'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Mike Pompeo recently opened up about his remarkable weight loss journey that left several fans stunned last year. The former US Secretary of State told The New York Post that he had successfully lost 90 pounds in the past six months.
The politician mentioned that he started gaining weight after being elected to Congress as a Kansas representative in 2010 and failed to take care of his health amid his hectic schedule and high-pressure workload.
He finally decided to lose weight after his departure from the Trump administration, but admitted that the process was a “lifetime struggle”:
“The truth is losing weight has been a lifetime struggle for me. For me it’s about getting it right and being sufficiently disciplined.”
Mike Pompeo also revealed that he lost weight all by himself without any professional help, rigorous training or any kind of fad diet.
A look into Mike Pompeo’s weight loss journey
Mike Pompeo started his weight loss journey on 14 June 2021, after realizing he was slightly away from weighing 300 pounds on the scale. He then told his wife “today is the day” and started making a change in his lifestyle.
The former CIA director spoke to The New York Post about his stunning transformation and shared that he mainly relied on exercise and healthy dietary changes:
“I started exercising, not every day, but nearly every day, and eating right and the weight just started to come off.”
The 58-year-old reportedly opened a small gym in his home with a few dumbbells and an elliptical machine and began his journey without the help of any trainer:
“I tried to get down there five, six times a week and stay at it for a half-hour or so. And that was nothing scientific. There was no trainer, there was no dietician. It was just me.”
Mike Pompeo even shared that part of his unhealthy lifestyle was characterized by his busy work schedule, long hours of traveling and dependency on junk food like cheeseburgers:
“You can ask anybody on my team, they knew exactly what I was going to do: cheeseburger from room service. I went back to the room and kept working, and ate my cheeseburger. That was my pattern of life. When you work and eat, you just keep working and you just keep eating.”
The former US Army officer also mentioned that he used his foot injury as an excuse for not losing weight in the past:
“I put on almost a hundred pounds over the course of 10, 11 years — years that coincided with my foot injury — so I told myself that was the reason I gained so much weight.”
Pompeo even shot down rumors that claimed he underwent a drastic weight loss due to an underlying illness or for his run as a potential presidential candidate in 2024:
“The posts were pretty nasty or just inaccurate, speculating that I had health issues with my neck, or that I had cancer. Nobody ever called me and really asked, ‘Hey, what happened?’ The truth is, I’m really getting ready for 2044 and hoping I’ll be around in 2054.”
The California-native also credited his wife, son and other family members for supporting him throughout his weight loss journey.
Twitter reacts to Mike Pompeo’s weight loss journey
Mike Pompeo joined Fox News as a contributor in 2021 after leaving the Trump administration following the latter’s loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. ‘
Although the Republican stayed out of the spotlight for the majority of 2021, he surprised Fox viewers with his significant weight transformation in the second half of the year. Fans also noticed the drastic change and expressed their curiosity over his weight loss journey.
As Mike Pompeo finally opened up about his routine and lifestyle, several people took to Twitter to share their reaction to his weight loss:
Despite his dietary changes, Mike Pompeo said he still enjoys going to iHop with his family but replaced the “pumpkin pancakes doused in syrup” with “egg whites and turkey bacon”:
“For our family, food is where we gather. We are Italian and we like to get together around a good meal of pasta and bread and cheeses and dessert. We are still going to enjoy these big meals with family and friends except I am going to be the guy that says, ‘Yeah, I’ll have a salad.’”
He also said that even though the change is “hard and not permanent,” he is hoping to inspire other people with his own journey.
