviously the health hundred," he says. "The next hundred are cosmetic. Now he can exercise and not worry about his ticker. This is the start of at least a two- to three-year project. He needs to get down to 250 or 200 lbs. That will be the tough part, seeing where his body will allow him to go. At 200 lbs., he'll look amazing.

"Everything is easier to do now," Thake concludes. "I can actually walk without huffing and puffing."